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Coming of age had many, many perks. One being that meeting up in the middle of the night did not count as sneaking out anymore. Aonung was very happy about that since he still lived with his parents. Although he did long for his own home soon.
Aonung waited on one of the lowest floating rocks, legs dangling over the edge as he admired the glowing Spirit Tree far below the water. Before the Sullys they’d never considered getting on them, always so at home and focused on being beneath the surface. Above it all was a whole new world though. He'd come to admire the new perspective after having taken the leap. Literally.
Hearing a low screech in the distance, Aonung thought about the ikrans. He wondered if he would ever tame one. It was a possibility if he kept the relationship he’d developed with Neteyam going.
Calling the two of them enemies was inaccurate after all this time. Actually it was downright amusing to think of what they’d once briefly been. Neteyam and him were friends at this point. Closer than that really. Only they didn’t vocally address the intimate embraces or the slow tender kisses that had come to exist between them.
Aonung was hesitant to say they were lovers since they weren't courting. Not yet anyways considering how much he’d recently been thinking about it. Why else would he be going out in the middle of the night away if it was only to meet with a friend?
Usually they stayed close to the village. Finding a secluded spot on the beach to talk about their days when time was spent apart due to duties or trips. Other times they climbed trees when Neteyam was missing the forest or traveled further into the island a bit. Aonung realized this was the first time they were visiting the Cove of the Ancestors after dark together. He wondered if that was Eywa’s doing.
Staring down at the purple glow, Aonung followed his skimwing as it lazily swam around. It enjoyed jumping high out of the water, allowing him to jump even higher onto the rocks. A task that kept it entertained due to the lack of battle in their life now. However, it also liked to explore its surroundings as it waited for him. Yes, it was no ikran but it knew he would be needed again. Unless he decided to fly back with Neteyam.
Aonung made a call, letting it know it was no longer needed. The creature swam in a circle a few times, rolling over in the water before swimming away. He hoped he wouldn’t regret the decision since he had no idea how things were going to go tonight. Ideally, good.
The beat of wings blew wind down on his shoulders heavily as Neteyam landed. Sidu’s claws, scrapping the rock repeatedly as she gripped onto the edge. He supposed the rock he’d chosen wasn’t very large, so he hoped she wouldn’t try to perch there with them. Thankfully, as his friend jumped off he chirped at her and she took back off into the sky.
“Could you have picked a smaller rock?” Neteyam asked playfully, practically reading his thoughts.
“Yes,” Aonung said simply, glancing around at the shadows of the truly small rocks floating around them.
Neteyam scoffed with a small smile, throwing his head back and pushing his tight braids out of the way from where they’d gotten ruffled during the flight. Aonung watched with admiration, knowing they fit him so much better than the flowing Metkayina braids Tsireya had talked him into a few times. The other male had enjoyed the change from Omatikaya beads adorning them to ones colored to blend into the sea though, along with a few small shells. He liked to pretend the additions of his clan on his friend’s person didn’t make him feel fuzzy inside now.
“What did you want to meet all the way out here tonight?” Neteyam asked, walking over to him and sitting down close enough he could feel the heat of his thigh against his own. “Problems with your parents or Onsun?”
“No,” Aonung answered, shaking his head because while his little brother was the occasional little annoyance they spent enough time apart now that he didn’t grate on his nerves anymore. “It just sounded like a nice idea.”
“Yeah,” Neteyam said, leaning forward with his hands on the edge and looking down at the Spirit Tree. “I haven’t been out here in a while actually.”
Both the words ‘same’ and ‘good’ came to mind. Aonung studied the glowing blue freckles down Neteyam’s spine. He hadn’t been to the Cove of the Ancestors in quite a few weeks between traveling to another village with his Father for public relations and just in general being busy. Due to Kiri his friend came a lot more often, but recently she had taken to spending a lot of time with Rotxo now that they were getting closer to actually mating.
