"We're going where?"
Neteyam smirks right at him, the little menace. "Museum of Sweets and Selfies. They have a bubble pool slide."
Ao'nung sets his coffee down slowly. "What the absolute hell."
Neteyam shrugs casually. "You're the one who didn't wanna plan this trip because the people here aren't friendly."
Ao'nung gets out his phone, that is almost dead, to google this place and his face pales. "Neteyam, everything is pink!"
They're sitting face to face on a fancy street. The Café they're in is called Anna Café. It's pretty neat, Ao'nung likes it, though he definitely had better coffee back home.
Neteyam on the other hand seems immensely satisfied, though passers-bys keep staring at him. Ao'nung can count on one hand how many black men he's seen here in the few hours he's spent out and about.
Neteyam has his pretty braids in a bun, two front pieces down to frame his face, covered heavily in beads.
Ao'nung thinks he looks mesmerising, as always, but he cannot help but be a little weirded by his choice in things to do.
"Pink is cool," Neteyam replies easily and leans back, crossing his legs. He's wearing white shorts and a beige shirt, the top button popped open, exposing his hand crafted omaticayan choker.
Ao'nung is wearing blue and white in a similar fashion. He knows they look damn good, too.
"Pink is not cool," Ao'nung chides gently, shaking his head.
"Well, why not?" Neteyam asks softly, as patient as ever. He tilts his head, breathing softly, a hand resting against his stomach, the other on the arm of the chair.
Ao'nung realises that he has no answer to that except one that makes him uncomfortable. Toxic masculinity. He's not about to ruin Neteyam's mood with such a topic before they even spent a night in this city. He lies through his teeth, trying to convince himself more than anything. "Okay. Pink isn't that bad. This place is... cute. We can take cute pictures of you."
"Of us," Neteyam nudges the toes of his cream coloured shoes against Ao'nung's dark blue ones.
"Right," Ao'nung gulps. "Of us."
They leave the Café at closing time, which is somewhat late. It's dark outside, but nice and cool. The city is actually beautiful after sundown. Many of the large, fancy buildings are illuminated by lights.
They walk around (not hand-in-hand) comfortably. Neteyam snaps some photos with a Canon camera, smiling in satisfaction when they come out just right. He has a nice camera. Ao'nung doesn't notice that Neteyam is recording him (and their trip).
"Wow, look!" Neteyam grins. "That's definitely the Liberty Statue."
Ao'nung follows Neteyam's pointed finger. He's staring at a mountain at the end of the many bridges across the river. Ao'nung smiles. He doesn't think this place is special because of the statues — no, Neteyam is the one that makes it special for Ao'nung.
"She's holding a huge leaf."
Neteyam nods. "I'll google that later. Come on, stand there. I wanna take a photo of you."
Ao'nung chuckles, shaking his head. He does as told, throwing up a peace sign before doing a traditional metcayinan greeting, touching his hand to his forehead.
Neteyam giggles deeply, lowering the camera. "You look good."
"Not as good as you, my love," Ao'nung smirks, sauntering over to the smaller male. He snaked an arm around his waist and steals a kiss.
Hopefully, nobody tries to stone them for it.
"Then, we both look good," Neteyam murmurs tenderly, staring up into Ao'nung's pale blue eyes lovingly.
Ao'nung gently takes the camera from him and nudges him to stand where he had been standing moments ago.
Neteyam brings out one of his sweet, bunny-teethed smiles, dark skin illuminated by the soft lights of a city that doesn't sleep.
They return back to their room soon after that, chattering amongst themselves lightheartedly.
Ao'nung smirks, tugging Neteyam into the shower with himself, uncaring that the shorter male showered not long ago.
Neteyam moans quietly, pressed up against the wall, Ao'nung taking him from behind, the water raining down on them.
They go to sleep later than they planned, but pleasantly satisfied.
In the morning, Ao'nung nearly has a heart attack from how loud Neteyam's alarm is. He sits up, gasping for air and looking around, trying to figure out where the absolute hell he is.
Neteyam laughs at him, covering his face. "Calm down, Nung. It's just my alarm."
