Chapter Text
A steady layer of dust had gathered in the room.
Neteyam could see the way it coated the walls, thick as it clung to the splotchy paintwork that had been left there by the previous owners.
It wasn’t much, the room. Those minuscule flakes of grime acting as the only form of decoration that Neteyam had. Well, unless you counted the old wooden bedframe and springy mattress that the room had come with, as well. But it would have to do. Or, at least for now, it would.
Because while Hawaii was lovely from the scarce details Neteyam had seen of it, he highly doubted the Sullys would last long there. Not when his father had been dealt a Permanent Change of Station order earlier that year, forcing the rest of the family to just up and move with him without a choice as he took on the new assignment.
But don’t let the name fool you; PCS’s were never permanent. Neteyam had learnt that the hard way.
Shifting on the mattress, the worn-out springs creaking beneath him as he threw his legs over the side of his temporary bed and planted them on the floor, Neteyam peeled his eyes away from the walls with a tired sigh. None of this was ideal.
Of course, Neteyam would much rather be back home, where he was surrounded by his friends and family. He’d prefer it if he could continue to help his grandmother at the nature reserve she owned. Hell, he’d even stop complaining about being cramped into the too-small room that he had shared with Lo’ak. But just like his father always reminded him, he was the older brother.
He had to put his own wants and needs aside so he could focus on keeping his siblings safe and out of trouble. And while moving states and thousands of miles away from a place he had only just become comfortable with had definitely taken its toll on him, Neteyam couldn’t show it. Not yet.
Forcing himself up and out of whatever desolate slump he had cornered himself into by sitting in an empty room that he already hated, Neteyam decided enough was enough and that he couldn’t continue to waste the day wallowing in his own self-pity.
Instead, he’d do what he did best: he’d look after his siblings.
Leaving his bedroom (if he could even call it that yet) behind, Neteyam descended the staircase leading to the front of the house with feather-light fingertips ghosting across the top of the protective wooden railing.
Already, Neteyam could hear commotion coming from the living room before he even reached the bottom step. The sound of high-pitched whining and exasperated grumbling bounced off the suitcases and carry-on bags that had immediately been dumped upon arrival, ricocheting until it reached where Neteyam was standing tucked around the corner.
Bracing himself for whatever scene he was about to find, though Neteyam already had a slight idea of who he’d be met with once he finally plucked up the courage to brave the site, he forced a small, encouraging smile onto his face before moving even an inch. He couldn’t afford to be caught with the same gloomy frown Kiri and Lo’ak had been wearing, after all.
Not when that meant being pulled aside by his father and receiving a strong-worded talking to, since his younger siblings and mother would pick up on his energy and feed off of it.
Rounding the corner and stepping out from behind the coverage that the staircase’s railing offered him, Neteyam was met with the exact image he thought he’d find himself walking into: Tuk with her arms crossed and a sullen pout tugging at her lips while Jake loomed over her, doing his best to defuse the situation while subsequently making it ten times worse.
“But that’s not fair, Daddy,” Tuk sniffled, looking two seconds away from stomping her feet and bursting into tears as she stood with her arms bitterly crossed over her chest. “You pinky promised I could go to the beach when we land, but now that we’re here, you’re breaking it. Why?”
“Because, Tuk,” Jake began, face visibly pinched after already going over this with Tuk multiple times. “The movers haven’t got here with our stuff yet.”
Clearly not liking the sound of that answer, Tuk huffed heavily through her nose once. “And?”
“And all of your swimsuits haven’t arrived yet,” Jake sighed, scrubbing a hand down his face, peeved after a long flight, before taking a knee so he was on Tuk’s level. “You remember packing them into those boxes with the rest of your clothes, right? Well, those are still a few hours away from getting here with the rest of our furniture. So, we’ll just have to make do with what we have until it arrives.”
Neteyam could tell Jake was trying to be sweet, his words clipped in a way that made it obvious he was deliberately stringing together sentences with the purpose of not upsetting Tuk further.
But it wasn’t working.
Instead, every passing second seemed to spur Tuk’s annoyance on. The blundering of Jake’s mouth opening and closing only adding fuel to the fire, as with each useless sound that didn’t align itself with her wishes fell on unwavering ears.
“You said we could, though.” The misery in Tuk’s voice shot straight through Neteyam’s heart, reminding him just how weak he was to his siblings' doe eyes. “We never got to go to the beach back home because they all sucked or were too far away. But now that we live somewhere with pretty beaches, you’re still not letting me go. Why did you lie to me?”
“I didn’t mean to, Babygirl,” Jake tried reaching for her, only to have Tuk cruelly pull herself back, making his fingers clasp around nothing but thin air. Balling his hand into a loose fist at the denial, Jake brought it down to his bent knee and smacked it there lightly a few times to try and play off the rejection as he thought of a way to make the situation better. “It’s just–”
“I can take her,” Neteyam blurted before Jake could form a coherent sentence, not even bothering to think through his actions.
Because really, who was Neteyam to deny Tuk if there was something he could do about her minor grievance?
