Ao'nung and Neteyam sat at opposite ends of the table. Neteyam was in between his parents. Jake was examining his son's face while Neytiri put a plate together for Tuk. The parents were talking amongst themselves. Kiri sat to her mother's left, across from Rotxo. She was picking at her kebab, but was yet to eat any. She had this strange look on her face, half wordy and half anger. Rotxo knew she was struggling with something. He kept trying to catch her eye, but she was staring determinedly at the table. He kicked her foot gently under the table. She glanced up at him, right into his eyes, and shook her head softly. Rotxo nodded in understanding. She didn't want to talk. That was fine. He finished his dinner in silence, eating quickly. When he was done, he took his dishes to the kitchen and started washing them in the sink. While he was there, he figured he might as well help clean Jake's grilling tools and plates.
His hands and arms were soapy when he heard soft footsteps making their way into the kitchen. "Rotxo," Kiri whispered softly. Her voice was coming from somewhere behind Rotxo's shoulder. "Hey mama," he grinned, looking over at her. His smile fell at the stricken expression on her face. "You okay?" he asked, rinsing his hands off and wiping them on his pants. She didn't respond. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders, hugging herself. "How can I help?" he whispered, gently taking a step closer. She looked up at him with wide eyes. "Advil?" he asked, remembering Neteyam discreetly slipping her tiny blue capsules on various occasions. She nodded slightly. Rotxo crossed the kitchen to Ronal's medicine cabinet. "Liquigel or regular?" he asked, shaking the two bottles. Kiri winced at the sound and pointed at the gel capsules. "Sorry," he breathed, handing her two and going to get a cup of water. By the time he turned back to her, she had swallowed them dry. He grinned at her. "Nevermind then," he murmured, dumping the water out in the sink. "I'm sorry," she whispered softly. "What? No, don't be sorry," he murmured, looking at her closely. She was blinking rapidly and her cuticles and nails had been picked until they bled. Rotxo took one of her hands gingerly, making sure she knew she could pull it away if she wanted to.
"What happened?" he whispered, examining her fingertips. She shook her head, taking a weak breath. "I was- My dad was looking at me, knowing I was lying, and I was trying so hard to keep Neteyam's- I was starting to-" Rotxo saw her shoulders begin to shake. He gently put his hand on the back of her head, drawing her in. "Is this okay?" he whispered, feeling her cheek rest on his shoulder. She nodded against him, arms folded together and pressed against his chest. He didn't care that she wasn't hugging him back. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, feeling her chest rise and fall against his. Her soft hair tickled his chin and neck. She smelled like jasmine flowers. "Hey, it's okay," he whispered, patting the back of her head softly. "I get freaked out like that, too. More than you'd think." He felt her lean her body weight against him. "I just know how important it is to Ao'nung that his father doesn't know. I almost messed everything up." Rotxo held her at arm's length, looking at her. "But you didn't. Let's go put bandaids on your fingers, okay? I think Reya has some cute ones in her bathroom." Kiri took a shaky breath and nodded.
She was sitting on the edge of Tsireya's bathtub. Rotxo had found a box of dolphin bandaids in Reya's drawers and was sitting cross legged on the floor, putting them on each of Kiri's fingers. She had calmed down and was quietly watching him, a small smile on her lips. Rotxo put the smallest one he could find on her pinkie finger, making sure not to wrap it too tight. "There," he said, leaning back and grinning up at her. The look in her eyes made his heart twist. Her eyelids were low, almost sleepy. "Thank you," she whispered, leaning forward with her hands on her knees. He nodded. Any words he had for her were frozen in his throat. She was closed now, close enough for him to smell her hair again. Sweet flowers, pretty and natural and delicate but bold all at the same time, just like her. He swallowed, blinking up at her. He found it impossible to hold her gaze. His eyes shifted to her hair, her earrings, her necklaces. "Hmm?" she asked, lifting her hand. Rotxo followed its path as her fingertips brushed his chin, pulling his gaze up to her eyes. She skimmed his face, looking closely at his eyes, his nose, his mouth. "You're welcome," he whispered, feeling his cheeks heat. "Why are you whispering?" she asked, voice gentle. Rotxo blinked. "I don't know. It feels like I should." She tilted her head to the side. "You've never- you-" his eyes darted down to her outstretched arm. "Oh," she said, pulling her hand back as if she had touched something hot. "That's not what I meant," he said hurriedly, catching her hand in his. "I didn't mean it was a bad thing." She blinked. "Really?" "No. I like you." He shook his head adamantly. She grinned, getting to her feet. He stared up at her from the floor. "I know," she said, stepping around him and fixing her necklaces in the mirror.
Rotxo scrambled to his feet after her, standing directly behind her. He could see the tops of his eyes over her head in the mirror. "You do?" he asked, looking at her reflection. "Mhm," she said, nodding. "Oh." She grinned. "Why wouldn't I?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at him. Her eyes were still as heavy and warm as they had been earlier. He blinked. "Because," he mumbled, looking away quickly. "Well, I do," she replied, a small smile on her lips. "Great," he muttered, embarrassment filling his chest. "Thank you for this," she whispered. "For the advil. And the, uh, turtles," she finished, wiggling her fingers at him. He smirked at her. "Why are you whispering?" he asked, using her words against her. She looked at him in the reflection of the mirror before turning to face him. He didn't realize how close he was standing to her until her nose was barely more than an inch away from his own. Her intense gaze slipped from his eyes down to his lips and back up. Rotxo felt his heart begin to race. She blinked softly at him. "You know why," she whispered. He could feel her breath on his lips. Her smell was intoxicating. "Kiri," he whispered softly. "See, now you're whispering," she murmured, laughing softly. Her nose wrinkled as she grinned. Rotxo felt like he was going to collapse. "Because I like you," he answered. "Because I like you and you are so, so close to me." Her eyes sparkled. "Am I? Didn't even notice," she whispered back, leaning her face ever so slightly closer. Her nose brushed his. Rotxo's heart was pounding. "Kiri," he breathed, voice so softly it was nearly inaudible. He felt her freshly bandaged fingers on his jaw. His breathing quickened. She was touching his face. Kiri's fingertips were on his face. Her thumb rested on his neck and her fingertips traced the turn of his jaw. Her eyes were so heavy and intense, pupils wide and searching. She laughed softly. "You're nervous," she whispered, putting her hand on his chest. Over his heart. His skin burned where she touched. "Why are you nervous?" She laughed softly as she kissed him. He could feel her smile against his lips.
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