Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The move from Nigeria to New Zealand was tough on the whole sully family. The sadness that lingered in his mothers eyes throughout the entire ordeal didn’t go unnoticed by Neteyam, after all it was their homeland. It was the place where his parents fell in love, it was all him and his siblings had ever known. Though after all, the memories made in the rainforest would be carried through all of their hearts and he had to remain strong for his family, no matter if his own sadness was eating his heart from the inside out.

He remembers the talk their father gave them like it was a moment that happened before his latest blink; Neteyam’s father was a strong man, fond of military style parenting. He’d never complain about it though; he was the reason Neteyam turned out well rounded and tough. It wasn’t like he had never seen his dad upset before; however, this was a different type of sorrow. He gathered all of them around in the living room, and Neteyam braced himself for impact. He had known before the rest of his siblings.

A few weeks ago, in the dead of night when he got up for some water, he found his father clenching the kitchen island, looking down. “Dad, is something wrong..?” he asked in a gentle tone. He had gotten used to speaking English in the house; his father had gotten Igbo’s complicated language, at least for an outsider, through his head a long time ago, however his mother wanted him and his siblings to be fluent in both languages. “Bilingual will be good for out of country school, do you want to be like the Americans?” Neteyam remembers her saying to him as a small child.

“Son, look at me.” Him and his father shared a moment of silent eye contact and he saw the corner of his fathers mouth twitch up. Jake put his hand on his son's shoulders. “Me and your mother think it’s best for us to move.” The small grin on Neteyam’s face evaporated in an instant. His father pulled away from him “I know, I know. This wasn’t an easy decision to make, but I trust that you’ll keep this from your siblings for a short while, yes?” He looked down, trying to make sense of what he had just been told. “I won’t tell them dad, I promise… but why? Why do we have to go?” Neteyam tried to not sound crushed. His father sighed. “I got a job offer that pays better, I mean it’s not like we really need the money” he paused, “...It’s also because we need to think about you and your siblings futures. There's a better high school there, and, and tuk!..” Neteyam interrupted him “I get it dad, it’s okay.” He tried to stabilize the situation. His dad smiled lightly. “Thank you, son.”

–

His siblings, however, didn’t take it as well. Kiri was the first to object, “What?! No, no this isn’t fair! Our life here is perfect just as it is!” Their mother lifted her gaze towards his sister. “The decision is made.” She said, in a tone that tried to sound assertive, but came out mostly as barely a whisper. Lo’ak was sitting on his right, Kiri on his left and tuk was hiding behind Neteyam. “I don’t wanna go…” Tuk mumbled into his back. “I know, baby girl, but we have to think about our future.” There was a sudden moment of silence. Neteyam was staring down at the floor, hoping they could all just move on and end this conversation. In the corner of his eye, he saw Lo’ak shake his head and stand up. “This is such bullshit, man!” and then he left. His mother looked heartbroken. Neteyam didn’t want to think about the kind of argument that went down between his parents that led to the decision to move. “Lo’ak!” Their father called after Lo’ak angrily, with no response. “I’ll go after him sir.” He stood, leaving Tuk curled into herself. “Noo, Neteyam!” she called after him, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop. Neteyam could hear Kiri softly crying, he wanted to comfort them all, but he didn’t want to leave Lo’ak alone, not after what he discovered shortly after his birthday. There were still fragments of birthday cake with Lo’ak’s name on it that afternoon when he pushed open his door to check up on him.

He knew about Lo’ak’s mental state, even though he never explicitly told Neteyam. He could just tell. At first, it was Lo’ak getting quiet at dinner when he usually was all talkative, then he lost interest in the things he used to like. He’d never leave his bed, his eyes were hollow. His baby brother became a shell of the person he used to be. It was like looking at videos of their father before their mother came into his life. They had the same cold look in their eyes like they were waiting for their purpose, thinking it wouldn’t ever actually come. Neteyam had wanted to speak up, to help him, but how can you help a person who doesn’t care for themselves anymore?

That day, he pushed open the door to Lo’ak’s room gently to get him to go on a walk with him and Kiri, only to find it empty, like all life was sucked out of it. Neteyam could hear faint sobs coming from Lo’ak’s bathroom. His heart was pounding as he burst into his brother's bathroom. Lo’ak’s knife, made out of sharpened river crystal, was covered in blood, thrown on the opposite side from Lo’ak. His little brother’s arms were covered in small slashes. He raised his head from his hands to look at Neteyam and it made his baby brother cry even harder. “I’m sorry,” he managed to mutter as Neteyam sat next to him, pulling him into a one sided embrace. “I see you, brother.” Lo’ak sat limp in his arms.

–

Suddenly, Neteyam was rushing up the stairs and opened the door to his brother’s room. He exhaled, deeply relieved that Lo’ak was fine. His brother lifted his head up from his pillow. Lo’ak had his phone in hand, angrily doomscrolling. “Dude, knock.” He said, going back to melting on his bed. Neteyam approached him and sat on his bed, forcing Lo’ak to set his phone down. “Are you alright?” Neteyam asked, serious. His brother rolled his eyes. “Never better!” He said in a sarcastic way. Neteyam made a face that reminded Lo’ak eerily of their mother. “What do you want?” Lo’ak said in a more relaxed voice than previously, suddenly a little intimidated. “I want to know if you’re alright, this move isn’t a big deal, you know-” He was interrupted by Lo’ak scoffing. He sat up. “How do you not get it, genuinely? I know you desperately want to be this perfect son, but how can you be this emotionless about leaving everything behind?” Now, he was standing, towering over Neteyam. “It’s like you were made to be stronger than me, to outdo me.” Neteyam pressed his lips together and stood up too, now being the one to tower over the other.

“I’ll look past that, even though it’s not true, because I know you’re angry-”

“Ha! Thank you so much, your highness!” Lo’ak interrupted in a sarcastic tone; he looked genuinely angry. “You never actually help.” His little brother said. Neteyam was met by only a cold gaze, one he wouldn’t have gotten 3, 2, hell, even a year ago. Their relationship had really strained since a little before Lo’ak turned 14. Neteyam used to help with his homework when he was in the 8th grade, they’d walk to school together, they’d do everything together. Now, since his first year in high school started, the time he got to see Lo’ak somehow got cut in half, even if they were in the same school now, it was almost like his brother was avoiding him. Lo’ak took a step back from Neteyam and pointed at the door. “Just leave.” He headed towards the door but before he left he said one last thing. “Don’t give mom a hard time, please.” Then he slammed the door behind him.

—

The move itself had taken about 4 months. The house was sold to a lovely family of 4 who had probably already painted over the door frame their father used to measure all of their heights the moment they got the keys. The last time they’d been measured in that home was Kiri and Loak’s first day of freshman year, where they both stood at 5’9, himself at 6'1 and little Tuk at 4'9; Everything went exactly as planned, they got to the airport on time, their flight didn’t get delayed and Lo’ak and Kiri were both in a good mood at the same time, something that took place only in a blue moon or if they were bribed by their father to behave.

The beginning of fall break was just a few days before the sully’s smoothly transitioned from Nigeria to New Zealand, which meant while their parents were busy with furnishing, Neteyam, Kiri, Lo’ak and Tuk were free to explore all of their new countries' attractions. Their new house was directly placed on the beach, ergo most of their time was spent there; Kiri was a girl with fair, sensitive ivory skin that would burn without layers upon layers of sunscreen, a direct trait from her birth mother Grace, so Neteyam chose to stay under an umbrella with her and read a book, however not before he got his other two rascals to apply sun protection.

“Come on bro, we all know black people don’t burn, not like others…” Lo’ak said, looking not-discreetly towards Kiri. “Tell that to your ashy ass skin, Lo’ak” Kiri hissed back and Tuk giggled loudly. “Oh mighty warrior, will you not lecture your dear sister on the effects of swearing in front of children?” said his little brother, clasping his hands together and blinking intently. Neteyam laughed, “Stop it, both of you. But Lo’ak, Kiri is right. You don’t want these tanned Māori babes to get scared of your ashy skin, now come here.”

Lo’ak rolled his eyes so hard they might have well got stuck there. “Just so you know, I got plenty of hoes!” “Then where’s your girlfriend?” Tuk said with a grin, sitting on Kiri’s beach towel while she rubbed sunscreen on herself generously. Both Kiri and Neteyam smiled, “Oh Tuk, don’t you know? Lo’ak is so helpless that if he asked a paralyzed woman out, she’d stand up and leave!” That made Neteyam crack a wider smile, Lo’ak just looked even more offended, rubbing sunscreen on his chest annoyed. “Why am I always the one getting bullied?” Lo’ak said, throwing his hands up frustrated and amused at the same time. “For the same reason you don’t have a girlfriend, little brother!” “You just suck!” Kiri replied and Lo’ak ran away, sticking his tongue out. “Haters gonna hate!”

–

Now, in the present, it’s their first day at their new high school. He usually got up at a significantly earlier hour than the rest of his siblings to drink morning tea with his mother, who always enjoyed her first born's company. That morning, Neteyam had decorated Tuk’s braids with colorful thick beads, placing a kiss on top of her head that made his baby sister giggle. “Thank you ‘teyam!” she giggled, excited to make friends at her new preschool. With nothing to do, Neteyam stepped into Kiri’s room and messed around a bit with her hair, trying to decide which hairstyle would work well with his sister's short wolf cut. In the end, she shooed him away and decided to leave her hair be.

Unlike Nigeria, in New Zealand everything is much more far away, so for their first day, before they learned the public transportation system, their father took it upon himself to drive them to school; When Tuk was born, their father bought himself a large, black, flashy SUV Neteyam and his siblings named “Toruk” and they said that when their father drives it, he becomes “Toruk Makto”. Since their mother wasn’t in the car with them, Neteyam was sitting in front, Lo’ak in the middle row alone with his airpods plugged in and both Kiri and Tuk were in the back staring out the window. New Zealand offered views they hadn’t seen before. It’s not like Nigeria didn’t have beaches, but the people were more connected to their forest.