He was, after all, her big brother. It would practically be a crime if Neteyam just stood around idly while his parents were busy trying to make the best out of an already disastrous situation that nobody wanted to be in. Even more so if it were at the expense of one of his siblings.
But perhaps Neteyam should’ve thought his choices through a little more carefully, because as soon as he had spoken his offer to life, two sets of eyes snapped towards him, their gazes narrowing as he was thrust under a microscope. From there, every minor detail about him, every twitch, every breath, was inspected with mass scrutiny.
“I mean,” Neteyam choked under the sudden steadfast attention, swallowing thickly to try and clear his pipes. “If you need to stay here, I’m more than happy to go to the beach with Tuk.”
“Really?” Tuk gasped, her eyes lighting up.
“Of course, Tuk Tuk,” Neteyam smiled, trying to hide the sigh of relief that he let out. Walking over to the pair instead of continuing to loiter in the living room's entryway, Neteyam set a playful hand atop his younger sister’s head, ruffling her braids lightly as she let out a squeal of excitement.
Neteyam, however, hadn’t won just yet. Not when he still needed to win the approval of his father, a feat that wasn’t particularly easy when it was common knowledge among the Sullys how Neteyam fared with water.
Shyly looking over at Jake, Neteyam tried to offer him the most reassuring smile he could muster, unfortunately knowing it probably wouldn’t mean much since the ocean would be involved. Still, he had to try for Tuk. Especially when he had gone out of his way now to give the girl hope. “Is that okay with you, Dad?”
“On any other day, it would be, Neteyam,” Jake dejectedly muttered, looking pained by his own words. With thinned lips tightening his father’s features into a disgruntled frown, Neteyam could make out the exact moment Jake realised there was no salvaging the situation. The man accepting defeat with the assumption that Tuk would give him the silent treatment, as she had done so many times before. “But if you haven’t noticed, we don’t exactly have the right equipment to be committing to a beach trip just yet.”
“I don’t mind buying her a new swimsuit if that’s the only reason,” Neteyam proposed with an easy shrug of his shoulders, not minding having to spend a few extra dollars on his little sister if that would make her happy. “I’m sure they have a few shops near the beaches here for tourists who need to buy last-minute items like that. I’ll even get her a towel and any other things she might need to enjoy herself.”
While Tuk spun around from under Neteyam’s hand, throwing her arms around his stomach so she could pull him into a cherished hug, Neteyam watched as conflict arose on Jake’s face, quietly observing him as he absently returned the gesture and wrapped his own arms around Tuk.
It was obvious that Jake wasn’t completely on board with the idea of Neteyam and Tuk going to the beach on their own. Neteyam didn’t need to be a genius to notice that.
Never having set foot in Hawaii before today, Neteyam didn’t exactly know his way around the area. And while the Maps app on his phone would probably be Neteyam’s best friend for a while, that didn’t exactly instil any of the confidence that Jake needed to let the two of them go.
That and the fact that the Sullys didn’t really know anyone in Hawaii. Well, unless you counted one of Jake’s old friends from when he first joined the Marines and was visiting Hawaii on a day trip. But if Neteyam remembered correctly, said man was quite an influential political figure here. Unfortunately, he didn’t seem like the type of guy you could just call up and ask to babysit your kids.
Oh! And the water. Had Neteyam mentioned yet that he wasn’t exactly trusted around water? It wasn’t because of anything he had done, per se. But, more so, what Neteyam hadn’t done.
So, yeah… maybe things weren’t looking to be heading in Neteyam and Tuk’s favour. And maybe, just maybe, he should’ve recruited the help of Kiri and Lo’ak, since, you know, safety in numbers and all that. But Neteyam wasn’t going to go down without a fight. Certainly not when Tuk was positively beaming up at him, as if he himself had hung all the stars in the night sky.
Prying Tuk away from his stomach so he could instead pick her up and prop her on his hip (even if she was starting to get far too big to continue doing such a thing), Neteyam smushed the side of their faces together as he took a daring step closer to Jake, filling his vision with nothing but the two of them and their pleading eyes.
“Please, Dad?” Neteyam cooed, batting his lashes at Jake as if that would somehow sway the man. “I promise we won’t be gone for long, and that I’ll be watching Tuk the entire time. You can even watch us on that tracking app that Mum made us download if you’d like.”
There was a moment of thick hesitation that hung in the air. A beat of silence that told Neteyam everything he needed to know: Jake was having a hard time finding a reason to say no.
Latching onto that fact, Neteyam gave Tuk’s hip a light squeeze, silently telling her that if there was a moment to get in on the action, that now was the perfect time to strike. And strike she did. “And I promise to help unpack all the boxes when they arrive,” Tuk added, almost shattering what was left of their father’s already crumbling resolve.
And then, just for good measure, since Neteyam had come too far now, he and Tuk both begged with syrupy churrs at the same time, “Please?”
Jake let out a defeated sigh, his shoulders dropping with what could only be described as relief as he gave in.
And just like that, Neteyam knew they had won.
