Chapter Text
Aonung had never cried so much in his life. Not even when he was nine and broke his arm in two places. Usually, he would be disgusted with himself, but there were so many tears at Neteyam’s funeral that he was sure no one noticed his. Now, there wasn’t even anyone else around to witness his weakness. It was just him, the sea, and Neteyam’s ghost. Or that’s what he had thought.
“You’re still here?”
Aonung turned around, startled.
Approaching him was Tsu’tey, Neteyam’s uncle. Aonung had only interacted with the man once, but the similarities between Tsu’tey and Neteyam were outstanding and easy to notice.
“I did not mean to scare you,” Tsu’tey apologized, hands raised in surrender. “May I sit with you?”
Aonung sniffed and shrugged, scooting over on the rock he was sitting upon. Tsu’tey understood his answer and waded into the water to join him. Aonung didn’t avert his stare from the place of water he’d last seen Neteyam, even while Tsu’tey climbed onto the rock and situated himself next to him.
“So tell me,” Tsu’tey started once he was settled, following Aonung’s watery gaze. “Neteyam’s departure seems to have affected you greatly. Why is this? Who was Neteyam to you, my boy?”
Aonung swallowed, reluctant to share. Simultaneously, he so desperately wanted to tell someone because no one understood how this impacted him so deeply. Here was Tsu’tey, asking. So despite Aonung’s reservations, he found himself telling.
“I loved him,” he sobbed.
The answer didn’t seem to surprise Tsu’tey in the slightest so Aonung continued.
“We started hanging out alone, away from everyone, because we bonded over the pressures of being the chief’s son. We only did it to complain to someone who would get it at first, but eventually, we were meeting up and talking about everything but the stress of our positions. I’m not really sure when it stopped being friendship.”
“Did he love you too?”
Aonung swallowed, wiping some tears away. “We spoke often of mating once we were of age. So I would hope so, yes.”
Tsu’tey nodded, looking away to give Aonung some privacy. “I figured,” he clicked his tongue.
Aonung looked over. “What?”
“I was very close to my nephew, even though we are not bound by blood. I knew Neteyam well. I could tell he was seeing someone. His mood changed. I just didn’t know it was you.”
“Did you know Neteyam liked men?”
Tsu’tey smiled. “I’ve known since he was eleven.”
Aonung was going to inquire further about how Tsu’tey felt about the relationship before something in the water caught his attention. Something floating and blue. Dark blue, with bioluminescent freckles. Aonung stood up abruptly, and Tsu’tey did the same, following his gaze to find out what had the boy so spooked.
“Neteyam?” Aonung whispered, doubting his eyes.
But when Tsu’tey gasped beside him, Aonung knew he wasn’t seeing an apparition.
“NETEYAM!”
Aonung dove into the water without hesitation, swimming as fast as he possibly could toward Neteyam. When he got there, he pulled the body into his arms, angling him face-up and out of the water.
It was indeed Neteyam. Unconscious, and still tied up in his burial garb, but breathing.
“HE’S ALIVE! GET HELP!” Aonung screamed at Tsu’tey, pulling Neteyam with him as he swam back to shore, more slowly this time with the dead weight he carried. As soon as his feet could touch the ocean floor he was moving faster, picking up Neteyam with one arm under his back and the other under his knees.
Aonung ran onto the soft sand of the shore, his clan members slowly beginning to gather at the sound of disturbance.
Aonung collapsed to his knees in the sand, holding Neteyam’s head up with one hand while the other supported his back to perform the Metkayina’s version of CPR. It took four deep breaths before Neteyam was violently coughing, and Aonung angled him to his side as he threw up seawater. When he was done, Neteyam fell unconscious again, but Aonung rested easy knowing his lungs were clear.
Tsu’tey dropped to his knees beside Aonung, who held Neteyam’s body between them, and unbound the garments holding Neteyam’s hands and feet, immediately inspecting the bullet wound that had supposedly killed him. It was still there, but it was scarred over and bruised like it had been healing for weeks.
“Oh Neteyam, Eywa has returned you to us,” Aonung whispered, rocking Neteyam back and forth.
“What is going on?” Tonowari’s voice boomed, and Aonung looked up to see him parting the crowd with his mother, sister, and the Sully family.
“Neteyam lives!” Tsu’tey exclaimed, and when Neytiri heard this and laid eyes on the body in Aonung’s arms, she let out a cry and ran the rest of the way. Despite how much it pained him to let go of Neteyam, Aonung never wanted to face the wrath of Neteyam’s mother, so as soon as she reached them, he handed her son over.
“Oh, Neteyam, Neteyam!” Neytiri cried and the rest of the family gathered around desperately. Aonung was pushed aside.
Jake ran his hands over Neteyam’s scarred entrance wound before moving him onto his side in Neytiri’s arms to check the exit wound. The exit wound reflected the entrance wound and Jake kissed his son’s head before muttering, “It’s a fucking miracle.”
Neytiri was crying and thanking the Great Mother over and over while Neteyam’s siblings swarmed.
Tuk was inconsolable, clinging to Neteyam’s limp hand, much like she had done when he had passed. Kiri gently held Neteyam’s other hand and Lo’ak stood back, staring at his brother with an expression of disbelief.
“Get him back to the hut,” Neytiri said to Jake, carefully handing Neteyam to him. “The Tsahik needs to examine him.”
So Jake stood and carried his eldest son back to their home, his family and the Metkayina’s head family on his heels. Lo’ak gave Aonung a strange look but no one else questioned him coming as the son of the Tsahik. Tsu’tey put a hand on his shoulder as the group hurried to the Sullys' abode, reassuring him he could be there.
By the time Neteyam was laid in his bed, Aonung couldn’t stand back any longer. He knelt on Neteyam’s other side, opposite Neytiri. “Is he going to be okay?” Neytiri looked at him and when they made eye contact, her eyes searched his for an answer to a question unspoken.
“Aonung, away,” Ronal demanded her son as she finally had all the supplies she’d requested.
To everyone’s surprise, Aonung threw himself over Neteyam and hissed at his own mother.
Before anyone could react, Neteyam stirred, groaning and struggling to open his eyes. One hand came to paw at Aonung’s arm which braced Aonung over top of him. “Aonung?” Neteyam murmured. Aonung’s attention was immediately on him, but Neteyam fell unconscious again as abruptly as he had stirred.
Aonung sat back to hold Neteyam’s face in his hands. “Neteyam? Neteyam!” In Aonung’s distress, he didn’t notice his father approaching him until strong arms wrapped around his waist and hoisted him away from Neteyam. Aonung kicked and hissed and did everything in his power to get back to Neteyam but he was no match for his father’s strength.
Neteyam was blocked from view by Tsu’tey as Ronal took her son’s previous position.
Tsu’tey grabbed Aonung’s face in his hands. “Calm down, boy. Neteyam needs medicinal attention, you have to let him be for a while.”
This didn’t sedate Aonung, but calmed him enough for Tonowari to half carry, half drag his son out of the pod. Tsireya followed to comfort her brother.
Neytiri and Ronal made knowing eye contact, but neither exchanged a word as Ronal worked.