“Okay, we’re here, everybody get out!” Jake exclaimed. “Go, go, go, goooo! Lo’ak, help Tuk with her pack!”Neteyam pushed the car door open and opened it for his sisters. "Why do I have to? She isn’t a baby!” Tuk and Lo’ak shared a glare. “I’ll help Tuk, sir.” Neteyam said, “Ooooo thank you Neteyam!” Lo’ak said, imitating Tuk. “Ughhhhhh, daaaad!” Tuk said in a whiny voice. Their father shot his baby brother a stare that said ‘don’t make me tell your mother!’. Lo’ak and Kiri rolled their eyes in sync. Kiri wasn’t necessarily annoyed, she was just like that. “Don’t cause trouble, okay? I love you kids!” Their father yelled after them, before closing Neteyam’s door. “Dad, stop!” Kiri shouted back. Tuk’s preschool was next to their high school, though a little to the left. Neteyam and Kiri hugged their baby sister goodbye and let her walk alone, Lo’ak stuck his tongue out at her.

At the entry of the high school stood two Māori teens, a boy and a girl. The girl looked a little too cheerful for 7:30AM on a Monday. “Hi there!” She greeted them with a huge smile plastered on her face, her teeth were perfectly straight and white. “I’m Tsireya”, she pointed at herself, Neteyam smiled back at her, “And this is my brother, Ao’nung!”. Neteyam’s smile dropped slightly and his lips parted at the sight of him. He was used to towering over most kids his age, but Ao’nung had to stand at about 6’4, much taller than him.

He had a head full of thick black curly hair that was messily wrapped in a bun, sun kissed freckled skin, light blue eyes that were piercing through Neteyam’s amber, the type of face that could be photographed and, of course, a condescending smirk that told too much about his character. Tsireya, on the other hand, was a petite girl, about 5’4, with the same thick black curls that touched her waist and seemed much more tamed than whatever her brother had. Her eyes were big and the same shade of light blue, like her brother, a face that could be photographed and put in a magazine, however she looked more warm and welcoming. He turned his head slightly toward Lo’ak and saw him gazing at her like she was a goddess. Neteyam shared a knowing look with Kiri.

“We’ll be your help for your first week at school!” said Tsireya, clasping her hands together. “Oh, I forgot to ask! What's your guys' name?” she asked curiously. “I’m Kiri”, his sister said first. “My name’s Lo’ak”, added his baby brother, and lastly, it was his turn to introduce himself. “I’m Neteyam”. He noticed in the corner of his eye that Ao’nung was still staring but he paid no mind to him. Neteyam smiled warmly at Tsireya. “Let’s get started then.” The girl, happy to have her energy matched, opened the door and led them to the guidance councilors office. “So, a little bit more about me, I’m 13, but I skipped a grade so I’m a freshman! I do wrestling as an extra-curricular and dance after school 3 times a week. My brother and I surf on the weekends, maybe you guys are interested? Oh and I’m also part of the student council!” She said. Tsireya nudged Ao’nung and he rolled his eyes. “I’m 15 and a sophomore, play basketball and am the swim team captain.” Tsireya laughed, “excuse him, he’s not very talkative around new people! What about you guys?”

Lo’ak was the first to respond, “Me and my sister Kiri are both 14, freshmen, I run track with Neteyam and I’m thinking about taking up basketball.” He glanced up at Ao’nung, clearly trying to get Tsireya’s older brother to like him. “I’m not really interested in sports, but I paint, read and am generally into a handful of artsy stuff.” The small girl beamed. “Perfect then! Our cousin Rotxo likes to paint, you two will get along great!” Tsireya paused and glanced at Neteyam. “Well, I’m 15 and a sophomore, I like to read a lot, I’m planning on signing up for debate, I used to play basketball but I quit for archery, and as my baby brother mentioned, I run track.” Ao’nung smirked. “I might have to take it up, too, if it’s so popular.” He said in a manner that could only be described as slightly mocking. Tsireya swatted him on the arm and he laughed, the sound was like music, and it made Neteyam’s stomach twist. “Anywho, here's the guidance counselor, she’ll give you your schedule, locker combo and we’ll be here waiting to show you where your classes are!” Tsireya added and closed the conversation.

Neteyam gently pushed open the door. Inside was a small office with a desk in the middle and a woman with a nametag that read “ms. Ayteva” typing on an outdated laptop. “Ma’am?” The guidance counselor, ms. Ayteva’s head perked up. “Ah, yes, the Sully children, step in!”
The three of them poured through the door, Kiri in the middle, Neteyam to her right and Lo’ak to her left. Ms. Ayteva was a woman with a poofy afro with caramel highlights scattered throughout it and thick rims that rested on her crooked nose. She handed each of them a paper that listed their classes and locker combination. “Awa’tlu Highschool is one like any other, I’m sure you’ll fight right in! Now scoot, I don’t have time for you kids.” She shooed them out of the room.

Outside stood Ao’nung and Tsireya. They were whispering about something and stopped when the three of them came out. The girl shot her brother a knowing look. “Let me see, let me see what classes you have!” she said, collecting the papers out of Lo’ak, Kiri and Neteyam’s hands. “Ooo, Lo’ak, Kiri, you two both have English first, room 9A! And my class is right next to your guys’, we can walk together every morning!” Neteyam turned to Lo’ak to see him smiling wider than he ever had before. Somehow, it made his mind think about that day in the bathroom shortly after his baby brother's birthday.

“Ah! Two for two!” Tsireya exclaimed. “Neteyam, your first period is algebra II, same as Ao’nung!” her brother looked over her shoulder to examine the paper and smirked. “Well, looks like you’re with me then.” that sentence alone made Neteyam’s stomach twist in ways he couldn’t explain and his face went hot, but he masked it perfectly. He tried to smile but he was sure it came out as more of a grimace. “Let’s get going then.” He bid goodbye to his younger siblings and went in the opposite direction with Ao’nung.

“Where are you from, anyway?” Ao’nung asked, looking forward. As they travelled down the hallway, Neteyam noticed Ao’nung was saluting a lot of people. “I thought you didn’t talk much with new people.” he replied, glancing at him. “Yeah, well, I don’t want to keep you as a stranger.” he told him in a way so performatively nonchalant that irritated Neteyam. “For what reason?” he clapped back. “I need someone to bother during math class.” His words made Neteyam’s mouth open slightly, then he decided to simply match his energy. “Good luck with that, I won’t entertain you.”

Ao’nung chuckled. “Fine then, if you demand another motive, maybe I just want to get to know the person I’ll be running track with.” Neteyam scoffed at his confidence and looked at him to find Ao’nung already staring and he felt something in him soften. “I come from Nigeria, if you must know.” The boy next to him smirked again, but this time it was different, it felt more like his natural smile than something condescending. “That’s nice.” Neteyam decided to entertain him a bit longer, even though not even 3 minutes ago he said he wouldn’t. “Do you have any other siblings?” he asked, not sure what other question would be socially appropriate for their dynamic. “One that’s born now, no, just Tsireya, however my mom is pregnant with another girl.” Neteyam smiled genuinely thinking of Ao’nung holding a small newborn. “And you? Any other siblings?” “I have another little sister, Tuktirey, she’s in preschool.” “I see…” He replied quickly. “Anyway, here we are. Room 20C.” Ao’nung opened the door for Neteyam, letting him enter first.

He walks in and notices Ao’nung shift through the desks that seem too small for someone his size and sees him sit down in the back row. There were two seats left, one in front of Ao’nung and one that was technically empty, but someone put their stuff on it like they were waiting for their friend, so he took the seat in front of Ao’nung. The teacher announced Neteyam’s presence to the class, (probably only because it was mandatory) and in rest chose to ignore him, which he wasn’t upset about. The class was relatively easy for him, so his work was finished almost immediately. There were about 35 minutes left of the 60 minute period, so after he handed his worksheet in he decided to pass the time reading the novel he started Saturday on the beach, when suddenly he felt a hand playing with his braids. He tried to shift his head as discreetly as possible to shoot Ao’nung a confused stare. Instead of shaming away, he wrote something on a piece of paper and gave it to Neteyam

“Did you finish? What’s number 7?” The note said, in a messy but somehow elegant manner. Neteyam rolled his eyes and the hope of a meaningful conversation with the person he should probably try to get to know vanished. He really wanted to progress in the novel, so he wrote down an explanation on how to solve the exercise rather than giving Ao’nung the answer. Once he was done, he handed the small paper back to him. He heard Ao’nung’s tongue click, clearly frustrated.

He felt him tug on one of his braids again and turned his head around, irritated. He saw the small paper discarded next to his pencil case, replaced with a bigger piece of paper, thinking Neteyam planned on talking to him longer, though that was honestly the last thing he’d do. He opened the note and read it. “Come on, throw me a bone here! Also, nice handwriting ;)” The little winky face made Neteyam’s face go hot and he chuckled lightly. “If you can’t understand my simple explanation, I’m seriously concerned. Also, I can’t really say the same for your handwriting.” He wrote back. The last part was sort of a lie and he agreed that math definitely wasn’t everyone’s strong suit, however he wanted to keep Ao’nung’s ego as low as possible, just for the fun of it. He passed the note to him.