“Alright, alright, you can go,” Jake exclaimed with an almost teasing smile, throwing his hands up in surrender, all the while Tuk let out a delighted squeal. Neteyam couldn’t help but share the sentiment, practically glowing as he took in his sister's excitement. “But I want you home no later than five, and your location stays on the entire time. You hear me?”
“Yes, Sir,” Neteyam mused, straightening his spine and saluting to the best of his ability when he still had an armful of Tuk. “Loud and clear.”
An ugly snort quickly pulled itself from Jake at the act, his head shaking as he tried, and failed, to contain his amusement. With a light swipe of his hand, knuckles brushing against some of Neteyam’s braids, he huffed, “Hey, knock it off.”
With a playful roll of his eyes, Neteyam dropped his hand, using it to better hold onto his sister.
“Hey, Tuk?” Neteyam drawled, turning his attention to the woman of the hour. With a curious tilt of her head, Tuk’s wide chestnut eyes boring into his skull, she less-than-patiently hummed for Neteyam to continue, already geared up to make a break from the boorish house they had been kept locked up in. “Why don’t you go and see if you packed any shorts in yours and Mama’s suitcase? I don’t think jeans are a very good fit for the beach.”
“Okay,” she cheerily agreed, motioning for Neteyam to plop her down. Doing so without complaint, Neteyam set Tuk’s energetic feet back on the ground, the girl bouncing on the tip of her toes as she held herself back from running off. Before she made a dash for her suitcase, though, she made sure to check with Neteyam: “But can we go after that?”
“Of course,” Neteyam confirmed, not even daring to think of keeping Tuk contained a second longer than she had to be. “And hey, while you do that, how about I check if Kiri or Lo’ak want to come with us? Maybe we’ll all be able to go.”
Tuk’s eyes narrowed for half a second, inspecting Neteyam and his intentions for a few moments before reluctantly agreeing, “Mhh, fine. But don’t take too long.”
“I won’t,” Neteyam smiled sweetly, ruffling Tuk’s braids one last time. “Promise.”
With a light giggle, Tuk slapped Neteyam’s hands away, trying to evade his brotherly love. Spinning on her heel, Tuk dashed over to the pile of suitcases and bags with no strategy in mind as she began to sift through them, opening and closing every piece of luggage without a care for who it belonged to. It was only when she’d see nothing of her own inside that Tuk would messily stuff everything inside before moving on to the next suitcase.
After watching her for a few seconds, Neteyam was about to turn on his own heel and head upstairs, making the rounds to Kiri and Lo’ak’s room to ask if they were interested in a trip to the beach, when Jake hurriedly called out to him, “Hey, Son, wait up.”
“Yeah?” Neteyam questioned, stopping abruptly as he looked back over his shoulder at his father.
“I just wanted to say thank you for doing this,” he murmured, already seeming to be physically ten times lighter than the man Neteyam had walked in on not even five minutes ago. Reaching a hand out and placing it heavily on Neteyam’s shoulder, Jake gave the boy a light squeeze, making sure to fill the action with the magnitude of appreciation that he was feeling. “You’re a great older brother, you know that?”
At the praise, Neteyam felt his heart sing. If he hadn’t been so consumed with the way he felt his entire body warmed at the recognition, Neteyam would’ve gone so far as to say the muscle skipped a beat entirely with how much pride was swelling inside of him.
Oh, what Neteyam would give to hear his father say those words to him every day. To remind him that it wasn’t all for nothing, and that he was doing a good job. But despite that feeling, Neteyam couldn’t help but deflect. Waving his hands around as if to ward off the compliment from ever reaching him, Neteyam muttered, “Oh, no, it was nothing, Dad.”
Because it was nothing. And Neteyam didn’t deserve to be praised for something as effortless as taking his sister down to the beach when he would’ve gladly done so on any normal day. Besides, the simple act wouldn’t cost Neteyam anything (other than a few extra dollars), so it wasn’t something exactly worth celebrating.
“I’m sure Kiri and Lo’ak would’ve done the same for her,” he said, trying to play it off with a casual shrug of his shoulders.
“As much as I love your siblings, Neteyam, I really do,” Jake grimaced, his eyes darting over to where Tuk was still hunting for a pair of shorts she could change into and then the staircase that led up to everyone’s bedrooms. “We both know they wouldn’t have done that for her.”
Neteyam wanted to argue at that. To say something and stick up for his siblings. Because, yeah, maybe they wouldn’t have volunteered to take Tuk to the beach as he had, but Neteyam was sure they would’ve found another way to make it up to her.
But Neteyam didn’t.
He bit his tongue, swallowed whatever empty rebuttal had surfaced in his throat, and allowed Jake to continue uninterrupted by him, because that’s what good sons did.
“But hey, that’s enough of that,” Jake said, flapping his hand through the air once to shoo the innocent jabs at his children away. Pulling out his wallet next, Jake quickly began shuffling through it, looking for a bill that he could give to Neteyam. “Enjoy yourself with Tuk, make sure she doesn’t go too deep into the water, and here. Fifty dollars should be enough to cover whatever you need and get a little snack while you’re out, right? If not, just text me, and I’ll transfer you some more.”