Aonung traced the black tuft of hair at the end of Neteyam’s tail as it laid across the other Na’vi’s lap and tickled his thigh. He loved playing with it since he did not have any. It was one of the first intimate touches they had shared. One they still enjoyed a lot casually. Evidence being his friend turning his head a fraction to grin at him, making it flick happily before he cleared his throat and stopped it.
“You know better than to stop on the account of me,” Aonung teased, earning him a playful glare that Neteyam couldn’t make genuine anymore towards him to save his life.
Chuckling, Aonung seized the light moment to lean over and place a kiss on the corner of Neteyam’s mouth. It felt like it’d been ages since they’d last kissed when in reality it had only been about a day. Knowledge that made his heart jump with anticipation, especially when his friend twisted his neck to accept one more directly.
Humming, Aonung cupped the side of Neteyam’s face and pulled him closer. It felt like he was floating when he kissed his friend like this, knowing they were truly alone where no one could see or read into the moment too much. If he was confused, he could only imagine how a clan member would react. The whole village would assume he was mated before he even found out anyone knew they kissed.
“So…,” Neteyam mumbled, slowing the way their lips moved together until they were just breathing. “Did you want to visit the tree?”
“We can if you want,” Aonung answered, slowly opening his eyes and realizing he was not exactly feeling up for a visit with his ancestors at the moment.
Neteyam’s bright amber eyes were looking back at him patiently as he focused on them. Although granted he didn’t focus long since his gaze got distracted by his freckles, causing him to look over his friend’s handsome features that were highlighted. Just as quickly his fingers slid into the other male’s braids that he caressed.
Aonung took heated satisfaction in the way Neteyam’s ears pinned back and he dipped his head a little. If the sun was out, he knew his cheeks would be turning the slightest hint of purple. He usually liked to tease him about it, specifically when he was wearing his purple loincloth because they matched so prettily. It was too dark to tell, but he was pretty sure his friend was wearing one of the brown ones instead today.
“What do you want to do?” Aonung asked, tucking some braids behind Neteyam’s ear which caused it to perk back up. “You know I’m always happy to hear some more stories of the stars.”
The stories Neteyam told him varied between those of Earth itself and their deity’s. Gods and Goddesses that they assumed were lost to time. Although neither of them were sure the distant planet had ever been a sentient being like Eywa’eveng. At least not anytime even close to Jake’s birth in his old world.
In truth, Aonung really just liked to hear Neteyam’s voice. It was possible in the beginning the stories about Earth had been mildly interesting, but now he couldn’t focus long enough to really absorb the information. More than once he’d actually fallen asleep to the soothing sound of his friend, especially when their bodies were as close as they were now.
“Are you sure?” Neteyam asked. “It’s beautiful out tonight.”
Neteyam gestured back down to the water with his head. Aonung followed the movement and had to agree that the soft glow of the water was tempting. It had always been beautiful, but from above the cove was like a pool of temptation. One where you could see every single form of life moving in the current. Unfortunately, his friend was more tempting. A slightly worrisome realization that made him avert his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Neteyam asked and Aonung exhaled through his nose because it was unfair how well his friend seemed to know him now. “Are you sure nothing happened? I know your Mom isn’t handling the pregnancy…”
“It is not that,” Aonung interrupted because this was truly nothing about his new sibling.
The announcement of his Mothers pregnancy was another part of the reason he was ready to move into his own marui. Onsun had knocked down the little privacy he had left at home with his bouncing all over the place. A third sibling? Aonung did not know how Neteyam did it, but the other Na’vi had told him it was probably due to the age difference.
Whatever sibling he gained now, could honestly pass as his or Tsireya’s child. Both of them were ready to settle down, mate and have them. It was why their Mother wasn’t handling it well. She had not planned for another, but they were trying to accept it since it was clearly the will of Eywa. Aonung would argue it was the will of too much kava at the last rite of passage celebration in the village. The comment had gotten him smacked on the back of the head by his sister. Lo’ak too, because he’d laughed quite loudly in agreement.
“I think I am ready to move,” Aonung admitted, letting go of Neteyam and leaning back on his hands to look up at the stars.