Neteyam could almost imagine him smirking as he read the note, he heard the faint sound of Ao’nung writing and this time instead of tugging a braid he stroked the end of his hair lightly. Neteyam reached for the note and opened it. “Or maybe I just wanted an excuse to talk to you.” His lips parted slightly. “If you give me your number, I’ll leave you alone. For now.” Neteyam hesitated for a moment, was he really going to give his number to the person he thought was an asshole an hour and a half ago? He furrowed his brows. He supposed that if he befriended Ao’nung, Lo’ak and Kiri… well, probably only Lo’ak since Kiri wasn’t really interested in having a lot of friends, could become his friend too and be introduced to whatever other people Ao’nung is friends with. God knows Lo’ak wanted Ao’nung’s approval for Tsireya. He might’ve only known her for a little over an hour, but Neteyam knew how Lo’ak looked when he liked someone. So, ultimately, he was doing this for his baby brother. He scribbled down his phone number and passed the note back to Ao’nung.

The bell rang shortly after and he and Ao’nung walked out of class together. Neteyam handed the paper to Ao’nung again. “Ah, bummer. We don’t have any other classes in common except for P.E., and that’s after lunch.” somehow that made Neteyam both sad and relieved. “Your next class is AP bio in room 14B, I’ll take you there even though it’s out of my way, because I’m generous like that.” Neteyam rolled his eyes. “Then you have an AP lit course in room 3A. It’s really close to the entrance, you remember the way, don’t you?” He nodded. “Perfect. Then we’ll regroup at lunch, I’ll come pick you up.” He nodded again, thankful he didn’t have to navigate the school alone. “Then let’s go!” Ao’nung said in a fake cheery voice that made Neteyam chuckle.

He decided with his mother to take AP bio, one because he liked it and two because he had learned a lot from his grandmother about the fauna and flora of the world before he moved to New Zealand. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to take it, so he mostly did it to make his mother smile. He took a seat in the front and this time his teacher was more giddy to introduce him, she even made Neteyam stand up and tell the class 3 things about himself. He didn’t have a problem with public speaking, however seeing his classmates bored faces made it all the more awkward.

Once he finished he made his way to AP lit, where he found out he and Kiri were taking it at the same time. Neteyam couldn’t say he was really too surprised, since the both of them had similar interests and career goals, so they were bound to share at least one class. They sat next to each other, but didn’t talk like he and Ao’nung did. He preferred it that way honestly, one class where he was distracted was enough. He thought about mentioning shortly to Kiri as class ended and everyone was packing up that Ao’nung invited him to lunch and that they were going to sit with him for the day, but did he invite Neteyam? He only said they’d be regrouping, so that probably meant that Ao’nung was only showing him where the cafeteria was and nothing more.

“Hey, Kiri,” He said as his sister was waiting for him to pack up. “What?” she said looking up from her phone in a tone that most would think is rude, but the people close to her knew it was just her regular way of speaking. “Ao’nung told me before my second period that we were regrouping for lunch” he said shortly. He pulled his backpack over both shoulders and walked out of the room with Kiri. “Well I suppose we needed someone to sit with.” That made Neteyam a little confused. “Hah, well, I think he only wants to show us where it is.” Kiri had a puzzled look on her face. “Let’s wait for him here” he said before his sister could reply. “I think he meant we’d be sitting together. He’d be a real jerk if he just left us alone!”

“Yeah, you make a good point. I think Lo’ak would really like to sit with Tsireya, anyway.” He said, both Kiri and Neteyam were laughing. Then, he saw Ao’nung approach the both of them. He stopped ten feet away and made a motion for them to come to him. “The cafeteria is right next to the P.E. court, so that’s good for us two.” Ao’nung gestured towards him and Neteyam. “Kiri, do you know what you have?” he asked her in a low voice. “I have art, algebra I and then P.E.” Ao’nung winced. “Ah, too bad then. The art room is relatively close to where your first period was. Do you want any help?”

“I can handle myself.” She responded shortly. They walked in silence for the next minute and Ao’nung stopped in front of two big navy doors and opened them for Neteyam and Kiri. “So, basically you have to stand in line a bit and you get to choose your own food from some sort of buffet. At the end a machine will weigh your tray and based on how much stuff you put that’s how much you have to pay. It’ll be charged to your school account and you’ll pay it all off at the end of the semester basically. One point is around 2 NZD.” Kiri gave him an unimpressed look as all 3 of them went to stand in line. “That sounds more complicated than just paying straight up.” “Eh, at least it’s cheap and kinda good”

The line went by surprisingly fast and in 10 minutes the three of them were all sitting at a pretty big table. Neteyam pulled out his phone to text Lo’ak “where are you?”, though before he could he heard Ao’nung waving Tsireya over. Next to the small girl was Lo’ak and another kid. “Neteyam, Kiri, this is my cousin Rotxo! The one I told you about this morning! He’s a freshman, too!” Rotxo looked pretty similar to Tsireya and Ao’nung, despite not being one of their siblings. He had short dark brown curly hair, tanned skin and green eyes and was about Kiri and Lo’ak’s height.

Neteyam was sitting on the far left with Kiri to his right and Tsireya sitting next to her. Lo’ak was sitting in front of him, then Rotxo then Ao’nung. A conversation sparked up between Tsireya, Rotxo, Kiri and Lo’ak, Ao’nung and himself didn’t join in, except for Neteyam casually adding stuff throughout the topics he was knowledgeable on. He was surprised to see Kiri bond so well with both Rotxo and Tsireya, and it crossed his mind that they most likely were going to spend a significant amount of time next to these kids, seeing as how his two siblings were warming up to them. He suddenly wondered how Tuk was doing.

She was at the same school as them, but in the primary education unit, so Neteyam couldn’t just decide to go see how she was doing, if she was making friends. Ao’nung said he and Tsireya didn’t have any other siblings, so no one he heard of was guiding his baby sister. Neteyam picked around at his food trying to push down the worry, afterall there was nothing bad going to happen, but he got used to being able to see her always because their Nigerian school was just one big building. Tuk was a strong girl and very outgoing , there wouldn’t be any reason for her to not make friends quickly. So instead of worrying Neteyam joined in on the conversation properly.

The rest of the school day went by smoothly. During P.E., he went to check out all of the sports available in school and smiled once he saw track and archery. He signed his and Lo’ak’s names for track tryouts and only his for archery. He scanned the flyer further and saw basketball tryouts, too. He jotted down Lo’ak’s name under it, remembering how he said he wanted to try out. As he was checking out the rest of the flyer for other possible activities, he felt a looming presence over him. He looked past his shoulder only to see Ao’nung with 3 other guys that he figured were “popular”. Ao’nung grinned at Neteyam and pushed past him. “Sorry, I’m just here to write down my name for track tryouts.” He said, looking back at the guys behind him, all of them laughing like idiots. Fine, if Ao’nung was going to be petty and burst right into his business, he could do that too. “Oh, really? Because I was here to sign my name under swim tryouts.” He remembered Ao’nung mentioning he was captain, so he was about to get a whole lot more of Neteyam.

–

His last period was art, which he came to learn happily he shared with Tsireya and Rotxo, it was something truly lucky to be sharing so many classes with people he knew. When Tsireya saw him enter the classroom she almost squealed with excitement. “Ahhh! Neteyam! Come sit at our table!” Their table had one more empty spot, not next to Tsireya or Rotxo, but next to a girl, Vineya, who he later found out was a junior.

In his last high school everyone took art class just as seriously as any other course. The teacher had introduced him to the class early on and hadn’t made him come up in front of the class so Neteyam figured he was pretty laid back. He presented the assignment to the class after a brief explanation on how to draw certain perspectives. He wanted them to draw their favourite place from afar; Neteyam thought he’d sketch out the forests of Nigeria and paint it with watercolour at home so he could spend a lot of time on details. He pulled out a pencil from his case and started lightly sketching trees to figure out what he wanted to do with the piece.

He was so entangled in his piece that he only noticed Tsireya was calling his name when she reached her hand across the table to pat him gently on his forearm. “You don’t have to start now if you don’t want to, you know?” she said in a tone far from arrogant, unlike her older brother. “Mr. Anaru lets us talk since it’s our last period!” a big smile was on her face as Tsireya explained it to Neteyam. He glanced at his piece and then back at Tsireya and put his pencil down.

The week went on basically the same everyday. His parents posed him and his siblings a lot of questions about how their first days were, mostly his mother. She asked Tuk if she liked the children in her class, if everyone was being nice to her and told her that if anyone was bothering her she’d pluck their eyes out, so then their father took over. Lo’ak was the most talkative out of the three of them. He told their parents about Tsireya and Ao’nung, about his shared class with Kiri, anything and everything, which was something out of the ordinary for him.

Neteyam and his siblings got their lockers working and decorated on Tuesday. He helped Kiri bring posters she printed out to school and stayed back with her to glue them on the lockers interior. As Kiri was hanging fairy lights, she suddenly asked him something. “Hey, what’s with you and Ao’nung?” He whipped his head around. “What? What do you- what?” His words came out so fast he didn’t even register what he had said, but it certainly made Kiri burst out laughing. “You moron. He hangs behind you even though you don’t give him any attention and he has like, a bunch of other popular snobs to be around. Also, you two share weird odd looks!” Neteyam scoffed, “I could say the same about you and Rotxo. Or, even better, Lo’ak and Tsireya!”

Kiri rolled her eyes, though not annoyed. “Yeah, but me and Rotxo aren’t weird, plus I don’t even like him like that! And we don’t even talk much!” Neteyam clapped back “Hm, sure ...Lo’ak barely musters up the courage to talk to Tsireya and he’s head over heels ” Kiri rolled her eyes again, this time certainly annoyed. “I’m serious! We can both agree on Lo’ak, but you and Ao’nung… it’s different. I didn’t even know you were into guys.” Neteyam choked on his spit. Neteyam definitely didn’t like guys. Not that there was anything wrong with that, it just wasn’t like him. Even if he did, what would he tell his parents? A million other related thoughts swarmed him.

