Neteyam awoke with a pleasant hum in his chest. While the wound ached slightly it was nothing compared to the warmth of joy that was burning in his heart.

"Dude."

Neteyam turned to his brother as he was fastening his necklace back on. His knife had already been attached at his hip before he was just starting on the neck ties. He put the beads in place before shooting a questioning look toward Lo'ak. The boy held his hand out and gestured. "Your neck."

Neteyam's hands instantly fell to his collar bones and he looked down. To his horror a dark bruise the exact shape of Aonung's lips was blooming over his pulse point. Exactly where Aonung had sucked last night.

The look on Neteyam's face was clearly confirmation enough because Lo'ak made a noise of disgust and screwed his eyes shut. "Bro," he whined out, refusing to look his older brother in the face. "Is that why you disappeared last night?"

Neteyam felt the tips heat up in embarrassment and his face flushed. He didn't realize his mother wasn't the only one to notice his absence.

"Shut up," he growled to Lo'ak, trying to push away the images of last night. Specifically the memory of Aonung kneeling behind him, with his hands on his waist and his tongue…

He swapped out his necklace for a larger beaded choker. It still didn't do much of a good job hiding it and now Lo'ak was snorting.

"Dad's gonna kill you," he wheezed, poking at Neteyam's side in a complete fit of laughter. Neteyam hissed violently at him, intending to poke him back, but was interrupted by a deep voice.

"Kill you for what?" Jake asked as he stepped into the marui. His dad was carrying a torn fishing net, still dripping with water and seaweed. His gold eyes furrowed as he looked between the two boys who froze in their conversation.

Neteyam immediately snapped a hand to his neck while Lo'ak quickly shut up.

"Nothing," they responded at the same time.

Jake looked at them both suspiciously but bit his tongue. Neteyam noted that he seemed more relaxed lately, more open with his emotions toward his children. It made him happy. His dad placed a hand on Lo'ak's head and smiled good-naturedly.

"Son," he said suddenly as if just remembering before turning to Neteyam, "I ran into Aonung this morning."

Neteyam froze, eyes going wide.

"Oh?" he managed to say, trying his best to keep an even tone. The last syllable cracked a bit and even Lo'ak's ears twitched nervously.

"Yeah. He said you were going to collect weaving materials with Tsireya. I thought you could take this along with you," he said, gesturing to the old pile of nets, completely unaware of the turmoil happening in his eldest son.

Neteyam let out a shaky breath. Of course that's what he was talking about. He had agreed to meet up with Aonung last night, simple as that. "R-right," he stumbled. "Yes, I'll bring it."

Jake gave an approving nod. "Akula tore right through it, but the bottom part is still intact," he noted, dumping it into a pile. Neteyam nodded once more, hoping to make a quick exit but Jake placed a hand on his shoulder, keeping him by his brother's side.

"You look… better," his father finally landed on, watching his eldest son with curious eyes. "Happier."

If he hadn't been awkward before, he was now.

Lo'ak on the other hand, was clearly enjoying this, giving him a sarcastic expression that practically screamed, 'yeah, no shit. I wonder why'. Neteyam truly had to resist the urge to hit him hard and stick out his tongue like a child. Their father just hummed and tugged the absurdly large pile of torn fishing nets in their direction, oblivious as always.

Neteyam ran his fingers over the woven materials and began to gather them up. The Metkatyina made their nets, along with most fabric, from dried kelp and a variety of other marine plants. This one's twine specifically was rough like bark, ensuring that any catch could not escape through the twisted knots. His dad was right, the akula had really done a number on it. A large hole was torn through the bottom, strands of kelp hanging loosely from the gap.

Once he had folded the dripping net in upon itself he packed it into his arms and stood. The motion was straining but he forced himself to push through it. Neteyam made it about halfway to the door before the shooting pain grabbed at his back and he was forced to let go of his hold.

He let out a strained noise and bent over sharply, as the nets tumbled to the floor.