“Oh, Dad,” Neteyam paled, guilt washing over and slamming into him like a tsunami at the sight of the note in Jake’s hands. He couldn’t take that. Not when he had already promised to look after Tuk and whatever expenses this little outing cost them. It was meant to be his treat to Tuk, not Jake’s treat for both of them. Refusing to take the note, Neteyam said, “You don’t have to.”
“No, it’s fine,” Jake, however, insisted, not giving up until Neteyam was forced to take the money lest he wanted to see the note drop to the floor, something the boy would never allow to happen since he personally saw it as a sign of disrespect. “It’s the least I can do for you helping me out.”
“...Okay,” Neteyam was forced to accept with a sigh, though he made sure to make a show of just how reluctant he was to do so.
“Good,” Jake hummed, smiling despite the played-up annoyance from his son and the mess his daughter was making behind him, something he’d surely have to sort through before his wife got home and saw it. “Now, make sure you have fun out there.”
“We will,” Neteyam declared, knowing he wouldn’t let Tuk leave the beach until they had.
And, with that conversation in mind, that was exactly how Neteyam found himself walking along one of the nearby beachfronts with Tuk’s hand firmly clasped in his, the Maps app open on his phone as they searched for one of the recommended stores on it, and an empty tote bag slung over his shoulder, waiting to be filled with whatever purchases were made today.
Just like Neteyam had said he would, he quickly found Kiri and Lo’ak and asked if either of them wanted to come while Tuk got changed, only to be promptly shut down by the both of them.
While Kiri had been much nicer out of the two, politely declining because she wanted to spend the first few days getting situated in what would be their new home, Neteyam couldn’t really blame either of them for it. Even if he had been met by Lo’ak throwing one of his discarded Jordans at his head.
But honestly, at this point, Neteyam wouldn’t have expected anything less from his younger brother. Especially when he seemed to be the most beaten up about the move. Well, apart from their mother.
She had by far taken it the worst. Already, she had been opposed to the initial move that landed their family in New York City, claiming that disconnecting the children from their motherland so early in life would only make them grow to not properly appreciate their culture. But, just as Neteyam did for his siblings, Neytiri sucked it up for her family’s sake.
…And then Jake had to go and get assigned a brand new PCS.
Neteyam could still remember the night Jake had broken the news to Neytiri, their hushed shouts leaking out from under their bedroom door while he and his siblings pressed close, trying to pick up every word of it.
It had been a tense couple of days around their home following that. Neytiri refused to acknowledge that they’d have to leave everything behind again. Kiri grew anxious about having to start her life all over again. Lo’ak got pissed that he’d have to leave the friends he worked so hard to make behind. Tuk didn’t really know what was going on, but because of everyone else in the house, she grew quieter. And Neteyam… Well, Neteyam just went numb.
But that was done, and in the past, and Neteyam shouldn’t be thinking about it anymore. Even if he wanted to. What he should be thinking about is which one of the cutely decorated shops along the beachfront (that were so clearly designed to lure tourists in) he would take Tuk into so she could pick out a swimsuit to wear.
For the most part, the small stores all looked relatively similar. They all had little displays set up out the front of their buildings to show off some of the items on sale, big windows that allowed you to peer inside and take in the vibrant colours that filled them, and friendly faces manning the checkout point. From where Neteyam and Tuk walked along the sidewalk, he could also see that almost every store offered some sort of swimsuit for purchase. So it wasn’t necessarily about finding a place that sold swimwear, but one that would have cute enough designs that Tuk would be happy wearing it.
And while Neteyam loved his youngest sister, she was quite picky when it came to the things she liked. The girl had thrown more tantrums than Neteyam could count at being made to wear something she didn’t think was stylish, making it everyone’s problem until she was satisfied with what was put before her.
So, as the Sullys and, more importantly in this situation, Neteyam had come to learn, finding something Tuk liked was no easy feat.
But before Neteyam could accept defeat and allow the girl to have free rein, running into whatever stores she pleased until she found something, Neteyam spotted it.
Metkayina’s Paradise.
Sitting on the corner of the street, there wasn’t anything special about the store. Not from the white and teal paintwork that coated its walls, or the sand castle buckets propped up on a table near the front of the store, or the mannequin dressed in a flowy sundress in the window. But it was cute. And often, if the outside was cute, the inside would be too.
“Do you want to have a look inside this place, Tuk?” Neteyam called out, stopping their mindless strolling so he could point out the little store that had caught his attention. “It seems like they’d have everything you’d need for a fun trip to the beach.”
“Hmmm,” Tuk hummed, her eyes narrowing as she turned to inspect the store.
With a belated breath, Neteyam paused. He stood there with his teeth self-consciously biting at his bottom lip, waiting to hear the girl's verdict.
He could see the gears whirling in her head. The cogs shifting against one another as she meticulously scanned her gaze over the store. From the way Neteyam could see Tuk subconsciously leaning towards the building, her interest piqued, he knew he had made a good choice. And that was only confirmed when the girl cheerily said, “Okay!”