"What time—" Ao'nung whines out, rubbing at his eyes, hair a complete mess of braids and curls.
"It's six in the morning." Neteyam smiles up at him, amusement twinkling in his pale brown eyes. He stretches, naked torso on display. He's wearing a tiny silver dot in his belly button.
Ao'nung bites the inside of his cheek. Neteyam looks delicious. Lips blump from freshly waking up, face shining a little from the natural oils the archer has yet to wash off.
Ao'nung cannot even attempt to be mad at Neteyam for setting the alarm so early, not when he looks this good.
Ao'nung smirks, silencing the phone and pulling the covers off of Neteyam's naked body, nudging his legs apart. "Are we in a hurry?"
Neteyam moans softly as Ao'nung rakes his nails over his inner thighs. "No— unless you're bothered by walking in thirty degree heat."
Ao'nung grins, rolling his hips down against Neteyam's, drawing yet another sweet sound. "I don't mine a little heat, I'm an island boy after all."
Neteyam swallows thickly, reaching up to tug Ao'nung down into a kiss, legs on either sides of his hips. "Then we have all the time in the world."
Ao'nung doesn't waste even a second of that time. They tumble around in the sheets for a good hour, holding back their voices in case the walls are thin.
They visit the selfie museum and Ao'nung actually has fun. He pelts Neteyam with the little balls in the ball pit. They climb onto the giant carousel horses and pose in front of a wall of roses. There's a bathtub full of fake golden coins.
Neteyam gets right in it, Ao'nung taking picture after picture. Ao'nung's favourite part is the fake hair salon. All pastel and very much retro. They ask a stranger to take a photo of them, sitting side by side in the hair machine things (the ones that go over your head, Ao'nung doesn't know what they're called).
They leave after a few hours, dodging the noisy groups of tourists who try to take up the entire sidewalk.
They take a bus to the a bistro Neteyam had picked.
Ao'nung gapes. "What is this place?"
Neteyam grins. "Unicorn Bistro. I had to reserve a table last night. We still have to wait thirty minutes though."
"Well, let's stand out here then."
"Nah, there's a bubble tea place a few streets down."
Ao'nung blinks in surprise. "How do you know that?"
Neteyam holds up his phone, connected to a powerbank. He shows Ao'nung his opened Google Maps. "I want one."
Ao'nung gives in (and actually orders a tea himself). Neteyam doesn't actually poke a hole in the lid, putting the drink away in his bag for later. So Ao'nung copies him.
They make it back to the bistro with two minutes to spare. The entire bistro is pink. There's a huge white unicorn painted on the largest wall and a pale pink phone box in the corner.
Ao'nung knows Tsireya would love this place.
They both order burgers. Those are unicorn themed too, and they actually taste great. Ao'nung is surprised just as much as Neteyam, who did not expect the quality. There's an ice cream come placed onto the burgers to use it as the horn. It's a bit funny, but Neteyam is delighted.
"Man, why is this actually so fun?" Ao'nung snorts out, covering his mouth as he eyes his black burger.
Neteyam chose a vegan option.
"Because pink is cool, Nung." Neteyam eats carefully, but the burger is so large, it's hard to not get messy.
Ao'nung hums in response. "What did you plan for tomorrow?"
Neteyam takes a moment to chew and swallow before replying. "Nothing nearly as pink as this. I was thinking about checking out a museum and then there's a jazz concert in the evening that I got tickets for."
"I didn't know you like jazz," Ao'nung comments nonchalantly.
Neteyam chuckles softly, shaking his head. "There was that and Harry Potter with a live orchestra. In Hungarian. Tempting, but we wouldn't understand a thing."
"You're tempting." Ao'nung grins as Neteyam flushes, averting his gaze.
"Which museums were you thinking about?" Ao'nung asks eventually once they finish their food.
Neteyam exhales deeply and subtly unbuttons his pants, pulling his shirt down over it to hide his antics. "There's one right next to that Uni I mentioned. I don't remember the name, but we can check it out back at the apartment."
That night, they go home a little earlier after walking through half the city in the glaring summer heat.
Ao'nung lazes around on the bed with Neteyam. They're both looking at museums and more possible concerts.