“Hey, are you okay?” His sister's hand was suddenly on his forearm. “You’ve been staring at the floor for a long time..” He hadn’t heard Kiri’s voice so gentle in a long time. “You know, it’s okay to be gay-” Neteyam interrupted her fast. “I’m not!” He raised his voice at her, not by a lot, but more assertive than his usual tone, and he regretted it instantly once he saw his sister’s upset face. He sighed. “Look, I’m sorry, I really am. I’m not into guys, okay?” He said, trying to sound reassuring, Kiri let go of him, “Okay, don’t worry.” They continued to decorate her locker in silence.

–

Ao’nung would continue to hang behind him every morning on the way to algebra II and Neteyam would make it a point to ignore him, mentioning once that he gave him his number in an effort to make him stop bothering him in person, which was sort of a lie, but Ao’nung didn’t need to know that. He actually waited for that jackass to call him, or even text. He thought, maybe he just has practice after school and he’ll text me later. He had signed up for Archery and track, but try outs were next week, so he probably just had too much time on his hands. But he never did end up texting, even when Neteyam stayed up til hours he had never before. Neteyam felt stupid for thinking Ao’nung genuinely wanted to be his friend.

On Thursday he insisted that he didn’t need anymore help navigating the school and so his time with Ao’nung was cut in half. The last thing Neteyam needed was distractions from performing his best at school and making a good impression. Lo’ak and Kiri were making friends with Ao’nung, Tsireya and Rotxo, even their other friends were warming up to his siblings, so his job was done. He could just be focused on school.

The week passed, and then tryouts came around. Neteyam made varsity archery and track, Lo’ak too, his baby bro had also made the basketball team. He had called him right after tryouts to tell him that the coach pulled him aside right after to tell him he had a guaranteed spot on the team. Lo’ak was so excited it reminded him of when they were kids; Archery worked out great for Neteyam. His mother had taught him everything she knew in Nigeria, so naturally he walked in with confidence. He made the swim team, too. But he mostly did it because he thought that he and Ao’nung were playing some sort of game, but apparently not, and he didn’t want to do swim if Ao’nung was captain. He had made the track team to annoy Neteyam, but he was sure he’d quit it, because there was no reason to do it.

But he never ended up quitting, so Neteyam just chose to stay far away from him.

The next couple of weeks went by smoothly. Everyone fell into a new rhythm, their father had stopped taking them to school since they figured out how the system in New Zealand worked, Tuk suddenly got busy too with her friends, their mother even signed her up for gymnastics. Even if he truly loved his baby sister, he could admit he felt a lot more free as she became more independent. The sadness out of their mothers eyes evaporated completely. She adored the aesthetic of the beaches in New Zealand, not as much as the forest, but enough. She spent her time gardening and making friends with the other house wives of their neighbourhood. Their father, too, had found a friend. Conveniently, it was Tonowari, Ao’nung’s father. Though, luckily, whenever he came over he didn’t bring company.

Neteyam had taken up the debate club and Kiri was taking up art. Inspired by the fact that he didn’t want to go home alone some days because their schedules didn’t match up anymore, Lo’ak took up photography, which really helped later on with Kiri’s instagram. Everything seemed perfect. Except for Ao’nung. He still wasn’t living up to his promise. And for some reason, that made Neteyam feel like a bow was going through his chest. He could still feel his presence behind him, like he was guardian Neteyam and he still sat with him with the rest of the group, but it wasn’t at all like Neteyam imagined it.

On a Friday a week later, though, he was stopped by Ao’nung on his way to P.E. “What is it?” He asked, making a point to seem annoyed, even if he really wasn’t. “Are you purposefully trying to ignore me?” Ao’nung asked, seeming to be genuinely hurt and pissed off, but Neteyam knew better than that by now. “So what about it?” Ao’nung blinked at his nonchalance. “I thought you wanted to be friends?” Neteyam squinted. “No, you wanted to be friends and assumed I wanted your attention.” He got real close to him, trying to be as assertive as he could as he was shorter than Ao’nung.

“You know, you have soo many friends. Why me?” He added onto his last words. “You really want to spend the rest of your high school days alone? You do know they say it’s your golden years” Neteyam furrowed his brows. “Ao’nung, you basically bagged me for my number-” “I didn’t beg.” He cut him off. “And you didn’t even bother to text me.” He said angrily. “Were you expecting one?” Neteyam sighed and made up his mind that he was going to leave, this conversation wasn’t going anywhere. He shoved past Ao’nung and walked a few steps before he grabbed him by both of his shoulders and turned him around.

“Okay, okay, fine, you’re right, I’m sorry.” He said, sincerely. “How about I make it up to you?” Neteyam lifted his brow slightly. “Make it up to me how?” he asked, trying to not sound as suspicious as he was. “Me, Tsireya and Rotxo usually go to this beach a little further away to surf on the weekends. Do you want to come with us?” Neteyam thought about it for a moment.”Won’t it be cold?” “It’s never cold here” Neteyam huffed. “I can’t surf.” He said bluntly. “Perfect, I’ll teach you!”

“Only if Kiri and Lo’ak can come, too.” Neteyam added.

He thought about it first, then confirmed “Yeah, they can come.”

“Who’s gonna take us?” Neteyam asked, suddenly suspicious. “I don’t know of any busses that drive near the beach”

“Well” a pause, “Rotxo is” His eyebrows shot up.

“Don’t you have to be 16?” “What, are you gonna call the cops?” Ao’nung said jokingly. “How far is the drive? About an hour, I guess you know how it is by now” Neteyam looked away and bit his lip. “Fine, I’ll ask my parents.”

There was a short moment of silence. “Why that beach specifically? There’s one near my house and it’s a mere 20 minute ride from here.” Ao’nung smirked. “Because that beach has a bar that serves minors.”

Neteyam pursed his lips. As he was about to say something, “Come on, please? Don’t you see I’m trying to sacrifice my dignity on the altar of my nonchalance for you?” Neteyam laughed. “That makes no sense!” Ao’nung winked at him. “So?” He huffed, “I’ll go. But if I get in trouble I’m saying you drugged me to go.”Ao’nung smiled and they walked to gym class together, shoulders occasionally brushing up against each other.

–

The final bell rang and he met up with Lo’ak and Kiri outside of the main entrance. Tuk always finished preschool a bit early, so their mother always picked her up and took her to gymnastics. Lo’ak had his airpods plugged in and Kiri had headphones over her ears, so the walk to the bus station was in complete silence. His own headphones had died during art and he was suddenly annoyed that Lo’ak and Kiri were listening to their own music, thinking how disconnected they were from real life. Even though he’d probably do the same if he could.

As they were getting on the bus and finding two pairs of seats facing each other, he thought maybe he should ask Lo’ak for one of his airpods, then remembered he had tried to do that once, but got his ears violated by his taste in music. The memory irritated him harder and he tapped both of them on the arm, both of them looked up at him annoyed. “What?” they said in sync, sometimes he forgot Kiri was adopted and she and Lo’ak weren’t twins, they both definitely had the same attitude. “Ao’nung invited us to go surfing with him on a beach a bit further away” Kiri and Lo’ak looked between each other. Again, exactly like twins. “Not a single one of us can surf…” Said Lo’ak, confused. “Tsireya’s gonna be there and she’s gonna teach you!” Neteyam said enthusiastically, trying to sell the idea. “Well I think it’s a learning opportunity!” He said fast, glancing at Kiri. “You’re such an idiot…” their sister said. “Rotxo will be there too!” Kiri looked to the side for a moment to think, “Fine…” she replied eventually. “Perfect!” I’ll text him right now” Kiri looked surprised. “You gave him your number?”

“Ah, well-” suddenly she started grinning widely and Neteyam looked at her confused. “Oh, nothing, nothing..” for some reason Neteyam didn’t like how she said it. “Bro, why can’t we just go to the beach by us? And how are we even gonna get there? You know mom and dad don’t take us anywhere!” He hoped Lo’ak wouldn’t ask those questions. “Well, there’s a bar on the beach that serves alcohol to minors, and Rotxo is driving.” Kiri looked like a disappointed mother. “So we’re committing two crimes in one night?” She asked with an eyebrow raised. “Dude, that’s gonna be so sick!” At least Lo’ak seemed excited. Kiri looked at the two boys in front of her. “You two are both such morons.” Neteyam grinned. “So, are you on board?” She looked away again for another moment, “Yes, I’ll go”, Kiri said defeated.

–

You [Friday - 3:44pm]
Talked to my parents and siblings, we can go.

Read: 3:44pm

Ao’nung [ 3:45]
yeah i did too
gonna pick you and your siblings up at 3 tmrw?

Read: 4:52pm

You [5:00pm]
Alright.

Read: 5:00pm

Ao’nung [5:00]
why do you speak so formally
nd why does it take you so long to reply

Read: 5:15pm

Ao’nung [5:17pm]
are you mad?

Read: 5:37pm

You [5:40pm]
→ reply “why do you speak so formally”
Why are you so clingy?

Read: 5:40pm

Ao’nung [5:40pm]
[middle finger emoji]

–

Friday passed and Saturday came along. Neteyam woke up at 9AM on the weekends naturally, but this day was different. He woke up 3 different times during the night thinking about Ao’nung. His smile was irritating, the way he did his hair was concerning, he was so tall it was genuinely ridiculous. Everything about him pissed Neteyam off more than anything ever had. If he really was this annoyed about Ao’nung, though, why did he feel this way? Why did his face go hot every time Ao’nung whispered gossip he didn’t care about? Why was he acting like he didn’t want to reply to his messages because he liked Ao’nung chasing him? Why did he feel sick with adoration whenever he saw that irritating smile? Why did he feel the need to put his hands in his hair? Why was his scent so intoxicating?

Why did he feel this way? What was this feeling?! He had never had a crush on somebody, he figured he was just too preoccupied taking care of his siblings and making sure he was overperforming in every activity that he just didn’t have time to develop crushes. It’s not like he did actually like Ao’nung, it was just he wasn’t used to seeing someone like that. It was a phase he’d get over eventually. There was no way he’d like a guy, anyway.