With a tug of her hand, Tuk began leading the way over, dragging Neteyam in with her as she stepped over the threshold and into the selected store.
Trying to be a good customer, Neteyam instinctively turned towards the checkout desk, fully intent on sending whoever was working behind it a small smile and a greeting. It was the right thing to do, after all. He was coming into their place of business and requesting their services. The least Neteyam could do was be friendly about it all. Only, there was no one there.
Spluttering at the empty desk, Neteyam worried for a moment that out of all the stores he could’ve possibly picked, he would’ve just had to pick the one where the employees had decided to go on break and forgot to write a note or close up shop while they were away. Knowing his luck, the store probably wasn’t even open to begin with, and he just decided to break into some random unsuspecting small business.
But then Neteyam turned his head and caught sight of a small family of three looking at the bodyboards near the back of the store, completely obliterating that thought from his mind with a sigh of relief.
Feeling another tug at his hand, Neteyam turns his attention back to Tuk, who was pointedly looking at a wall with different swimsets on display. Most of the children's designs had floral patterns plastered across them, a few sitting as outliers with animal designs, brand logos, or just purely being one colour.
“Which one do you think I should get, Teyam?” Tuk asked, staring at the different options as if this one choice would determine her fate for the rest of the time they stayed in Hawaii. Which, for a dramatic seven-year-old like Tuk, it just might.
“Well, which one’s your favourite?” Neteyam simply asked, hoping that would narrow down the selection that he had to choose from.
“These two,” Tuk pointed, singling out two one-piece swimmers that were hanging next to each other on the wall. The first one was navy with lighter stripes of blue curving around it, almost making it out to be a tiger's print if the colouring hadn’t been wrong. The second, however, just had different species of fish drawn on it. “But I can’t decide which one I like more.”
“Hmm,” Neteyam hummed, tapping a finger against his chin a few times to mimic being deep in thought as he inspected both designs. The action got a small laugh out of Tuk, bringing a satisfied smile to Neteyam’s face while her giggles bounced through the store. “I think you should pick the blue one.”
“Really?” she asked, sceptically picking up the swimsuit that Neteyam had chosen out. Checking it over in her hands, Tuk stared at it for a few seconds, deep in thought as she tried to decide if she should agree with Neteyam or just completely ignore anything he had to say when it came to fashion. “Or are you just saying that ‘cause it’s your favourite colour?”
“What? No,” Neteyam spluttered, his eyes widening as he shot Tuk a betrayed look. She fixed him with a raised brow, though. Not accepting any sort of shenanigans from Neteyam this time around as she waited for an answer. “Okay, fine, maybe. But I also just like the design better than the fish one. You wouldn’t want a seagull to fly overhead and pluck you out of the water because it thought you were one of the fish, would you?”
“Don’t be silly, Teyam. The seagulls wouldn’t do that,” Tuk scoffed, shaking her head as if she had heard the most ridiculous thing. Still, she made no effort to reach for the second swimsuit, her eyes lingering on its design as doubt began to seep into her mind. Turning back to Neteyam quickly, she meekly asked, “Would they?”
“I think they would. You know, I heard the seagulls here in Hawaii are different from the ones back home,” Neteyam couldn’t help but say, doing his best to hide the smile that was threatening to creep its way onto his face. “But if you don’t believe me, you can get the one with the fish on it, and we can test it out–”
“No!” Tuk screeched before Neteyam could get the rest of his sentence out, her hands clutching the navy swimsuit to her chest with widened eyes.
It seems like Tuk has made her choice, then.
“If you say so,” Neteyam shrugged, ready to get them out of that store and on the beach as Tuk had originally wanted. “But why don’t you try it on first before we buy it? We don’t want to buy it and walk all the way down to the beach only for it not to fit.”
“That’s so smart, Teyam,” Tuk mused, having a quick look at the size that was attached to the swimsuit she had picked up.
“Thanks, Tuk,” Neteyam absently murmured in response, craning his neck so he could have a proper look around the store in hopes of finding some changerooms or a bathroom that they could potentially use.
Before Neteyam could take a proper look around though, a deep, husky voice sounded out from behind him, startling Neteyam and making him jump slightly as his and Tuk’s attention was quickly grabbed. “If you’re looking for the changerooms, they’re around the corner and near the back of the store.”
“Thank you, Mr Worker,” Tuk politely beamed at the man behind Neteyam before spinning on her heel and taking off. Weaving her way through different display stands and racks of beach clothes, it wasn’t long before Tuk disappeared behind one of the store's walls.
The guy snorted in amusement to himself, paying no mind to the slamming of a changeroom door as he muttered to no one in particular, “No problem, kid.”
“Hey, Tuk, don’t run in the… store,” Neteyam tried to call out at the same time, his words futile as Tuk was long gone before he could even get the first syllable out. With a huff, Neteyam fought off the urge to drop his head into his hands.
Of course, Tuk just had to throw all sensible ways of thinking to the wind whenever she got excited.