"Damnit!" he cursed angrily as the pile landed with a loud thunk, repeating the word that his father had so often hissed as he growing up.

Both Jake and Lo'ak were at his side in an instant.

"Hey, hey take it easy son," his dad said, moving to help him up. "Lo'ak take the nets for him."

Anger coiled in Neteyam. He shoved away his father's hands, surprising the both of them.

"No, I can do it," he said, schooling his voice into something more respectful. He never talked back to his father, Neteyam didn't know what had gotten into him.

"I know you can do it," his father said carefully. Eyeing his eldest son with caution, he was trying to placate the sudden outburst of anger in the injured Na'vi. "I just think it would be best if Lo'ak took it for now."

His voice was gentle but Neteyam could still sense the worry that it held. His eyes were tilted and he knew his father was trying to figure out what happened.

He contemplated trying once more, but the thought of picking them up again caused his lungs to burn. He felt shame burn through him as it turned into hateful annoyance. He was supposed to be the older brother, the protector. And now he couldn't even lift a stupid fishing net. To his surprise, he had to suppress the urge to bare his teeth.

Lo'ak swooped in before he could do something stupid. At least his brother didn't make a show of pretending the nets were heavy for him as well. Instead, he nudged Neteyam's shoulder and jerked his head towards the door, indicating that it was no big deal and to leave.

Unlike the swiftness at which it came, the annoyance ebbed away slowly until all that was left was the hurt and embarrassment. Weak. That was something he was not used to feeling. Unable to meet his father's worried eyes, he nodded at his brother and followed down the pathways toward the village center.

"Thanks," he managed to mumble, keeping his eyes strictly ahead as he walked by his brother's side. He waited for the snide remark that Lo'ak would surely have but instead, his sibling just tilted his head and slid his gaze to Neteyam.

"No one expects you to be better right away, you know."

He knew that. Of course he did. But he hated that he wasn't like he was before, that everyone looked at him like he needed to be coddled, to be pitied. "It's fine," he spat out, keeping his voice low, wanting to be done with this conversation.

But Lo'ak stopped in his tracks, forcing Neteyam to come to a halt as well.

"Neteyam," he said again. "Your healing. Everyone knows you're strong. No one doubts that, alright?"

Neteyam forced himself to take a deep breath. He knew his brother was right, it just annoyed him that he was.

"Besides," his brother continued, a smirk beginning to form as his lips twitched. "Aonung clearly thinks you're well enough," his eyes pointed jokingly to his neck and the bruise they both knew was blooming there.

Aaaand there was the snide remark. Neteyam felt the urge to smack his brother again but all that came out was a heavy laugh. He giggled until Lo'ak started to join, snorting alongside him.

"Shut up," he said again, only this time it was between fits of laughter, not a single bite behind it.

That only made Lo'ak laugh harder until the two of them were holding their stomachs and Neteyam had to force himself to stop, for fear his stitches might come undone. Ronal had put them in place a few days ago, humming about how the irritation will go down better that way.

Eventually, the two gathered themselves enough that they could walk again and continued down to the docks, ignoring the glances of a few villagers that caught the tail end of their laughing fit.

"It's not that bad is it?" he finally asked, nervously fiddling with his braids, hoping that they covered where the necklace didn't reach.

Lo'ak eyed him once more, a smirk once again resting on his lips but eventually dropped it and looked forward.

"No," he admitted. "But I'm still going to kill him. Either that or date his sister, your choice."

Neteyam chuckled. His brother was going to date Tsireya either way and they both knew it. Neither of them said anything more until the silence overtook Neteyam and the question that had been worrying his brain for ages finally found its way out.

"You wouldn't-" he started, trying to find the right words to express Aonung to Lo'ak. "mind… us being together?

He chose his words carefully, glancing nervously to the side before sternly fixing his eyes ahead on the docks. Aonung and Tsireya were already there, sitting by the water.

Lo'ak hummed for a moment, and Neteyam found his heart speeding up a bit as his brother waited to respond.