“Well that’s great!” Neteyam said cheerfully and Aonung closed his eyes to ignore his friend’s tail tickling his stomach since it made him want to grab it. “Are you… uh, oh. Do you… do you have someone you are wanting to court? I mean, I know the Metkayina prefer to move out only when you plan to take a mate so you can start a family.”
“Yes, I know the Omatikaya has its perks,” Aonung said with a smile, remembering all the differences and similarities that the two clans had. “... but… maybe.”
Neteyam didn’t respond and even without looking he could feel his friend draw in on himself. Not just mentally, but physically as well. Aonung shook his head, hating the self doubt the other male still had to this very day. Apparently self-loathing was a hard habit to break no matter how many times you reassure someone they were perfect just the way they are. The worst part was the fact it wasn’t just him that had told him that.
“Teyam…” Aonung drew out with a sigh, tilting his head to look at his friend whose eyes were in his lap with a blank expression. “Please don’t do that.”
“Mating is just… a difficult topic,” Neteyam said quietly. “You know that. It is for us both... or is that not the case anymore.”
It was, or at least it had been. Neteyam had always struggled with it because he had a lot of pressure on him as the son of not just an Olo’ekytan but of Toruk Makto. After that he had argued about how he was a common forest Na’vi amongst the Metkayina, since he had no plans of moving back to the forest. Sometimes when he was feeling exceptionally bitter about it, his friend also liked to toss in the fact he had Sky People blood.
Aonung had a feeling though that there was something else the other male wasn’t telling him. He wasn’t sure what exactly, but he sometimes wondered if it was the same thing he was dealing with. Before, he’d just never been interested in taking a mate. Both due to youth and the fact no one in his clan had caught his attention in the way a mate should. Until now anyways.
“I have a question,” Aonung said bluntly, swinging his feet as nervous energy half tempted him into throwing himself off the rock and down into the water. “It is big and I hope you will answer me in truth.”
“You’re not allowed to court Tuk,” Neteyam said seriously and Aonung shifted away from him with a grimace.
“Ah, no thank you?” Aonung said cautiously, not wanting to say his sister wasn’t beautiful but she was almost like a little sister to him too despite the young warrior she’d become. “Seriously Teyam, that’s… just no.”
“Good,” Neteyam coughed. “You do not have my permission.”
Hissing lightly, Aonung playfully swiped his fingers over Neteyam's face as if to grab it. It made his friend laugh at least as he tried to swat his hand away. The result was him chuckling as the other male practically giggled.
“I will tell Tuk her courter will need permission from you,” Aonung threatened since the young Sully basically being a tiny version of their intimidating Mother entirely. “I doubt she will approve of your trying to…”
“Okay, okay,” Neteyam said almost pleadingly, raising his hands in surrender. “I’m sorry, okay? I just… panicked?”
“I only have one Sully whom I wish to mate with and I assure you she is not it,” Aonung scoffed, because honestly he had no reason to panic unless his affections had been misinterpreted but even then he would be the one that needed to panic. “I will leave it to you to figure out who.”
Neteyam was very smart, but sometimes he was completely oblivious too. Usually by choice through subconscious denial. It was entertaining on occasion depending upon the situation. Now, Aonung had to think that maybe their relationship had been one of those situations.
Kiri was mating with Rotxo in only a few weeks time. Lo’ak and Tsireya would be mating whenever their Mother decided his sister had finished her Tshaik training. Neytiri was not only already mated, but she was far too old. He had now expressed his disinterest in Tuk, which only left one Na’vi.
“Nung?” Neteyam said weakly.
“I can not mate with myself,” Aonung said, rolling his eyes and leaning his head onto his shoulder in the process.
The action was a habit he had developed from Kiri. He’d learned a lot of bad things from the Sully’s actually, but this one was the equivalent of implying you were being stupid without saying it. Aonung didn’t think it was something that needed to be said, confirmed by the way Neteyam’s face was almost as dark as the sky making his eyes and freckles stand out like planets and stars.