“I’m so sorry about her,” Neteyam started, trying to take a calming breath instead of burying his head into his hands out of embarrassment.
Tuk was a force. One who often reflected poorly on others when her behaviour wasn’t managed properly. Neteyam would argue that she somehow picked up the habit from Lo’ak with all the shenanigans that he pulled, but Neytiri liked to argue that it was, in fact, Jake she was taking after. Something about his younger side coming through. It didn’t matter. Not when, currently, Neteyam was silently praying that he hadn’t already made a bad impression on the first person he had spoken to since leaving the airport.
In a hurried ramble, that was really just a lousy attempt to redeem himself, Neteyam said, “She doesn’t normally act like that, but I guess she’s just really looking forward to going to the beach. Thank you, by the way. For telling us where to go.”
Turning fully to face the man in question, Neteyam allowed himself half a second to take in his appearance.
With smooth golden-brown skin and thick, dark curls that had been pulled back into a small bun on the man's head, Neteyam found himself tilting his chin up to get a proper look at the other man. From there, two baby blue irises were peering down at him, mirth flickering in them as their owner unbashfully stared at Neteyam with a smug smirk on his lips.
For a moment–for just a moment–Neteyam's brain supplied the word attractive before he could stop it. Objectively so. But then the reasonable side of his brain decided to start functioning again, and he shut those thoughts down immediately.
He was, after all, here to buy a swimsuit for Tuk. Not to waste what little free time he had appreciating other people’s appearances. Neteyam no longer had the desire or right to do that. Especially when his father would quietly frown and push Neteyam’s attention to something more demanding.
So, he did what he did best when it came to personal issues. He ignored it.
Offering the guy a polite smile, one that Neteyam had spent many hours in the mirror perfecting until it was a seamless mixture of friendly and inviting, he hoped that any chances of salvaging this exchange weren’t lost. Especially when the boy looked to be around his age, and it wouldn’t hurt to make a friend or two.
“Hm,” the guy hummed, something brewing behind his eyes. Neteyam couldn’t quite tell if it was interest or ire, but whatever it was, it made the guy look as if he wanted to eat Neteyam alive. Okay, so, maybe becoming friends wasn’t completely in the picture, but no one could fault Neteyam for trying. “Don’t worry about it, man.”
Thinning his lips together carefully, Neteyam gave a courteous nod of his head, acknowledging what the man had said, before a steady silence began to fill the air, enveloping the two of them as they stood side-by-side in the now-empty store.
It seems, Neteyam thought, that their conversion had run its natural course. With nothing else to add coming to Neteyam’s mind, and the boy still staring him down as if he were something to be studied, Neteyam was ready to let his first attempt (if it could even be called that) at friendship in Hawaii be labelled as a failure.
But, it seemed, as the boy tentatively coughed to try and clear his throat, the noise doing more harm than good, that he wasn’t exactly ready to do the same.
“So,” he began with a drawl, making Neteyam’s head snap towards him with a curious furrow of his brows, not anticipating to hear anything out of the boy until they eventually navigated over to the register. “You here on holiday or something?”
“Oh, uh, no,” Neteyam stuttered out once he had blinked a few times hurriedly, checking to see if he had misheard the man. But when his eyes remained boring into Neteyam’s, unyielding as he waited for a more in-depth answer, he quickly realised this could be a good chance to secure a connection for the time he spent in Hawaii. Because of that, Neteyam answered graciously, “My family just moved here, actually.”
“Oh, shit. No way,” the worker mused with a growing smile tugging at his lips. If anything, he looked almost pleased with that answer. “Where from?”
“New York,” Neteyam found himself scratching the back of his neck, offering a small shrug.
“New York?” he repeated, like he was turning the information over. Flicking his eyes over Neteyam, an appraising smile filtered its way onto his lips. Once again, the thought of being eaten alive returned to the forefront of Neteyam’s mind, something predatory settling over the boy’s features. “Yeah, I can see that.”
“Is that a good thing?” Neteyam couldn’t help but ask, one of his brows creeping up into a perfect arch, with an innocent smile and inquisitive tilt of his head as he regarded the other man.
“Definitely,” he murmured, slow, and with an easy-going smile that threatened to creep into something more deliberate. He took one unhurried step closer, like he had all the time in the world. “Though I gotta say, New York's loss is very much my gain right now.”
Squinting his eyes, Neteyam hummed at that, slow and unconvinced. He wasn’t entirely sure what the man was getting at, but by the sideways glance he cut the worker with, Neteyam made sure to let him know that he was onto him. And the guy, for his part, just grinned back at him. An unhurried and unbothered thing that quickly dissolved into the guy shaking his head slightly in amusement.
“Actually–” the guy started, something catching in his expression like he'd only just remembered himself, “–where are my manners?” Shaking his shoulders out and puffing out his chest, he confidently extended a hand out to Neteyam, his eyes fixating on Neteyam’s own for a second before saying, “I’m Ao’nung.”