"So, tomorrow is our second day here and it's looking pretty packed." Neteyam sips on bis bubble tea that he had been cooling in the fridge since they got back. "I left Wednesday completely free. Wanna go to the zoo?"
Ao'nung flops down onto his back and sets his phone down. "Nah. There's zoos back home."
"Termal Bath?" Neteyam asks curiously. "It's right next to it. We could do both."
Ao'nung shakes his head, scrunching his nose. "Nope. Let's go back to the Parlament in the morning. I really liked that place."
Neteyam nods. "Margaret Island is close by. I read they have a musical fountain."
Ao'nung grins. "Then, that is decided."
The next day, they loiter around two museums in the comfort of air conditioning for a few hours before picking a random Chinese restaurant to have lunch.
Neteyam then drags Ao'nung shopping on Váci Street, enjoying the expensive feel of such a place. The street itself is a little unpleasant with how many people there are, but the shops are nice.
"How's this shirt?" Neteyam asks softly, tapping Ao'nung's shoulder from behind.
"Weird colour." Ao'nung picks up a deep green Zara shirt and tilts his head in thought. He holds it up in front of Neteyam's body.
Neteyam smiles at him, eyes lingering on the surfer's lips.
"How bout I style you, Tey?" Ao'nung asks eventually. "I'm sure we can find a nice, European look for you here."
Neteyam bites into his lower lip before nodding. "Then, I'll style you, too."
Ao'nung doesn't really care for fashion, but they still have a few hours to spare before the jazz concert. He recognises the song playing on the speakers and smirks. Sad songs are in. Freeze You Out by Marina Kaye drowns out the voices of the other shoppers.
"Come this way, Tey." Ao'nung takes his wrist gently and tugs him across the shop to the stairs leading up to the men's sections. "This place is huge. Why does a clothing store need three storeys?"
Neteyam chuckles at Ao'nung's whining, barely dodging a very loud group of Spanish women. "This is basically the shopping street of the city, Nung. Why would it not need to be so big?"
Ao'nung shrugs. His eyes land on a magnificent short sleeved silk shirt. He immediately dashes for it, grabbing the light blue version.
Neteyam follows after him, stepping around a family of four. "That matches your eyes, Nung."
Ao'nung beams. "You need an M, right?"
Neteyam nods and takes the offered shirt from Ao'nung's hand. Ao'nung saunters over to the pants and Neteyam slips away to find something for his surfer boy.
He comes across a soft green dress shirt and holds up his pale blue one next to it. It's not silk, like the one Ao'nung chose for him, but it looks nice. There's a small bird with a fancy hat sewn onto the pocket. He picks up a medium and a large.
Ao'nung watches him from the side, smiling faintly before continuing his quest to find the nicest pair of white pants for Neteyam.
Neteyam picks out a pale brown pair for Ao'nung.
They return to their room after trying and paying to change into clean clothes for the concert.
Ao'nung ends up enjoying it more than he thought he would. Neteyam holds his hand as they sit side by side, enjoying the performance.
Neteyam wakes up before Ao'nung's alarm the next morning and nudges him awake.
Ao'nung grumbles something about being awake at the asscrack of dawn and promptly rolls over to lie right onto Neteyam, trapping him.
Neteyam laughs, cheeks squished. He hugs Ao'nung's naked shoulders and lets himself relax until the surfer feels ready to wake up. It doesn't take too long.
They get up, skipping out on a morning tumble through the sheets in favour of having breakfast.
They sit at the counter in comfortable silence. Neteyam scrolls on his phone for things to do. He chose a midnight flight back home to give them more time.
Ao'nung yawns, scrolling through his Instagram feed. He thinks about posting something, but decides against it. He'll just do it at the airport or at home. He rolls his eyes at a post from Lo'ak and Tsireya. They both got dolled up for some sort of festival.
"Are you ready to head out?" Ao'nung asks quietly, biting his lower lip, eyebrows raised.
Neteyam turns to face him, mouth full of fruit. He points to his good and Ao'nung snorts, reaching up to ruffle up the archer's braids. Neteyam swats him away.