"No," the boy said finally. "The way he waited for you while you were asleep, and even more after you woke up…"

"... whatever it is between you, it is real to him. I do not mind it."

For some reason that meant more to him than the warm touch of approval his mother had given him the night before. But his brother wasn't finished, because as they approached his voice sped up and got strangely cheerful.

"Besides, if he hurts you again, I'll feed him to Rodger."

And with that, they were at the docks. Neteyam quickly had to school his shocked expression and greet the Metkayina teenagers appropriately.

Tsireya squealed and bolted into his arms for a hug. He watched Aonung's eyes narrow as his sister pressed into his wounded chest, but the girl was careful and avoided the injury as she pulled him close.

It struck Neteyam that he hadn't seen the chief's daughter since he freed them from the ship's railing. He had missed her. Over the months he was here he found that they had become close friends. He wrapped one arm around her and squeezed her back, telling her as much.

Lo'ak let out an indignant noise at the attention she was giving his brother but quickly bit his tongue. It was amusing to him that his brother found this to be jealous over.

Once she let go, Tsireya grabbed Lo'ak's hand and led them both to where she and Aonung had been seated.

As they approached, Aonung wrapped an arm around his waist and to Neteyam's absolute surprise, pulled him close, nuzzling his nose against the Omaticaya's forehead before placing a soft kiss to his temple.

"Oh Eywa," Lo'ak groaned in disgust, making a shocked heaving noise as he averted his eyes. "Thanks for the warning at least," he shot at his older brother, voice mumbled and nose scrunched up.

Neteyam on the other hand, was beyond shocked and found he couldn't answer. He never expected Aonung to be with him in public, never thought the other boy would want to. Yet his body reacted before he could, easing into the hold and leaning against the warmth of the arm around his waist.

Aonung took this as some kind of confirmation and let go, leading them toward the pile of old nets he and Tsireya had been sorting through. Her gaze was curious but she said nothing.

"Tuk will be joining us in a little," Tsireya informed, looking between her brother and the eldest Sully sibling for only a moment longer. "I think Kiri is bringing her."

As they sat down, Neteyam found Aonung at his side and was surprised when the broad paddle of his tail wrapped around him. More surprised even, when his own tail unconsciously mimicked the motion, twining around its teal base near Aonung's lower back.

No one made a note about it but Lo'ak's eyes shone in surprise as well.

Aonung seemed to catch up with his own motions because he coughed awkwardly and averted his gaze from Neteyam. But even so, the Metkayina did not shift away and Neteyam felt his heart beat a little louder.

Gratefully, Lo'ak plopped the pile of nets their father had brought down onto the pile, explaining the damage and asking if it would work for scrap material.

Tsireya, always positive, examined it with bright eyes. Her finned hands delicately pulled at the leftover material and she smiled brightly. "Yes, I think so!"

Neteyam could see his brother fall more in love by the moment. He snorted a little in amusement, but quickly shut up when Lo'ak shot him a threatening look that said, don't you even, before eying the compromising position he was sitting in with Aonung. It worked immediately because Neteyam promptly closed his mouth and stiffened slightly against the Metkayina that he loved.

"So," Neteyam started awkwardly, needing some kind of escape. His hands gestured to the materials in front of them and then looked desperately at Tsireya for some kind of explanation. Her eyes lit up and she happily began to explain what to do.

Essentially, they were to separate the usable strands from the torn ones and set them out to dry. From there, the elders could weave them into new nets, while the old kelp could be returned back to the sea. Nothing was wasted.

Neteyam repeated back the instructions for confirmation before leaning forward and taking a section of tangled netting. He looked back at Aonung and grabbed another waiting for him to nod before he handed it to him and returned to his side.

They worked in silence for a while, slicing through what was usable and what was not. Neteyam found it slightly comforting, reminiscent of the threadwork that Mo'at had him do back at Base Camp when a new saddle was needed.