Feeling his face light up at the introduction, Neteyam hastily reached forward to take Ao’nung’s hand in his own, a teasing lit overtaking his words as he said, “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Ao’nung.” He never got quite as far as shaking it though, since as soon as their hands connected, Ao'nung's grip shifted, his fingers readjusting around Neteyam's own as he began to pull the limb towards his face, as if there was something deliberate he wanted to do. Neteyam barely had time to register the change, though, before he was opening his mouth to return the gesture, “I’m–”
“–Teyam!” Tuk cut in, her screech slicing through the store and, subsequently, the hushed conversation Neteyam had been having with Ao’nung as she demanded all attention be turned to her.
Waddling out of the changing room with the navy swimsuit that Neteyam had picked out for her on, Tuk situated herself in front of Neteyam, not even sparing Ao’nung a second glance. She looked very pleased with herself. As if she already found the one.
Still, Tuk demanded an answer out of Neteyam. Throwing her arms wide into an obscure pose so Neteyam could see the full picture, she asked, “What do you think?”
“I think you look great in it,” Neteyam mused, his eyes lighting up as he took in Tuk’s pleased grin. This is exactly what he wanted. To get Tuk out of the house so she could enjoy herself and get away from the doom and gloom that surrounded their family as they attempted to keep their lives from falling apart. And by the looks of it, Neteyam was succeeding. “So, is this the one you want to get?”
“Yep,” she confirmed, popping the ‘p.’
“Perfect,” he said, already reaching a hand out to ruffle her braids up. “Why don’t you get changed back into your clothes then so we can buy it? Then we can finally go to the beach.”
“Actually, she can keep it on if she wants,” Ao’nung chipped in before Tuk could respond, reminding the both of them of his presence. With a casual shrug of his shoulders, Ao’nung explained, “I can just put the item code in and ring it up like that. That’ll save her the trouble of putting it back on later.”
“Are you sure?” Neteyam hesitantly asked, his teeth nervously biting into his bottom lip as he turned over the offer in his head. Despite it being Ao’nung’s idea, Neteyam couldn’t help but feel bad. Already, Tuk had caused a small disturbance in the store. Neteyam didn’t want to further disrupt Ao’nung’s day by making him go the extra mile to accommodate them over something so minuscule. It’s why he muttered, “I don’t want to be a hassle.”
“Nah, you’re fine,” Ao’nung said, tracking the curve of Neteyam’s lips for a second before flicking his eyes back up. “It’ll only take me a second anyway.”
“Only if you’re sure,” Neteyam reluctantly agreed, not missing the way Ao’nung sent him a reassuring smile before making his way over to the checkout counter so he could get to work on that. “Okay, Tuk, you heard the man. Put your clothes back on top so we can finally go to the beach. And hey, if you want, you can pick out a new towel on your way back so you have something to dry yourself off with after.”
“Sure thing, Teyam,” Tuk exclaimed, barely sparing Neteyam a second glance as she headed straight over to the table that was proudly showing off a wide selection of beach towels. Allowing her eyes to skim over all of them, it didn’t take Tuk long to pick out one she liked, the fabric easily being slung over her shoulder before she was making her way back over to the changing room she had been occupying. As she went, Tuk weakly promised over her shoulder, “I’ll make sure to be quick.”
Neteyam let out a quiet huff of amusement at that, because Tuk's version of quick and everyone else's were two very different things, and they both knew it. Still, he let her go without saying as much, watching her scurry off before turning and making his way over to the counter where Ao'nung was already getting set up.
When he got there, Ao’nung was already leaning against the counter with a lazy grin, glancing up at Neteyam through his lashes as he quietly observed the interaction. “So, I guess this is the end of your little shopping trip?” he mused.
“Yeah,” Neteyam said, glancing around the store briefly, “I guess so.”
“Shame. I felt like I was only just getting to know you,” he said, his eyes not quite leaving Neteyam's as he leaned in further over the counter. “Well, if you ever need a tour guide to show you around, then you know where to find me. And if I’m not here, just tell whoever's working to call for me. I promise I’ll drop everything and make it an experience like no other.”
Neteyam couldn’t help but laugh at that, the sound coming out of him easily as his attention snapped back to Ao’nung at the abrupt offer. If he thought Ao’nung were being serious, perhaps he would’ve taken him up on it.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Neteyam noncommittally mused as he fished the fifty-dollar note Jake had given him earlier that day out from his back pocket.
Sliding the bill across the counter, Neteyam turned his attention to Tuk as she came bounding over, a light pink towel clutched loosely in her hands. Taking the fabric from her, Neteyam folded it neatly, slipping it into the tote bag he had slung over his shoulder. A few seconds later, he was also sliding the change Ao’nung was handing him into it, paying no mind to the way Ao’nung’s fingers seemed to linger over his.
“I guess I’ll see you around,” Neteyam shyly smiled at Ao’nung, before he was taking Tuk’s hand into his once more, their knuckles intertwinning as the little girl confidently began marching her way to the store’s exit. With amusement flashing across his face, Neteyam obediently followed after his sister, but not before throwing a quick glance over his shoulder and waving softly, “Bye Ao’nung.”