"Are you in a hurry?" Neteyam whines eventually and blinks in surprise when Ao'nung nods.
"We have to fly home today," Ao'nung chides gently.
Neteyam rolls his eyes. "At midnight. We don't need to leave for the airport till around nine. There's a direct bus."
Ao'nung purses his lips and furrows his brows.
Neteyam sighs softly and places a hand on Ao'nung's arm. "I'll get ready, give me a second."
"Will you wear what I got you?" Ao'nung asks quietly, eyes wide with hope.
Neteyam swoons and nods. "Of course, Nung."
Ao'nung follows him back to the bedroom and allows his eyes to trail over Neteyam's body while the dark-skinned male dresses, facing him. Neteyam buttons up the silk shirt carefully and smiles in satisfaction, straightening his shoulders as he presents himself to Ao'nung.
Ao'nung tugs on the clothes Neteyam picked for him and kisses him quickly. He helps Neteyam pack snacks and water before they head out, locking the door well.
"So, how come you want to go back to the Parlament?" Neteyam asks as they walk down the busy streets.
Ao'nung shrugs, bumping shoulders with a woman who refuses to move out of the way, daring to instead try to make him scoot over. Ao'nung was already scooted as close to Neteyam as possible! He glares at her and she flushes, looking away.
Neteyam snorts at the scene, scrunching his nose. "Nung?"
"Oh, sorry." Ao'nung laces their fingers, uncaring. He'll beat up whoever has a problem with them. "I just really liked it there and I want to see it again before we go home."
Neteyam nods, satisfied by his answer.
They arrive just before ten after a quick ice cream stop. Neteyam wanders a bit further from Ao'nung to take some more photos of the enormous statue there, grinning at the typical yellow trolleys that drive by, packed to the fullest with people.
A small dog runs up to him, barking happily. A worried owner hurries after it, stuttering something to Neteyam in broken English. Neteyam waves it off and leans down to offer his hand to the small pomeranian.
"He's cute," he says brightly to the young woman.
She flushes and nods. "Thank you. He baby. Um. New dog."
Neteyam grins, nodding along to her words. "What's his name?"
"Sorry?"
"Name," Neteyam repeats. "Um. Molly? Scooby?"
The woman's eyes light up in recognition. "Habcsók. Is cake."
Neteyam doesn't attempt to pronounce it, petting the dog for a second longer before biding the stranger goodbye.
Neteyam glances around and spots Ao'nung standing around, taking in the scenery with a smile on his face.
Neteyam turns to look the other way, staring out towards the river. When he turns back around to find Ao'nung again, he startles back at a dark form by his feet.
His eyes widen when he realises it's Ao'nung. The surfer kneels in front of him and he's holding up a tiny box with shaking hands.
"Nung," Neteyam gasps out, vaguely aware of a growing crowd around them.
Ao'nung takes a deep breath. His voice breaks when he speaks. "Tey. Will you— will you marry me?"
Neteyam's hand flies to cover his mouth and his clenches his eyes to stop himself from crying. He sniffs and blinks rapidly, turning to stare at the sky for a moment before nodding.
Ao'nung's shoulders sag in relief. Neteyam sinks down to his knees in front of him and wraps him in a hug. He hears a loud whistle and clapping but he cannot bring himself to look around.
Neteyam fully sits on the ground, clinging to Ao'nung. "Yes—"
"Oh, thank the Great Mother," Ao'nung wheezes out and pulls back, taking one of Neteyam's hands and grinning at him, eyes shining with tears he refuses to let fall.
Neteyam grins as Ao'nung slides a twinkling, silver ring onto his finger. It's simple with a few shiny, white stones.
They stand up slowly and the crowd goes back to what they were doing.
Ao'nung wraps an arm around Neteyam's waist and points towards a man. "Smile for the camera, Tey."
Neteyam laughs, cheeks flushing further. "You managed to hire a photographer in a different country?"
Ao'nung shrugs. "He's American."
Neteyam turns to face Ao'nung, placing his hands against the surfer's reddened cheeks. He leans up slowly and presses a gentle kiss to Ao'nung's lips.
He can hear the cameraman click away.