Every once and a while, Aonung would pinch his side or trail a hand along the bare skin of his back looking more amused each time when he got a reaction out of Neteyam. The boy would smile to himself and then wait for Neteyam to poke him in return, enjoying the little game they were playing as they worked.

Eventually, the Omaticaya leaned back and stretched out his fingers, giving the smaller joints a break. Aonung had begun to do the same when a little voice reached their ears and Neteyam turned just in time to see Tuk running full speed toward the group. Her braids were flying behind her and Kiri was behind her, shouting her name in annoyance trying to keep up.

"I'm here!" the small girl announced, as if they had all been sitting around waiting for her arrival. To her mind they probably were anyways. Neteyam grinned as always and shifted forward, disconnecting from Aonung to grab her little body from toppling over into the careful piles of dried strands they had spent the hour gathering.

She let out an indignant squeal but fell easily into his lap. This time she was careful to avoid his chest, no doubt due to the stern lecture their mother had given her the night before. He let his fingers tickle over her stomach until she gasped with laughter and pushed him away.

"Hi Tuktuk," he grinned, baring his fangs playfully when she did it first.

She flopped dramatically into his lap again and looked up. "Hi 'Teyam."

He loved his sister. She quite literally could never dull his mood. Her little head tilted backward and her eyes opened in surprise. In his attempt to catch her, he had leaned back into Aonung's arms and she was simultaneously looking up at his face as well.

"Tuktirey," Aonung greeted in amused formality.

His little sister squirmed slightly to look at the two of them so close to each other, her eyes wide this time. Neteyam instantly knew she was about to say something, so quick as the tide, he grabbed her side once more and poked at where he knew she was most ticklish.

The little Na'vi immediately dropped the subject and screeched, beginning her own attempt to tickle Neteyam back. What Neteyam was unaware of, however, was how soft Aonung's gaze had become, or the way he looked down at the Omaticaya in his arms and the little girl looped between the both of them, giggling. They looked like a family.

Eventually, Neteyam got her to settle down and showed the girl how to take apart the netting and separate what was usable and what would be thrown back. Her little fingers took to the task like lightning, and within the next half hour, her pile had grown twice the size of Lo'ak's.

If he thought Tuk would not notice that fact, Neteyam was incredibly mistaken because she began to lord it over his head incessantly. His sister even went so far as to ask Tsireya with big innocent eyes if she noticed how much better she was than Lo'ak at the task. Aonung snorted at this, especially when his brother looked so angry at the child that he might throw her off the dock.

By the third time she brought it up, Lo'ak fully growled at her.

And with that, Tuktirey took that as her sign to go. She bounced up with only the energy an eight year-old could possess and took off back toward the village, giggling madly. Kiri got up with an exasperated sound following behind her, glaring the whole time at Lo'ak. No doubt she had been assigned to look after her for the afternoon.

Despite her attempts to get Lo'ak to kill her, she really had done a fair portion of the work. By the time the group had made it through the rest of the pile, it wasn't even time for the afternoon meal. Tsireya looked beyond satisfied and gathered up the materials in neat stacks.

"This is wonderful, you guys!" she exclaimed looking at how much thread had been salvaged. "Neteyam, you work so fast, no wonder the Omaticaya are known for their weaving technique."

She wasn't wrong, it was one of the things his people excelled at. He looked at his little brother who seemed slightly put off that she complimented him instead and quickly decided changed the subject.

"I know Tuk is fast with the separating but Lo'ak is wonderful at beading. Maybe he could make you something."

His words created a sparkle in her eye and she gave him a big smile before turning to his brother. He looked up at her slightly nervous but hopeful expression and immediately lit up.

"Yeah," he croaked, voice a bit surprised. "Do you want something?"

It was no surprise when she said yes. Lo'ak shot him a grateful look before nervously taking her hand and offering to walk her back to the elders in order to deliver the threads.

Aonung grumbled under his throat but a sharp look from Tsireya silenced him. At first Neteyam had thought Aonung was most like Ronal, all hard edges and frowns. But it was beginning to be more clear to him how commanding the tsahìk's daughter really was. Lo'ak was definitely in for a surprise if he ended up courting her.