Neteyam decided to stop trying to fall back asleep at around 7:22AM. He got out of bed and made his way to the kitchen to grab something to eat. His pyjama pants were loosely wrapped around his hips and his shirt was riding up his stomach and he had heavier eyebags than ever. Basically, he looked like shit. Once he got down he noticed his parents cuddled up on the couch watching the morning news with Kiri sitting on the other end, it was unexpected for her to be up this early. He walked up to the couch and put his hands on the top of the backrest. His mother raised her head from his dads shoulders and smiled when she saw him. “Goodmorning, ma’teyam.” Her voice sounded warm. Over the past two weeks she seemed to have gotten used to her life by the sea.

“Kiri made breakfast, it’s on the table.” She went back to rest her head on his dads shoulder. As he went to their kitchen island and entered a different angle he saw his father was asleep. He put small portions of the different kinds of food his sister made on his plate and began eating. He pulled out his phone from his pocket to scroll through his notifications, and saw 2 texts from Ao’nung. Which he figured he’d open later. He heard loud footsteps coming down the spiral stairs. “Neteeeeyaaaammm” A sleepy voice called his name, it was Tuk. She was nearing the end of the stairs. “Come pick me uppp” she whined and he got up because he had no willpower when it came to his baby sister. He lifted her by her stomach and put her on his hip. He brought Tuk to the table and plated her food he knew she’d like.

The two ate breakfast together as the day's weather announcements played softly in the background. Once they had both finished, he cleaned both of their plates up and put them in the washing machine. Tuk ran over to their parents while Kiri and Neteyam went upstairs. “So, when are we going to the beach?” she asked casually. “3pm” Neteyam told her, voice still rough and tired. “Hm, do you want help with those eyebags?” He looked at her offended, “Are they that bad?” Kiri giggled, “Yes, they are. Come with me, we’ll get ready together!” Neteyam thought it was a little early to get started, but whatever.

Their new house was significantly better than their previous one, so each sully had their own respective bathroom. Kiri’s room went from undecorated and unfurnished to complete maximalist very fast after the move. Neteyam didn’t even have half as many decorations and clutter as Kiri, but he still hadn’t put most of it up. “Go take a shower first, then I’ll take care of your roots, you should really get rebraided soon, you know?” He rolled his eyes, “I will, I will” He listened to Kiri and got into her bathroom’s shower. “Read the labels and don’t be generous!” Neteyam laughed. “I’m not Lo’ak, I’m cultured” He shouted back.

He got out of the shower fast and used one of Kiri’s spare towels. “Kiri, can you get me a baggy t-shirt? Something thin! Also clean underwear, pants and a belt? Oh, and a swimsuit of mine! I trust that you have taste!” He shouted from her bathroom. “What am I, your maid?” Kiri replied, even though she was gonna do it. Neteyam looked throughout Kiri’s make-up and skincare and thought about how she was gonna do it today, considering it was a “special occasion”. After a couple minutes he heard the door open and close again. Neteyam opened the bathroom door slightly to poke his head and arm out. “Thanks, Kiri”

He got dressed fast and opened the door again with Kiri’s make-up bag in hand. She smiled when she saw him. Neteyam sat down next to Kiri in front of her full length mirror. “Sit in front of me and I’ll freshen up your braids, you pick out how I should do my make-up . ‘I trust that you have taste’” she said, mockingly and he laughed. She took about 30 minutes on his hair and when she was done they looked like he had them done yesterday.

Kiri sat next to him to see what he picked out. “I think you should only do a little today, since we’re going to the beach. I picked out this palate for a smoky eye, which you usually do, but I think you should use some brown. I picked out this waterproof mascara and also this red lip oil because it makes you look nice, and I want to see if you kiss Rotxo” The last part he said as a joke and he earned a swat on the arm. “Dumbass!” She said endearingly.
Neteyam remained next to her as she did her make-up, scrolling through insta. He got a notification Ao’nung_ followed you! He squinted at his phone and clicked on the account. His profile picture was a photo of him on the beach with his surf board. He zoomed in and saw his abs glistening. He immediately zoomed out. The jackass only followed 7 people, him included, while over 900 followed him. Neteyam scoffed.

Kiri looked at him weird. “What?” she asked, half curious, half annoyed. “Ao’nung just followed me on instagram.” He turned his phone around for her to see. “Why does he only follow 7 people? Asshole..” Kiri looked up at Neteyam. “Well, are you gonna follow him back?” Neteyam turned his phone back around and clicked “Follow Back” “Just did.” Kiri went back to curling her lashes in the mirror.

His phone buzzed not even 5 minutes later.

Instagram
- New messages
He swore, if this was Ao’nung, he’d kill him.

Ao [Saturday - 9:31AM]
hey
i see you online

You [9:31Am]
What?

Ao [9:32]
just wanted to see how you were

You [9:33]
I’m getting ready with Kiri.
How did you find my instagram?

Ao [9:32]
→reply “How did you find my instagram?”
i saw mighty warrior on my recommended and heard your bro call you that once
→reply “I’m getting ready with Kiri.”
this early??

You [9:35]
You’re such a stalker
I asked her the same question

Ao [9:35]
you tryna go earlier, then? both rotxo nd reya are awake

You [9:36]
I’ll go wake up Lo’ak.

Ao nicknamed you “teyam” in this direct message
Ao changed the theme to “Love”

You[9:40]
?

Ao[9:40]
i have that with all of my friends, chill

–

After another 15 minutes of debriefing his conversation with Ao’nung with Kiri, he got up to wake up Lo’ak. His bedroom was directly next to Kiri’s so it only took him a few seconds to get to the door and knock. “Lo’ak!” He shouted. No response. He opened the door softly to see him snoring peacefully covered in blankets. Light poured out of the window through the small crack of the curtains and the scene reminded Neteyam of their childhood. He used to have sleepovers with Lo’ak all the time. He wondered if this was all just a phase, if soon enough they’d be best friends again.

Neteyam shut the door behind him and sat on an empty space on Lo’ak’s bed. Kiri had helped him during fall break to set up his room. It wasn’t maximalist like Kiri, but not leaning to the blander side like Neteyam. He had a couple of posters of bands up on his wall, his desk was full of notebooks and textbooks. He had hung up his LED lights first. His room was pretty unclean, but mostly just clothes thrown around, not anything that would be considered a health code violation…

Lo’ak turned in his sleep and his bare arm came out from under the covers. The scars were fresh, not like they were made last night, but like they were still healing. Neteyam’s thumb brushed over them and Lo’ak mumbled something in his sleep. He was going to wake him now to save them an awkward moment, he thought. Neteyam shook Lo’ak hard. “Rise and shine princess!” He said, loud enough for Lo’ak to wake up. Once Lo’ak saw him standing over his bed with a large grin he groaned. “Ughhhh. Neteyam, get out!” he replied back, pulling the covers over his head. Neteyam laughed and opened the curtains wide, letting all of the light come rushing in.

When that didn’t work, Neteyam pulled the blanket off Lo'ak entirely. “Dude!” his little brother yelled. “Come on, get the hell up! Ao’nung is picking us up an hour early, he’s probably gonna get here a little earlier though. It’s a little past 10, you have 3 hours!” And with that, Neteyam walked out of Lo’ak’s room. After he closed the door, he pressed his ear against the door, making sure Lo’ak was getting ready. He left when he heard the water run.

He came back to Kiri’s room and knocked. “Come in!” he heard her say. Once she saw it was him she huffed. “Took you long enough” Neteyam looked at her confused. Kiri read the confusion off of her brother’s face and said, “It’s 10:30! It took you 30 minutes to wake him up!” Neteyam laughed, “You know how Lo’ak is. I think I only really got him up cause I reminded him we’re seeing people today.” Kiri smiled. “Come, sit down, let me put tea bags on your eyes to help with your dark circles.” Neteyam sat back on his sister's rug and let her take care of his face.

Ultimately, she ended up getting Neteyam’s skincare from his bathroom to do it for him. She put on some weird facemask, eventually the teabags, then Kiri somehow convinced him to do lipmasks, which were these huge red lips she got from their mom when she went to the mall alone. “I thought you usually did herbal treatments for your face,” he said, muffled. “Shhh!” she replied back, also muffled. “You’re not supposed to speak!” muffled, again. Out of frustration, Kiri peeled off the mask just to say what she wanted to, “And yes, you’re right, but mom thinks these are truly organic ‘cause they’re expensive, and I’m trying not to be wasteful.” Then, she put it on again.

About another 3 minutes in, someone knocked on the door and entered without either of them saying ‘Come in!’. Surprise, it was Lo’ak. Once he saw them, he bursted out laughing and took a photo. “What the hell are you two wearing?” He said, probably, because you couldn’t really tell what he was saying from how hard he was laughing. “Oh my god, I’m putting this on my story!” Neteyam and Kiri looked at each other annoyed and Kiri took the mask off of both of them and threw them in the trash. Lo’ak had resorted to grabbing the handle and his stomach. Neteyam decided to snap a picture and put it on his story, too. Just for revenge. Kiri crossed her arms and looked at him disappointed, “It’s not that funny, Lo’ak” Those words made Lo’ak stop laughing. “What did you even come in here for?” Neteyam asked, genuinely curious. “Well, first of all, Ao’nung, Tsireya and Rotxo followed me on instagram, you and Kiri, too, and I checked your account and like a lot of the popular kids Ao’nung hangs around follow you now, too.”

Neteyam frowned and opened his phone to see hundreds of notifications from instagram. He went from a humble following of 126 to 542 in just an hour and his posts jumped from 30 to hundreds of likes. He stared down at his phone in disbelief. Neteyam opened the direct message with Ao’nung.

You (‘teyam) [Saturday- 10:57AM]
Why are so many people following me?!

