"What?" Neteyam asked, though he was fairly sure he knew what.
"Nothing, just," she laughed "you trying to catch up with us or you looking for him." She laughed again. Lo'ak seemed surprised at the mention of this mystery boy.
"Who's she talking about?" He asked, looking accusatorily at Kiri, who just poked her tongue out at him. Neteyam shot Kiri a look, and rolled his eyes, partly at his brother's unintentional ignorance. Before he could answer, Kiri couldn't help herself.
"Couldn't be the one he just mated with." She said in a sing-song voice, covering Tuk's ears; their little sister was skipping unknowingly alongside Kiri. Neteyam almost got whiplash looking back to her, and then Lo'ak's appalled face.
"YOU WHAT?" he yelled, stopping in his tracks. Neteyam almost yelled himself, Kiri still grinning endlessly.
"I did not!" He said indignantly, "You all saw, Lo'ak. He saved me with the tsaheylu, so now we are bonded." Neteyam stressed the last word, pointedly looking at Kiri. Lo'ak calmed, still shaking his head at Kiri, but began walking again.
"Well, you know what comes next though..." Kiri sang in her melodious tone once more. Lo'ak became outraged again and Neteyam flushed and turned away. This reaction only seemed to fuel Kiri's glee and Lo'ak's indignation.
"Is she-" Lo'ak began, now stare wide-eyed at Neteyam, who responded carefully.
"Well, she isn't technically wrong," Neteyam reasoned, thinking about the traditional steps of a relationship. Simplified, mating was the next milestone after bonding "But that's not what's happening!" Neteyam added quickly, seeing Lo'ak's expression. Kiri shrugged, innocently swinging Tuk in front of her. Lo'ak was staring suspiciously at Neteyam, as if trying to detect a difference before and after he may or may not have mated with Ao'nung.
At midday, the four siblings returned home to get ready for lunch. Brushing the sand out of his brother's hair, Neteyam thought about his upcoming announcement. Both his and Ao'nung's parents knew about their relationship now, and Kiri and Tsireya clearly suspected it. Tuk and Lo'ak remained out of the loop, like most of the time. He was worried that saying it in front of everyone would make it real for them, coaxing a different reaction from them. He was snapped out of his brooding by Lo'ak pulling his hair away
"Bro you've been doing that for like 5 whole minutes, you done?" Lo'ak asked, adjusting his hair into it's regular ponytail.
"Sorry, I was thinking." Neteyam said, shaking his head slightly.
"About Ao'nung?" Lo'ak asked, not sounding as annoyed anymore. Neteyam didn't see the reason to hold back now.
"Well yeah. Mum and Dad already know about the relationship, and Ao'nung said his own parents did too. Kiri and Tsireya haven't kept quiet about it either. Ao'nung and I wanted to just, I don't know, make it official kind of?" Neteyam told his brother, not looking at him anymore.
"I still can't believe you're gonna be dating Ao'nung," Lo'ak was shaking his head slightly in apparent disbelief.
"What do you mean?" Neteyam was instantly cautious. It wasn't unheard of for two males to date, and their father said it was a case among the Sky People as well, but there were those who still believed it unnatural. Lo'ak seemed to pick up Neteyam's worries and quickly amended
"Woahh, no hate on your love life, that's none of my business." Lo'ak held his hands up in mock-surrender "I just meant, you being with him reminds me of... nevermind" Lo'ak's braids moved quickly as he shook his head again. Now Neteyam was concerned for Lo'ak, not of him.
YOU ARE READING
Courting
Romance*NOT MY ART* This story follows Neteyam and Ao'nung in their meeting in the movie (nothing else is canon). After this, it details how their relationship develops, alongside a subplot of Lo'ak and Tsireya. *very little smut*
