It was Monday morning, and Ao'nung felt ill with regret. It had been his idea. He was the one that had told Neteyam that they needed to be more careful. He was the one who had broken down in tears at the thought of Jake Sully coming home and finding Ao'nung in his son's bed. He was the one who begged Neteyam to be more discreet about this. But now, watching Neteyam focus his undivided attention on the presentation their teacher was giving, he felt nothing but regret and jealousy. The muscles in Neteyam's forearm moved beneath his skin as he wrote, like the good student he was. He had taken off his several beaded bracelets to rest his hand on the table easier. They laid in a small pile on the edge of his desk, a little collection of bright blues and reds and greens. Neteyam didn't look at him once, despite sitting to Ao'nung's right. Not even when Ao had walked in and set his bag down on the floor, loud enough to get his attention. Neteyam's eyes had remained glued to his phone the entire time. Ao'nung knew he was doing this because he asked him to. He knew it was his fault. So why was he so frustrated by how little he seemed to care? Why was he almost jealous of their teacher for getting his attention, or of his pencil for getting to sit in his hand like that? Ao'nung sighed to himself and tried to focus on his notes. "What's wrong with you?" Reya whispered, leaning over. "Shut up," Ao'nung snapped, louder than he meant to. The class turned to look at him. Ao'nung felt 20 pairs of eyes on his face. His teacher turned to face him, arms crossed across his chest "Ao'nung, is everything-" "Everything is great, Dr. Spellman," Ao'nung interrupted, smiling softly. "My sister was just..." Ao'nung trailed off, gesturing aimlessly at her. "Sorry," he added, scratching the back of his neck and ducking his head slightly. Dr. Spellman pursed his lips and continued his lecture, turning his attention back to the board. Ao'nung glared at his sister pointedly. "I didn't expect you to yell," she mouthed, brow furrowed in frustration. Ao'nung groaned and laid his head on the table, abandoning any attempt to participate in class. He heard Tsireya scoff above him and kicked at her shins under the table. She swatted at him with her hand and missed. "Guys," Neteyam whispered, voice full of exasperation. "Sorry," Ao'nung whispered, peeking up at him from where his head rested on his folded arms. Neteyam's eyes flicked abruptly back down to his paper as Ao'nung looked at him. He felt a bit nauseous at the determination in Neteyam's face, determination not to look at him.
Ao'nung discreetly scooted far enough from the edge of the table to see the seat beside him, the one Neteyam was sitting in. He was wearing black corduroy pants and his Converse with the embroidered stars. His knees bounced restlessly. His left hand was sprawled across his lap. Ao'nung counted six gold rings on Neteyam's slim fingers, one on each, with two on his thumb. His fingers twitched involuntarily as he shifted in his seat. Neteyam was wearing a blue sweater, with sleeves covering his wrists. Was he wearing bracelets on this arm, too? Were they also beaded, or did he have a gold one to match his rings? Ao'nung thought that would look nice. Very nice.
The question of if Neteyam was wearing bracelets on his left arm plagued Ao'nung for what felt like forever. In reality, it was about three minutes, but the internal debate of whether to ask him or not made the seconds drag on. He found himself wondering if he really wanted to know if Neteyam was wearing bracelets, or if he just wanted to see Neteyam's wrists. To see how delicate Neteyam's wrist looked with Ao'nung's hand around it. No one would see. They sat in the back of the classroom. He could reach over and lift Neteyam's sleeve and look. He wouldn't even touch his skin. He would just look. He was curious, that was all. There was nothing embarrassing about curiosity. If someone saw, he would just tell them that. He would tell them that he was curious.
He gingerly reached for Neteyam's wrist. Something stopped him. He pulled his hand back instantly, feeling his heart plummet. What was he doing? There was absolutely everything embarrassing about wondering what bracelets another boy was wearing. That's not normal. Normal boys don't think that. Spider has never asked him about his jewelry. Neteyam asked him about his necklace. He didn't want to be like Neteyam. He didn't want to be known for asking boys about their necklaces, or in this case bracelets. He didn't want to accept how badly he wanted to feel Neteyam's skin again. He certainly didn't want anyone else to know that. He didn't even know if he wanted Neteyam to know that. There was something pathetic in finding so much thrill in something as mundane as a wrist. He shook his head, shoving his hands under his arms to keep himself from reaching for Neteyam again.