Then, he went to follow back his friends and some of the people that followed him to not look like Ao’nung. He went to his feed and saw that Lo’ak posted the photo he took of him and Kiri, the both of them tagged to it. He liked the post and added it to his own story. Lo’ak smiled at his phone and raised his head. “Heh, you like my story, ‘teyam?” he said in a joking manner. He looked back down to check who else had seen it. “Hey, Kiri! Why didn’t you like it? Put it on your story pleasee!” Kiri rolled her eyes and followed through. As Lo’ak was jokingly lecturing Kiri on how to be a good sister, Neteyam posted the photo of Lo’ak laughing on the floor and wrote “behind the scenes”. He made sure to tag the both of them.

Half an hour later as it was approaching 1:pm, he, Kiri and Lo’ak went down stairs to get lunch (breakfast for Lo’ak). Neteyam made him and Kiri two sandwiches each that would fill them up until dinner, and Lo’ak heated up some of the breakfast Kiri made. They ate in silence on the couch, Lo’ak and Neteyam were watching something random on the kids channel and Kiri was reading a book. Neteyam took all three of their plates to the washing machine and they remained on the couch until his phone buzzed, a notification from instagram.

Ao [1:28pm]
mb for not answering
we’ll be there at 1:50
→ reply “Why are so many people following me?!”
the ladies wanted to know where they could hit you up

Neteyam rolled his eyes at the last part.

You (‘teyam) [1:30pm]
Okay.

“Guys, Ao’nung’s gonna be here in 20, we should pack stuff for the beach” Kiri lifted her head from her book and nodded, Lo’ak the same. “Should we just put our swimsuits directly under?” Kiri asked, “Yeah, it’ll be easier that way. Bring everything you want to my room, alright, we’ll share a bag.” They both nodded and Neteyam and his siblings went upstairs to prepare.

Neteyam pulled out an old duffel bag where he’d put all of their stuff. He had already put his swimsuit on earlier in the morning, so he decided to change his jeans with jorts. All that was left was to get the other necessities. He quickly made a three person group chat with all of them to text them a list of basics they needed. He mostly sent it out for Lo’ak since he was pretty forgetful. He pulled out his beach towel, got one of his mother’s old makeup bags that he now used to store sunscreen, tanning lotion, hair ties and goggles and shoved it in the bag they’d be using to store their beach items. Then, he rummaged around through his closet to find his flip flops that he was just gonna take directly with him. He also brought a book, a floatie, his wallet and a portable charger. After a few minutes, he heard three knocks on the door. “Come in!”

Lo’ak and Kiri came in holding their stuff. Kiri brought her beach towel, she was already wearing her flip flops, goggles, a stronger sunscreen and two books to read. She organised her stuff inside of Neteyam’s duffle bag. Lo’ak only brought a towel, his goggles and flip flops. Once all of their stuff was inside, Neteyam zipped it up and brought it downstairs. Kiri was wearing short shorts with a belt made of crystals loosely hanging around her hips, a red babydoll spaghetti strap top with a design on the chest. Her arms were covered in her usual bracelets and her flip flops were red and heeled, a big red flower was on the strap of the flip flop.

Lo’ak was wearing something a lot more basic compared to their fashionable sister. A black tee with matching black jorts and a silver watch on his wrist. Neteyam had on an old, baggy white t-shirt with a print that Kiri said was “2000s coded” and that she liked it, so it probably meant it looked really nice. He had a gold infinity necklace his grandmother gifted him when he was born and he never took off since. He had sky blue jorts and black flip flops. They were talking at the entrance, waiting for Ao’nung, when they heard a loud honk. Neteyam texted in the family group chat reminding their parents where they were going and that they were staying out late. With that, Kiri grabbed her keys and they all rushed out of the door.

Outside stood Ao’nung in front of an expensive looking car. “Hey!” Lo’ak waved to him from the porch and Ao’nung looked back. His hair was in a half up half down style, he was wearing a tight, white compression shirt with 3 quarter sleeves. He was wearing jorts, but he could see his swimsuit underneath. A few movements later they were standing in front of him. Tsireya climbed out of the passenger seat and stood next to Ao’nung, her hair was tucked into a high ponytail. She was wearing a butter yellow tank top short enough to reveal her golden belly button piercing, her blue floral bikini peaking through, light blue ripped shorts and heeled yellow flip flops with a flower on the strap, similar to Kiri, but with a way taller heel, looking as good as ever.

“Hey, so, we have a little bit of a problem.” Ao’nung began saying. “We’re 6 and the car is a 5 seater, so someone is gonna have to sit in someone else’s lap.” Neteyam and his siblings looked at each other for a moment. “Well, how are we gonna do this?” Neteyam asked. Tsireya cleared her voice. “Rotxo is the only one who’s good enough at driving to take us to that beach, so he’s off the table, and me and the boys agreed it would be a little complicated for me or Kiri to sit on someone’s lap, so we’re off the table, too.” Tsireya paused, “So there’s only Lo’ak, Neteyam and my brother left.” The girl was looking at Neteyam for a long while. “Since Ao’nung is the biggest, which one of you is it gonna be?” She was still looking at him, Neteyam looked over at Ao’nung. He didn’t want his baby brother to do it, so he took the bait. “I’ll bite, it’s not a big deal.” Neteyam said. Even though this all felt a little convenient.
“Great! Here, let me help you with your bag!” Tsireya took the duffel bag excitedly out of his hands and put it in the trunk.

Ao’nung opened the door to the backseat and climbed in, Neteyam after him. He waited for him to fasten his seatbelt to position himself on his lap. Tsireya climbed in next, along with Lo’ak. Kiri went in front with Rotxo. The whole car ride was a battle to attempt to not make it all too awkward. Ao’nung had his arms wrapped around his waist. He felt the muscles on his torso press against his back, what kind of 15 year old is built like this, he thought. But maybe it was just him imagining things and overomanticising something completely normal between friends.

After another couple of minutes he forced himself to get used to the sensation and joined the conversation between the other 4 in the car. Ao’nung was still quiet beneath him, holding onto Neteyam like someone was trying to grab him. He still felt plenty awkward and was sitting stiffly in his arms, but he took a deep breath and just ignored every instinct that was shouting at him that this felt awfully intimate.

At some point Rotxo turned on music and Kiri, Tsireya and Lo’ak took turns putting songs from their playlist. He was used to Lo’ak’s preference for rap and Kiri’s for more indie songs, something he wasn’t expecting at all was Tsireya blasting hyper-pop songs that sounded like they were written based on the lives of prostitutes. Everyday this seemingly innocent girl surprised him more and more. Tsireya’s music brought the vibe all the way up and they transitioned from a blend of Kiri, Lo’ak and Tsireya to just Tsireya. Because of it, Neteyam got progressively more comfortable in Ao’nung’s arms. He shifted sideways and leaned his head on Ao’nung’s, his intoxicating scent suddenly came rushing in. Neteyam noticed he had been awfully quiet for someone so extroverted. It was definitely awkward for Neteyam at first, too, but this was normal behaviour between friends. It wouldn’t have been weird if Tsireya had sat on his lap, so why would it be awkward if he sat on Ao’nung’s?

He leaned his lips down toward Ao’nung’s ear to make sure no one could hear him talk. “Are you alright?” Ao’nung looked up at him, a flush of red painted over his face. “Yeah,” he said in a low groan like he was holding back from doing something. Neteyam smiled and turned his back towards him and held onto Rotxo’s seat. Suddenly, he felt Ao’nung press his face against Neteyam’s back and all of his friends' muscles relaxed. Suddenly, all of the tension was aired out.

–

Once they got to the beach is when the fun truly started. Neteyam unpacked their duffle bag and made sure Kiri and Lo’ak had enough sun protection. Rotxo helped him set up their spot and helped him figure out a way to stop the wind from blowing the towels away. In the end, they balled up their clothes and used them as weights for the towels. Now that they were all in their swimsuits, Ao’nung Rotxo and Tsireya went back to the car to grab their surf boards. The three Sully teens were sitting down talking when they saw their friends carrying massive boards on their backs. They jumped up to help them out; Rotxo and Tsireya accepted Kiri and Lo’ak’s help, but Ao’nung wanted to carry the boar all by himself. Show off.

“Are you sure you don’t need any help?” Neteyam asked, following Ao’nung to the water with the others trailing behind them. “I’m sure.” He insisted. “Don’t you see how we got here much faster?” Neteyam scoffed. “It’s not worth you breaking your back.”, “Trust me, my back will be completely healed once it sees you fall again and again on the board.” Neteyam squinted at Ao’nung like he wanted to kill him and that just made him laugh. He shook his head and shortly after they got to the surface the sea and sand connected.

The rest of the squad caught up to them fast and it was time for the Sully’s to learn how to ride a surf board. The Maori teens took them through a small stroll throughout the water until they were in the water at knee-high length. The three of them put their surf boards down and put a significant amount of space between each board. Neteyam, of course, went with Ao’nung. “First, try to sit on the board, and then get up” He was holding the board tight so that it wouldn’t slip under Neteyam. He sat down on the board and grabbed Ao'nung's shoulder as he tried to get up for more stability. He eventually stood on the board without Ao’nung holding it under him. “Hell yeah, I did it!” Neteyam yelled, lifting his fist into the air. He went to check on his other siblings, only to see Lo’ak soaking wet. He grinned

“What’s the matter, little brother? Can’t surf?” Lo’ak gave him the middle finger and tried to stand up again. Ao’nung smirked at him. “I think I’m rubbing off on you.” He said, his smirk still not leaving his face. Meanwhile, Kiri, who claimed to not be into sports, was incredibly athletic, so it wasn’t a big shock when she figured out how to travel small distances with the board almost immediately. “Are you ready to try travelling small distances?” Ao’nung asked in an assertive but calming tone. “Neteyam looked at him for a moment and paused, but eventually decided to go for it.”