“Oh that is very cute,” Aonung grinned widely, perking up and Neteyam suddenly grabbed his queue to hold close to his chest. “You’re just making it worse Teyam.”
“You want.. Are you asking to court me?” Neteyam asked, his voice quiet and distant.
“I think that’s why I wanted to come here tonight,” Aonung said, looking out over the cove of his ancestors and thinking of what they would say to the son of a Metkayina Olo’ekytan taking a male mate. “We are very close, Teyam. I see you… and I see you in my life. My future. If you would, I would like to have that always.”
Aonung hadn’t been entirely sure what the night had held when he’d had the urge to meet out here, but now it felt like it was meant to be. He was still learning to trust his instincts towards others since he was not the most social Na’vi. Another reason Neteyam had grown to mean so much to him over the years was because he was one of the first people to truly see him.
“Aonung…” Neteyam started, his other hand gravitating to his queue as well and Aonung hoped it was for a good reason although he knew it to be one of protectiveness some Na'vi expressed when feeling insecure about mating.
“I do…. I do Teyam. I want to court you. No more of… whatever this has been,” Aonung said, waving between them because at the very least they were odd friends, and he couldn’t share with a friend what he one day would with a mate. “Lo’ak did tell me that Omatikaya are more physical Na’vi when I asked, the reason for your families strange ‘cuddle piles’, but not this much. So no more, hiding in the dark or under pathways together. No more, lying your tail in my lap or resting our chins on each other’s shoulders. No more, curling around one another as we hug and kissing because I long to never stop.”
“Great Mother help me,” Neteyam said out loud, his tone disbelieving. “Do you mean it?”
Before Aonung could frown to figure out what exactly Neteyam was asking, he had a lap full of lean Na’vi. Grabbing his jaw with both hands, his friend tilted his head back and kissed him firmly on the lips. It was quite possibly the most confident or deep kiss they had ever shared even though his long braids shielded them from the planet’s light like a black curtain. Although it did allow him to bask in the complete sensation that was all of the other male enritely around him.
“Is this a joke?” Neteyam asked breathlessly, pulling away but not letting go of him and Aonung rubbed his friend’s back with sudden understanding.
“Since when do I joke about things like this between us? I’ve chosen you Neteyam, should you choose me,” he answered honestly because anytime he joked about such serious things it was in regards to basically everyone except the two of them. “I think I did long ago. I know you have not expressed interest in taking a mate, but I wanted to know if you would.”
“I never expressed interest in taking a mate, because I had chosen you shortly after the battle but I would never put our friendship at risk for my emotional desires,” Neteyam said, resting their foreheads together. “If you want to court me though, please Aonung. Do it.”
“Eager are we?” Aonung asked, the warmth pooling in his stomach filling him with excitement and anticipation instead of nerves. “Maybe the Great Mother will need to help you.”
“Now that, I hope, is a joke,” Neteyam said flatly, sitting his light weight down on his thighs and leveling him with a look that made his amber eyes almost seem serious. “You know you still have to deal with my Dad. Forever if we mate. Something to keep in mind.”
“You’re Dad does not scare me,” Aonung told him confidently, raising his chin even though Jake was still very intimidating. “It’s a promise. No one, not even Toruk Makto will stand between me and my mate.”
“I want to hear you tell him that,” Neteyam said, with a cute little snort.
“I want to hear you tell him you’re mating with me of all people, moving into my marui and that we will be…” Aonung started to ramble, suddenly fueled with the desire to announce his courting to the entire clan and watch jaws drop.
As Neteyam was well practiced in doing though, he flicked him on the nose with an unimpressed expression interrupting him. The small brown choker around his neck radiated the authority he still liked to hold over him at times that came with age and the fact he was the one prone to misbehaving between the two of them. Aonung still blinked and stuttered like he always did at the light scolding, as if he was surprised despite the fact he really wasn’t. It was simply because he loved when the other male tried to be the assertive, confident Na’vi he was at heart. A heart he planned to cherish above even his ancestors as they floated in the sky.