CHAPTER 41
While the two teenagers were walking back to the marui pod just before eclipse - as they had to abide by Jake's rules - Neteyam stopped Erìhe just before they entered.
"Do you want to go out tonight?" He whispered so that his family inside couldn't hear him. He held Erìhe's arm as he practically towered over her, a glint in his eyes as he smiled. He just wished to spend as much time with her as he could.
They already spent most of their free time together but Neteyam felt as though it wasn't enough. Though while he wished to spend every awake moment with the girl, Erìhe was worried that they were spending too much time together.
Of course she loved the time they spent together - she was merely nervous that they were making everything a little too obvious to everyone else.
Erìhe glanced around quickly, "Neteyam.." she trailed off. She couldn't look into his eyes as she spoke again - she did not want to see the disappointment which she expected from him, "You know we can't. Your dad might yell at me - I bet he thinks of me to be such a bad influence already."
"Why would he think that?" Neteyam chuckled as he stepped closer.
"I don't know," Erìhe admitted, "But Teyam, we can't," she said while holding up a hand, placing it on his chest to refuse his advances.
Neteyam rolled his eyes but stepped back, "This sucks," he complained, "Why must I be grounded?"
"You did a stupid thing," Erìhe shrugged.
"It was not a stupid thing," Neteyam disagreed, voice surprisingly low, "Ao'nung was being a little-"
Erìhe silenced him by placing her hand over his mouth, "Okay I get it. Let's just go now before your parents kill us for being out late."
"You mean kill me," Neteyam mumbled as Erìhe turned to enter the pod, removing her hand from his lips.
"Erìhe, you're back," Tuk grinned upon the arrival of her brother and the girl. "You've been gone all day."
"I've been busy," Erìhe chuckled as she ruffled Tuk's hair, causing the girl to swat her hands away with a laugh.
"You are just in time," Neytiri smiled at her son and Erìhe, "We were just about to go down for dinner."
Erìhe missed the knowing glance that the woman shared with her husband. "Great," she smiled, "Let's go then, Tuk?"
Tuk nodded while smiling and ran forward to grab onto her hand. As Neteyam watched this, he pursed his lips as he thought about the fact that he probably wouldn't be allowed to hold her hand in front of his family.
Then it struck him - they were going to eat and Ao'nung would be there.
After getting some much needed clarity about his and Erìhe's relationship, Neteyam could not wait to see Ao'nung again. Sure, he couldn't exactly show the boy that him and Erìhe had something going on - but the fact that he's aware and Ao'nung isn't was enough to entertain him.
"Aren't you coming?" Kiri asked in a monotone voice as the group was already moving toward the exit. "Hurry up!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Neteyam said as he walked over to his family and Erìhe. As he passed Kiri, he pointed a playfully threatening finger in her face at her attitude, "And I'm your older brother."
Kiri swatted the finger away and turned to walk out of the pod after scoffing at her brother, "Does it matter?"
Neteyam narrowed his eyes - though he was not offended. Something must have happened to make his sister act like that. Ever since arriving on the island, Kiri had been cold and distant. It went against her personality. She was usually sarcastic and joking - not whatever this was.
"It doesn't matter," Neteyam mumbled as he walked beside Erìhe.
Erìhe shot him a sorry look as she raised her brows, communicating without words.
Neteyam merely shook his head and sighed as he watched his sister walking ahead of them.
The second that the family arrived at the gathering, everyone split up as they always did. Neytiri and Jake going off to sit with the other adults, Tuk running off to join her friends, Lo'ak going to sit by Tsireya while the other three followed behind him.
Erìhe smiled while sitting down as she saw Tuk settling in between two of her friends.
Glancing to her left, she saw Neteyam sitting down next to her while Kiri took up the space on his other side. Erìhe sighed sadly as Kiri glanced around with that same dull expression. She really wished for things to be okay with the girl.
Everything back at home had not been easy - the sky people there were a constant threat - but at least Kiri had Spider. Erìhe, Kiri and Spider always had a sort of connection due to their similar backgrounds, but there was no denying that Kiri and the human were like two peas in a pod.
Hell - Kiri had once gone to extreme lengths to save Spider from being surrendered to the sky people. She probably missed him now more than ever.
"Here, Kiri," Erìhe leaned over Neteyam to hand her a fruit while offering the girl a smile. Neteyam felt sad for his sister, but he could not help but grin in that moment because of Erìhe.
He no longer felt jealousy about her treating his siblings like this - now it felt different. It felt like she was a part of his family in a different way.
Kiri returned Erìhe's smile with one of her own but it did not reach her eyes. She accepted the fruit before starting to eat it quietly, eyes looking off into the distance.
Erìhe's smile slipped as she returned back to her seat to resume her own meal.
They did not have to bear Lo'ak and Tsireya's cheesiness for long before Ao'nung and Rotxo arrived by their fire. Ao'nung always chose to arrive fashionably late, and his arrival usually sparked conversation and excitement within the teenagers in the circle.
Of course not with Erìhe and Neteyam. They both rolled their eyes as Ao'nung gingerly sat down next to her.
Erìhe had all but ignored Ao'nung's presence after his most recent fight with Neteyam. Of course it was no longer a recent occurrence - but it was their latest fight.
"Teyam," Erìhe suddenly said, smiling and holding out a fruit for Neteyam.
Neteyam glanced at Ao'nung before grinning widely and took it out her hands, "Thank you, Erìhe," he said happily while peeling it.
Ao'nung ground his teeth, but he could not say anything about it either.
He usually chose to come to dinner later, but that day he had actually been far too furious to show his face. Well - he'd have come earlier had Rotxo not held him back and told him to wait until he'd calmed a little. Just so he wouldn't seem crazy - being angry about losing a girl who was never his, and all that.
Ao'nung had seen Erìhe and Neteyam at the beach earlier - being all cute and affectionate, and it had really pushed his buttons.
His rationality told him that he shouldn't be angry, that it was his own fault, that he never stood a chance - but what could one do about their emotions? They just came along and there was no preventing them.
Erìhe briefly turned to Ao'nung, opening her mouth as if to say something before holding herself back and instead turning to Tsireya. "How is your mother?" She asked the girl.
Ao'nung noticed how Erìhe was about to speak to him and he sighed in frustration over the fact that he had angered her.
Tsireya ceased her conversation with Lo'ak to beam at Erìhe, "She is great! Our baby sibling is strong, she says."
"That is good to hear," Erìhe smiled happily. She knew Tsireya would be a great big sister, so knowing that she would soon be getting a little sibling to care for made her happy.
Lo'ak took the chance to insert himself in the conversation, engaging Tsireya with talk about little siblings and how rewarding it was to be an older sibling.
Neteyam scoffed as he laughed at his younger brother.
He found it easy to ignore Ao'nung, especially since whenever he accidentally caught sight of the boy he seemed upset beyond belief. Neteyam had never thought of himself to be a particularly jealous person, but when it came to Erìhe he couldn't help but be.
He remembered when Erìhe and Ao'nung would often hang out together and he thought back on his own envy. The feeling was not something he wished to go back to anytime soon - so seeing Ao'nung be the jealous one for a change was relieving.
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A/n:
Y'all I think I lost my ability to write frfr
Spider from the comics is superior (also the Sullys went through so much shit like omg?? And Neteyam you're a fucking dumbass you reckless stupid bitch. Spider 🫶)