He fell a couple of times before he got it, and of course Ao’nung was there to catch him, however in 15 minutes time he could ride small waves, which was more impressive than the baby steps Tsireya was doing with Lo’ak, but a lot more boring than the waves Kiri was already riding. Ao’nung pushed him toward a bigger wave than Neteyam was used to. “No, Ao'nung, wait!-” he was cut off by a giant wave of water shooting into him. He fell backwards and Ao’nung came down with him.

Neteyam got lost in the water but eventually got pulled up by one of Ao’nung’s strong hands. He was laughing so hard it made Neteyam forget that having salt water shoved up your nose hurts like a bitch and he started laughing, too. Kiri and Rotxo were both on the board together now, surfing like they had been doing it since they were kids. “You two look so stupid!’ She was laughing now, too. “Ah, I wish I had my camera. But don’t worry, I’ll take a bad picture of you two someday!” Neteyam and Ao’nung were about to fight back when they suddenly heard Tsireya cheer.

“Yes, Lo’ak! Good job!” She said happily. Lo’ak had been standing on the board for a few seconds now without falling off, and Tsireya even managed to push him into more shallow water without him losing his balance. Then she decided to push him towards a small wave. “Fuck yeah! Who’s boss?” Lo’ak shouted from his board. Neteyam looked over at Ao’nung who was smiling widely. “There you go! You almost don’t suck!” He shouted towards Lo’ak and it made Neteyam laugh.

Kiri and Rotxo were floating nearby, and Ao’nung got an idea. He tapped Neteyam on the shoulder. “Wanna see if we can do that, too?” He pointed towards his sister And Rotxo riding a giant wave like it was nothing. Neteyam grinned. “We can do anything!” He declared and got onto the surf board again. Ao’nung climbed after him and stood behind Neteyam, putting his hands on his shoulders after pushing them forward towards a wave. Neteyam closed his eyes and braced himself to fall into the water, but surprisingly, they rode it smoothly. Tsireya cheered for them from a few feet away and Neteyam turned his gaze to Ao’nung and smiled at him.

“There we go, mighty warrior!” Ao’nung said loud enough for the others to hear, too. He raised his hand up and Neteyam high fived him. Ao’nung’s smile was so genuine and proud, he almost forgot how awkward the first half of the car ride was. Maybe this time they could actually be friends instead of dancing around each other like ghosts. They spent another 30 minutes on the water until Kiri yelled out to Neteyam that she could feel her skin starting to burn and that she was going to take a break. Neteyam nodded towards her and turned around again to tell Ao’nung he was going with Kiri. “Aw, leaving me out here, all alone?” Neteyam smirked. “You’re not alone, you can surf with Rotxo!” He responded, fakely enthusiastic. Ao’nung’s smile dropped and it made Neteyam’s rise higher. He got off the board and left Ao’nung in the sea with Tsireya, Lo’ak and Rotxo.

He walked up to Kiri and plopped himself down onto his towel. “Do you want any help with that?” He asked her gently as he saw she was struggling to re-apply her sunscreen on herself. “Uh, yeah, can you get my back?” Neteyam nodded fast and got straight on it. He dried her back off with his t-shirt and squeezed a generous amount of cream on his palms, he rubbed them together then started rubbing sunscreen slowly. “So, are you two finally, officially friends?” Kiri asked, applying sunscreen on her face carefully so as to not ruin her light makeup. “Yeah, finally. Who would have guessed?”, he was running his palms over her shoulders now. He couldn’t see Kiri’s face, but he could sense that she had frowned.

“Um, everybody?” She said, confused, and that made Neteyam even more confused. “Ao’nung’s been trying to be your friend since the start, we all would’ve been quite surprised if he failed.” Neteyam blinked. “But, I don’t get it.. If he had been trying to be my friend…why was he acting so, I don’t know, weird?” Kiri giggled. “I think he just didn’t know how to deal with someone not gravitating towards him. You know Tsireya and Lo’ak have been helping him out, right?” This made Neteyam even more surprised. “Tsireya and Lo’ak?!” Now Kiri was laughing really hard. “Dude, you’re so oblivious. Haven’t you noticed how they’ve been cozying up to each other? Lo’ak is planning to ask her out today, you didn’t know that?” That sentence made Neteyam kind of sad in a way. “No, I guess he didn’t tell me…”

Kiri’s body was fully covered in sunscreen, so she went back to reading her book, the same one she was reading earlier that day, he noticed, and Neteyam resorted to scrolling on his phone. He turned to his side, opened instagram and clicked on Ao’nung’s account. He stared at it for a long while then looked at every single one of his 24 posts, he checked who liked them, who commented what, when they were posted, who they were with. He had a highlight of photos of himself, one with his friends/Tsireya and one with just scenery, most of the pictures in that last highlight were taken on the beach. Then he went through his following once more. He checked his friends’ accounts, he watched their highlights and looked at what Ao’nung commented, and also stalked their girlfriends accounts, he noticed most of them followed him and took it upon himself to follow them back.

He scraped through every single thing related to him on social media, even going as far to check Tsireya’s account. She had a lot more followers than the rest of them, she almost had four thousand, and only needed around 32 to follow her to get there. Neteyam sent her account to a few of his friends from Nigeria, “Go follow please!” He was still in contact with them and they talked to each other often. After, he clicked back onto her account. She had around 361 posts and figured if Ao’nung ever had a partner or something in the past, Tsireya definitely would’ve posted them and forgot to delete it. He went through each one until he found a post with her and Rotxo in the backseat of the car, Ao’nung in the driver’s seat and someone he didn’t recognise in the passenger’s seat, they were staring at each other lovingly. He clicked onto the person’s face, hoping Tsireya had tagged them in the photo, and she had! The “@” went to an account named “kingofthesevenseas”. Neteyam raised a brow. The person didn’t have any posts, so he clicked on their highlights. The person was a “he”. He didn’t know what to do with that, so he set his phone down and closed his eyes till the warm rays of the sun put him to sleep.
–

He was woken up by the sounds of faint giggling, shortly followed by the click of a camera. He thought maybe he was just imagining things, or it was two little girls from a nearby family. The clicking persisted however, and Neteyam’s brain decided to fully wake up when he thought he felt the camera getting uncomfortably closer to get a bad angle of him. He opened his eyes to see Tsireya and Kiri over him, snapping pictures with Kiri’s digital camera their parents got her for christmas 3 years ago, that thing was full to the brim with photos, so much so it was a shocker it still had memory. The sky was a darker hue blue than before, so he must’ve slept for a long time, but it was still comfortably l warm outside. His brain only was able to process what they were trying to accomplish a few moments later.

“What the hell are you two doing?” He asked groggily, sitting up from the beach towel. “I finally got my picture!” his sister responded by throwing her arms up victoriously in the air and Tsireya clapped for her. She turned to him after a few moments, “Actually, we were coming to wake you up cause we want to start getting drinks!” Neteyam rubbed his eyes, “So, what do you want?” He hadn’t ever gotten an alcoholic drink before, so he had no idea what they had, “Uh, I’ll just come with you two.” Neteyam grabbed his wallet from the shared duffel bag. She nodded and pulled him up from his position on the towel. “Come on, then!”

The three of them began their walk towards the small beach bar that sat close to its entrance. “Where are the others?” Neteyam wondered, still disoriented from his nap. “Oh, they’re all just swimming right now, we brought the boards back to the car half an hour ago!” “How long was I out for?” that made both Kiri and Tsireya chuckle. “Only an hour or so, but you seemed to be sleeping really well and thought we’d let you wake up on your own.” Neteyam nodded, he looked down at her and noticed she was fully dressed, Kiri too. Before he could ask, Tsireya answered his question. “We got dressed before we woke you up, the boys’ll get dressed too and we’ll just hang out on our towels!” Neteyam’s eyebrows raised the slightest bit from having his words predicted, he supposed Tsireya was just intuitive, like she’d apparently been with Ao’nung and Neteyam not managing to be friends.

“Speaking of them, you and Lo’ak?” Kiri smirked and a hot flush appeared on Tsireya’s face. They had already gotten to the bar, “Ah, look, we’re here,” she said eventually, laughing nervously. “We’ll get our drinks and I’ll tell you on the beach!” Kiri smirked and leaned over to Neteyam to whisper in his ear, but said it loud enough intentionally so that Tsireya would hear. Tsireya pouted and walked up to the counter. “I’ll pay for my sibling/cousin and you for yours?” Tsireya asked, turning around before she started ordering. Neteyam nodded and she turned back around. “What do you want?” Kiri hummed, looking over the menu. “I think I’ll just get a Pina Colada, you?” Neteyam turned his gaze from his sister to the menu. “Yeah, me too. Do you know what Lo’ak would want?”

“We already asked, he wants a Kiwi Mojito or some shit” Neteyam nodded amused. “Aha…” Tsireya finished ordering and got her drinks, “You guys go get whatever you want, I’ll wait here!” Kiri and Neteyam walked over to the counter and Kiri looked at him expectedly, she wasn’t too big of a fan of ordering for herself. “Good afternoon, I’ll take two Pina Coladas and one Kiwi Mojito, please” The bartender nodded and got on it. “Why are you so formal?” Kiri could barely contain herself from giggling. “Hey, at least I can actually talk to people without freezing up,” his sister rolled her eyes, “You know, for someone so high and mighty,-” she shoved her elbow into his side and he gasped then started to laugh. The bartender came back with their drinks a few moments later and Neteyam paid with his card. Kiri carried her own cocktail and Neteyam handled his and Lo’ak’s. Tsireya was waiting for them at a nearby table and his sister called her over and helped her with one of her drinks, now each carrying two.