When the period ended, Neteyam packed his stuff quickly and left before Ao'nung had the chance to try to walk with him to the library. He rushed through the halls, suddenly afraid that Neteyam wouldn't go to the library at all, that he would be that set on avoiding suspicion. He saw Neteyam's bag at his usual table, but Neteyam himself was nowhere to be found. He threw his stuff down and scanned the shelves looking for Neteyam's head. He couldn't see him.
Teyam:
(ao) where r u (ao) ??? (ao) i see ur stuff. i'll wait with it. it's not good to leave your belongings unattended.
"Dude," a familiar voice whispered. Ao'nung turned excitedly, locking eyes with Neteyam. "I just went to return my book. Are you... okay?" Neteyam's brow was furrowed but his eyes were concerned. "Yeah, of course. I just..." he trailed off. "Come with me," he said, reaching for Neteyam's hand. He jerked it away before Ao'nung could grab it. "Ao, you made me promise-" "It's okay," Ao'nung whispered. Neteyam gave him a frustrated look. "We are at school." Ao'nung grinned. "Yeah, but it's fine. No one comes in here during classes anyways." He reached once more for Neteyam's hand. He didn't pull it away. Ao'nung's fingers slipped in between Neteyam's. He stared for just a moment at how Neteyam's many rings looked wrapped around his hand. He blinked and looked away, leading Neteyam deep into the shelves. As soon as he was sure they were hidden, he slid his fingers out of Neteyam's grasp down to his sleeve. He saw confusion flit across Neteyam's face. Ao'nung had his answer before he even pushed Neteyam's sleeve back. He could feel the bracelets through the fabric. Despite this, he gently tugged Neteyam's loose sleeve down to his elbow, exposing his forearm. Ao'nung's fingers trembled as he counted his bracelets. There were 4, each with different crystal beads, varying in size and color. No gold, no metal of any kind. Shame. Neteyam cleared his throat softly. Ao'nung looked up from Neteyam's wrist, suddenly embarrassed. He had been holding Neteyam by the forearm and elbow, staring intently at his jewelry. "I, uh, wondered if you wore bracelets on both arms," he muttered lamely, dropping Neteyam's arm and straightening up. "Oh? Yeah, I do," he answered hesitantly, eyeing Ao'nung with a weird look in his eye. "That's cool," Ao'nung commented, looking away. Neteyam grinned. "Thank you," he whispered, voice soft. A silence fell.
"I guess we can go back to the table now, if you-" "No," Neteyam said suddenly, grabbing Ao'nung's upper arm. Ao'nung raised his eyebrows. "No?" he asked, looking back at Neteyam. He was smiling softly, gazing up at Ao'nung with gentle eyes. Neteyam's grip on his arm tightened. He watched Neteyam's eyes dart down to his hand and linger on the curve of Ao'nung's shoulder. When Neteyam's gaze shifted back up to Ao'nung's face, his eyes were nearly glowing. Ao'nung didn't know if he had ever seen such palpable intensity in Neteyam's eyes. He could almost taste it. "I hope we don't get caught," Neteyam whispered. Ao'nung tilted his head to the side, watching Neteyam's lips part slightly. "Doing what?" he asked, trying very hard to keep the butterflies that filled his stomach out of his voice. Neteyam grinned and pulled Ao'nung close by the arm. All he could see was the light reflecting in Neteyam's eyes like a sky full of stars. In that shared moment, in that second of suspense, Ao'nung didn't care if they were seen. He wanted everyone to know how much someone like Neteyam liked him.
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this is neteyam core especially because the middle finger ring is called an ankh and is an egyptian symbol for life