"You know she's gonna wear it forever," Aonung said in annoyance, pressing his forehead to Neteyam's shoulder as if to emphasize his words. "The Metkayina take jewelry very seriously."

Warmth flooded him and he couldn't help but grin. "I know. Is that so bad?"

Aonung was quiet for a minute but relented and eventually settled for tugging Neteyam closer. "I guess not," he mused, seeming to be more lenient now that he had the Omaticaya in his arms.

Neteyam took a moment look around the dock to make sure they were alone before he leaned back and quickly placed a kiss to Aonung's lips. The reef Na'vi froze and for a second Neteyam worried that he had made a mistake, that maybe Aonung did not want to kiss him in public. But then a soft expression replaced his look and he tugged Neteyam's chin closer.

"Again," he murmured, nosing himself closer to the blue boy's face.

Neteyam couldn't help but smile and he pressed up once more, connecting their lips. Aonung mouthed over him gently for a moment longer before releasing him. Neteyam felt warm and flushed all over. He didn't realize how nervous he had been that Aonung would only want him in the shadows when no one was looking. But instead, he had tugged Neteyam to sit with him in front of everyone and wrapped his tail around him affectionately, it made him feel loved. Cared for.

Aonung slowly detached from him and began to gather up what Tsireya had left behind, the discarded materials, too damaged to use and needing to be thrown back.

He was about to say something else when steps came down from the village. Neteyam looked up to see his father, carrying a spare saddle.

Aonung immediately stiffened and dipped his head fully. "Toruk Makto."

His father let out a laugh and slapped Aonung on the arm in good humor. Perhaps it was a little harder than he intended though because the chief's son stumbled back a bit at the force.

"You can just call me Jake kid," he insisted, smiling like it was any normal conversation. In his mind it probably was.

"How did the nets work out?" he asked next, directing the question at both of them.

Neteyam nodded and gestured what little was left over. "Pretty good, we got through almost everything."

His father looked happy to have contributed and smiled. "What do you do with the rest of it?" he asked, eyeing the tangle of unusable nets in Aonung's hands.

"We give it back to the sea," Aonung explained, gesturing beyond the reef. "It is only kelp after all."

His dad just chucked and nodded. "Yeah, I guess so."

Aonung looked once more at Neteyam somewhat longingly, before excusing himself to dispose of the old fibers.

He watched as the boy left, before trying to follow in suit. He leaned forward and got about halfway up before was halted by his back. Clearly he could not even sit right because his lungs began to ache again with a menace from the simple strain.

Beyond frustrated he let out a pained noise of annoyance as he rubbed at his chest, desperately trying to get the ache to go away.

His father was at his side in an instant, wrapping one arm beneath his shoulders and holding his weight until the pain went away. He saw the question forming in his dad's eyes before he even asked it.

"Don't," he growled out in a rather violent tone, trying to will away the pain in his lungs with a harsh breath. Neteyam didn't mean to sound so rude but he didn't think he could take any more pity, any more sad eyes asking him if he was okay.

His father stepped back slightly, giving his son some space in surprise. Those eyes were back examining him in an instant.

He quickly realized what he said and instantly tried to backtrack, regret filling his eyes.

"I- sorry-"

But his dad just held up a hand and let him recover. Slowly, like approaching a wild animal, Jake placed his large blue hands back on his son's shoulders.

"It's fine," he said firmly, emphasizing his words carefully. "It's fine, son."

Neteyam's shoulders slumped and he just nodded, still ashamed. He hated this. Hated how weak he felt, how tired his body was. He just wanted to be strong again.

"I have to go to patrol," his dad said finally, holding up the saddle regretfully. "But we should talk when I return alright?"

His voice was soft and clear, no anger behind his words. Neteyam nodded once more and stood up straight. His father gave him one more look before turning away. A heavy silence encompassed him and he watched the waves lap against the dock for a moment longer before returning back to the marui.