The walk back to their spot on the beach was brief and silent, all of them choosing to listen to the low rumble of the waves crashing against the sand. They made it back in a matter of a few minutes and Lo’ak, Ao’nung and Rotxo were still swimming in the water. “Kiri, can you go get them? I’ll catch Neteyam up!” She winked at Tsireya and ran to the water. Neteyam and Tsireya placed each person’s drink on their respective towels and they sat themselves in front of each other. “Okay, so…” In the last 15 minutes she had seen Tsireya more nervous than he had for the past 6 weeks. “I basically asked him for his number on the first day,-” before Tsireya could say anything more he interrupted her. “What? When?” she giggled, “After lunch, I took him to class and before he entered the room I just blurted out that I should have his number for future reference,” she smiled and paused to look to the side a moment before continuing. “We started talking everyday and we really hit it off, I’m hoping he’ll take me on an actual date soon…” Neteyam thought about what Kiri had told him before but decided to keep silent so as to not ruin the surprise. “You two will, I’m sure of it” Neteyam said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible.

“Why were you so surprised that I got his number on the first day? Didn’t you get Ao’nung’s too?” She tilted her head confused at him. He smiled awkwardly. “Yeah, but, he just wanted to be friends,” Tsireya nodded, “hm…” she said it in a way that made Neteyam think for a second but he moved on quickly. “Whatever, he couldn’t muster the courage to message me for weeks, but I think you know something about that?” It was now Neteyam’s turn to tilt his head and Tsireya laughed. “Kiri snitched?” He smiled, “Unfortunately for you” “You know, we just wanted to help, Ao’nung isn’t really good with expressing himself, he needed us to push him.” Neteyam’s eyes were to the side, “I guess,” he turned his gaze towards Tsireya again. “You’re a good sister, really,” Tsireya smirked and examined her nails proudly in a joking manner. And it made both of them laugh. “Hey, we should hang out together sometime! Just the two of us!” Neteyam’s eyes lit up, “Yeah, sounds like a good idea” she giggled and then her expression changed like another idea came to her. “Oo, give me yours and Kiri’s numbers, we should make a groupchat, all seven of us!” Tsireya handed Neteyam her phone and sat next to him instead of in front of him. “Here, put her and your number in, if you know them by heart!” He did, so he typed both of them into Tsireya’s phone and added them as contacts. She then took the phone and made a group chat. All of their phones pinged in sync apart from Tsireya’s.

Finally after another few minutes came Kiri, Lo’ak, Ao’nung and Rotxo, completely soaked and all laughing. “What took you so long?” Tsireya called from where she was sitting. “These three are total children!” Kiri yelled which made the two of them start laughing too. Tsireya moved over to her spot again and the others sat on their respective towels. The conversation was light and fun, Neteyam got teased for sleeping so much, and soon enough everyone had finished their drinks. Rotxo said he’d go get them all another round, and then they got another one. Rotxo got tipsy and decided to stop drinking after their fourth round so he could drive them home safely, but the rest of them kept going, and after round seven they descended to shots. 2 hours had passed of them sitting on the beach talking and drinking until they were almost blackout drunk. Tsireya was holding her head in her hands. “Guuuuuys. I have a headacheeeee.” Rotxo was sitting on the towel next to Tsireya, “Rotxo, switch with me” Lo’ak mumbled almost incohesively. They switched places and Lo’ak and Tsireya got really close to each other, Tsireya being almost on top of him. Kiri had her head on Neteyam’s shoulder and was muttering random things.

“Do you…, do you guys think there’s a moon out there that could sustain life that’s like 10feet tall and blue?” Kiri asked no one, she was staring off into space with her mouth agape. For some reason, Neteyam found what Kiri said extremely hilarious and he burst out laughing, so much so he fell on his back with his sister still hanging onto him. Ao’nung was still somehow only tipsy and Rotxo had pretty much gotten over the alcohol by then, so as the only rational ones they got the rest of the group up and standing, then began packing all of their belongings for them. Tsireya and Lo’ak were still huddled up when Kiri started continuing. “Duude, I’m serious” She said with a long pause after. Neteyam thought about it for a second then reached out his pinky. “Promise?” She locked their pinkies together and continued. “Like they have tails…, these weird braids… do you think it could be like, real?” Neteyam spaced out for a moment before saying anything.. “Yeah, definitely…”

Ao’nung and Rotxo packed everyone’s bags messily and handed them to their owners, “Okay, everyone check their bags, look for your phone, keys, everything!” Neteyam, Kiri and Lo’ak checked their shared bag and everything seemed to be there. The rest of the group wasn’t missing anything either so they all made their way to the car. “Ah, guys, I don’t think it’ll be a good idea for me to sit in the back…” Neteyam said once everyone’s bag was in the trunk. “Oh, yeah, right…!” Lo’ak said, “Guys, he’s definitely gonna puke if he’s not up front. He gets carsick pretty easily, and now that he’s drunk…-” “That’s fine!” Rotxo said quickly “He can it in the passengers seat, and Tsireya will just sit on Ao’nung” Neteyam wondered why he had to sit on Ao’nung’s lap at all, then, if Tsireya could’ve done it, but he was too drunk to really care, so he climbed into the passenger seat and turned on the car’s music system so it would play Tsireya’s playlist again.

They were all singing along messily, even though no one knew the correct lyrics apart from Tsireya. Neteyam opened his window and stuck his head out to feel the air on his face. It was already close to 9PM, so the streets were empty and the beach was so remote they had to drive mostly through areas with no houses or schools or anything really. About 45 minutes in, Rotxo turned the music down. “Guys, I can’t drive anymore, I’m too tired. Can we take a break at the gas station?” Everyone agreed it was for the best and Rotxo pulled over at the nearest station in the area. Ao’nung put his palms on Rotxo’s shoulders from behind while they were all still in the car. “Hey, I’ll switch with you and drive the rest of the way.” Rotxo turned to him, “Are you sure?” Ao’nung smiled, “Yeah,”

Rotxo found a gas station and parked the car in its parking lot. “Hey, guys, can we get snacks?” Kiri asked, “Bro, you guys know what we should do?” Tsireya frowned, “What?” Lo’ak grinned and looked at them all like he had just gotten the best idea ever. “We should all convince our parents to have a sleepover!” Everyone got giddy at Lo’ak’s proposal, but when the hype died down slightly, “At who’s house though?” Rotxo asked, “Whoever’s house is the biggest!” Lo’ak responded, proud of his former idea. “Ooo, mine and Ao’nung’s definitely the biggest!” Tsireya said, clasping her hands together. “Then you text your parents and I’ll give ours a heads-up.” Neteyam said, Wait, do you mind if we stop by our house to pack a bag really quick after? He asked. “Yeah, that shouldn't be a problem,” Ao’nung replied to him. “Okay, let’s go get snacks!” Kiri exclaimed. “I’ll stay in the car, I don’t want anything” Neteyam said, “Yeah, me neither” Neteyam turned to Ao’nung who had just said those words. He thought about him and Ao’nung being together in the car and smiled, then turned his head forward again.

Rotxo, Tsireya, Kiri and Lo’ak all skittered out of the car like bugs and Ao’nung climbed into the front seat. They stayed like that for a while, in complete silence. Neteyam felt his eyes all over him, but he hadn’t bothered to look at him too until now. “Why are you staring?” Neteyam asked, leaning his head into the seat more, revealing his neck and he felt his eyes drop to it, then they came back to his own eyes. “Do you want the honest answer or the bullshit answer?” Neteyam was really drunk, so that made him laugh loudly, but Ao’nung looked serious. Endeared by Neteyam’s laugh, but still serious, “I want your complete honesty,” Neteyam said in a voice he didn’t recognise, trailing his fingers over his friend's forearm. He hadn’t noticed, but Neteyam had subconsciously leaned a little closer towards Ao’nung.

“Do you, now?” He said in a dangerously low tone, leaning in too. His eyes were a blue-ish turquoise, so vibrant against his tanned skin. There were hints of yellow near his pupil, they looked like the ocean, which was kind of ironic. His lashes were so long they brushed his cheek and met his thick eyebrows. He wondered if Ao’nung was having the same thoughts. Neteyam glanced towards his friends lips and noticed they were slightly parted, like he was in awe. Ao’nung tilted his head and leaned in a little closer. For some reason, Neteyam closed the distance between them. The kiss lasted 6 seconds, he knew because he felt too paralyzed to do anything else and just counted. Ao’nung noticed he wasn’t doing anything and pulled away slightly. “What are you doing, Ao’nung?” Neteyam asked, a whisper. He tried to lean in again, but Neteyam didn’t respond, so he pulled away with an expression akin to a kicked puppy.

“Ao’nung, you aren’t drunk” Both of their breathing was heavy now. “How do you know that?” he said, smirking, but his smile didn’t stay for long when he realized Neteyam wasn’t trying to be funny. He pulled completely away this time and turned his head to the window. “Why did you do that?” Neteyam asked again, a little more desperate. “I just thought…” Ao’nung didn’t say anything further. “I don’t know who told you what, but it wasn’t true.” He learned he couldn’t control himself while drunk and his words got a little angrier. He still wouldn’t look at Neteyam. He pressed his lips together, and looked forward, trying to forget. A few more minutes passed and they still hadn't come back to the car. Ao’nung had crossed his arms and from this angle he could tell clearly his jaw was clenched. But Neteyam wasn’t going to try to cheer him up after he mistook their friendship. He tried to convince himself it was all just a dream, that they could still be friends after this, that maybe he actually was just drunk. He felt like was completely clueless, he didn’t come equipped with instructions for how to handle a situation like this, Neteyam didn’t know anything, really. Except for one thing.

He couldn’t let the kiss actually mean anything, or else he was afraid that his whole life was wasted trying to be the perfect son, only for him to turn out this way. Queer. But he couldn’t be. He couldn’t let himself, even if he tried, even if a part of him desperately wanted to.