“Yeah, I’ll see you later,” his response was quick, brushing against Neteyam’s skin as if it were a promise. And because of that, Neteyam couldn’t help but roll his eyes, even if a small smile had already begun to form on his face.
Leaning forward until his elbows sat on the countertop, Ao’nung watched after Neteyam (and Tuk) as they left, his eyes trailing after them without any real intention of stopping. He couldn't pull them away, and truthfully, he didn't particularly want to either.
Not when there was something about the boy that made it feel less like staring and more like the most natural thing in the world.
Before the pair could get too far, though, Ao’nung called as a fleeting farewell, “Bye, Teyam.”
Neteyam didn’t dignify Ao’nung with a response, though he was pretty sure the boy could tell Neteyam was smiling from the way he playfully shook his head to himself. For a second, Neteyam thought about scolding the boy for using that name, reserving it solely for his siblings, but before Neteyam could even make up his mind on what to do, Tuk yanked at his hand, her impatience growing.
“Come on, Teyam,” she grumbled under her breath as the ground beneath their feet turned from concrete to sand. Walking Neteyam across the beach until she could visibly see the dampened sand from where the waves had been crashing into it, Tuk began to get rid of her clothes, proudly showing off her new swimsuit. “I want to finally get in the water.”
“Okay, okay,” Neteyam softly laughed at the little girl’s eagerness, not doing anything to stop Tuk as he took out the towel she had picked and laid it out across the sand. Bundling her clothes up, Neteyam slid them away into his bag, plopping it down next to him when he was done. “But remember to not go in too deep and to stay where I can see you.”
There was a moment where, as Neteyam spoke, he felt a flicker of doubt curl in his stomach.
His instructions had more or less fallen on deaf ears as Tuk took off towards the water as soon as she got the go-ahead from Neteyam, her little feet kicking up sand as she broke away from him. But it would be alright. Tuk would be fine… he hoped.
Jake had practically drilled into Tuk’s mind the rules when it came to water safety and Neteyam being on watch, after all. He wouldn’t be surprised if the girl could somehow recite them from memory, given how many times they’d been preached to her. Still, that didn’t stop Neteyam from thinking this outing had been a mistake as he watched Tuk disappear into the waves.
“I know,” she had attempted to screech over her shoulder as soon as the first wave slammed into her, throwing Neteyam a large grin before water came spraying up all around her, leaving Tuk to happily occupy herself with the ocean.
With every wave that came crashing into Tuk, with every second her head stayed under the water as she went looking for shells, and with every instant that she took a small tumble from a too-violent slam of water, Neteyam could do nothing but watch Tuk anxiously.
Occasionally, his eyes would flicker over to the lifeguards' tower, where he could see whoever was on duty lazily surveying the ocean. It was safe to say that they didn’t instil too much confidence in Neteyam.
But over time, much to Neteyam’s relief, he eventually found himself relaxing.
Tuk hadn’t been swept away, or come running over to him while crying, or been plucked out of the water and taken away by seagulls yet. Instead, she was peacefully jumping into different waves, her laughter being carried across the sand and over to Neteyam as she was positively delighted at being smacked around.
So, Neteyam’s anxiety turned into contentment, and then it turned into amusement as he happily sat there watching over his sister, basking in the joy that was thrumming off of Tuk’s skin. But, funnily enough, that wasn’t the only thing Neteyam was willing to let settle.
Feeling an unweavering pull that demanded his attention, Neteyam’s head slowly turned until he was looking over his shoulder and at where Metkayina’s Paradise sat on the beachfront. Despite not knowing why he had the instinctual urge to look at the small store, Neteyam didn’t look away, even when he couldn’t make out the worker who would be peacefully sitting outside.
Playing the unusual interaction he had with Ao’nung over in his head, Neteyam couldn’t stop the smile on his face from growing.
Though he was sure it had all just been for fun, a distraction to pass the time until his shift ended, Neteyam found himself not minding Ao’nung’s playful antics, even if he couldn’t wrap his head around a few of them. He had been nice, though. And Neteyam guesses that was all that mattered. So much so that it was almost a shame Neteyam probably wouldn’t see him again.
All in all, Neteyam was more than happy to call today a successful one.
He had effectively put his own distaste for moving states behind him, had lightened his father’s load by taking an upset child off of his hands, had taken Tuk out to the beach like she had been begging to, and even met a new, friendly face.
There probably wasn’t much more that could make it go any smoother.
Feeling a soft buzz from his back pocket, the noise cutting Neteyam out of his thoughts and bringing his attention back to the water in front of him, where Tuk was still playing, Neteyam fished his phone out from his pants, expecting to see a notification from his father asking how things were going.
Turning the brightness up of his screen so he could properly read whatever had been sent his way though, Neteyam, however, felt his heart completely stop altogether in his chest.
Because that wasn’t a message from Jake.
In fact, it wasn’t a message from anyone in his family, making his smile completely fall off his face as he read the name.
Tarsem.