Neteyam wasn't awake yet. This was red flag number one. Neteyam had always been a morning person, and had always beat Lo'ak downstairs to breakfast. Today, he was the only one still asleep. Their father had already left for work. Tuk and Neytiri were watching one of Tuk's shows in the living room. Kiri and Lo'ak lingered in the kitchen, an unspoken question floating in between them. "Where's Neteyam?" Lo'ak asked finally. She blinked and glared at him, taking a sip of her coffee. "He is in his room. Asleep." Lo'ak scoffed. "No way he's still asleep. It's, like, eleven. Neteyam hasn't slept that late since I've been alive." She didn't say anything. "Well, I'm going to go check on him. It's worrying me." Kiri's eyes burned. "No. Don't you dare," she warned, setting her mug down on the counter and folding her arms across her chest. Lo'ak eyed her. "You're weird, bro," he muttered, turning and heading down the hall to Neteyam's room. "Lo- Lo'ak, no!" Kiri hissed, reaching for his arm. He twisted out of her reach and slapped her hand away. "What is wrong with you?" Lo'ak demanded, glaring at her. "You can't go in his room," she whispered, staring pointedly at him. "What? Yes I can," he argued. "No, you can't." "I don't care." She groaned loudly. "What's going on in there?" Neytiri called, voice echoing from the couch. "Nothing!" They shouted in unison, both craning their necks to see if she was approaching. Kiri glared at him, blinking hard. Lo'ak suddenly made a break for it, sprinting down the hall to Neteyam's room. "LO'AK," she shouted, chasing after him.
Neteyam's door was locked. "See? You can't even get in," Kiri said smugly. Lo'ak rolled his eyes. "Oh, please," he grumbled, going into his room and returning with a small metal key. Kiri blinked at him. "Universal," he grinned. "Unlocks every bedroom." Kiri glanced at him in disbelief. "I'm telling mom," she said, crossing her arms across her chest. "No you're not, you'd have to explain why we needed it then," Lo'ak chimed, quietly unlocking Neteyam's door. "Give that to me when you're done," Kiri muttered. "No. Why would I do that?" "Because you are the last sibling I want to have free access to my bedroom, Lo'ak." He rolled his eyes. "Whatever." Kiri grabbed his shoulder. "You really should just respect it and not go in there," she pleaded. "Respect what? He's my brother. And, I'm actually worried. He hasn't slept this long ever. He could be dead." He opened the door slowly. The room was dark. The soft hum of the ceiling fan was the only sound, apart from the sound of Neteyam breathing. Kiri poked her head around his shoulder. "See? He's just sleeping. Let's go," she said, tugging him by the arm. He shook her off and approached Neteyam's bed slowly. "Oh, for fuck's sake," Kiri hissed, teeth gritted. Neteyam always slept flat on his back with his arms spread above his head. Lo'ak had heard enough panicked screams coming from his brother's room because his arms fell asleep overnight to know that. But, this time, Neteyam's back was to the door. He was on his side, hunched over something. Lo'ak tapped his shoulder gently.
Neteyam flinched instantly, turning abruptly towards his brother. Lo'ak jumped backwards in surprise. The force of Neteyam's flinch and his proximity to the edge of his bed caused him to lose his balance. Neteyam grunted in alarm, arms swiveling to try to right himself. Lo'ak lurched forward to help him, but Neteyam's shoulder and hip slammed into the wooden floor before he got there. The thud rattled the items on Neteyam's shelves. "Shit," he groaned, flopping onto his back and gingerly touching his bruised nose. "Everyone okay?" Neytiri called, voice distant. "Yes, ma'am," Kiri and Neteyam called. Something caught Lo'ak's eye before he could respond. The blankets on Neteyam's bed had been partially pulled back. He looked over, seeing a single lock of dark hair resting on Neteyam's pillow. His eyes shifted down the bed, suddenly aware of the large mass that he hadn't noticed, due to the darkness of Neteyam's room. He reached for the blanket, but Kiri's voice stopped him. "Lo'ak," she breathed, shaking her head rapidly. "No way," Lo'ak whispered, eyes darting between his brother and his brother's bed. Neteyam's face froze in an expression of fear. "Is that-" Neteyam nodded. "No. You're lying, there's no way-" "Lo'ak," Neteyam began, blinking rapidly. "There's no way he's- Neteyam, you gotta be shitting me," Lo'ak interrupted, holding his hands up. Neteyam's mouth opened and closed as he tried to come up with a response. "Why don't we ask him?" Kiri asked, crossing the room. She flung Neteyam's blankets back. Ao'nung inhaled sharply, flinching as the cold air hit his face. He was still in his jeans from the day before, but his shirt was missing. Neteyam blinked. His hair was a mess. "Good morning, princess," Kiri said teasingly, looking down on him. Ao'nung rubbed his face with both hands and groaned. He opened his eyes and froze, staring into Kiri's face. His mouth slowly opened and he looked around rapidly, starting to get his bearings. Ao'nung sat up, narrowly avoiding head-butting Kiri.
"Oh, my god," he whispered, eyes widening. Neteyam got to his feet slowly, hovering behind Lo'ak. Ao'nung's hands went to his mouth as he laughed nervously. He frowned and patted his chest, looking down at himself and then back up at Neteyam in fear. "Where's my shirt?" he asked, face reddening. Kiri scoffed, turning away to hide her laugh. Lo'ak turned to look at his brother. Neteyam was visibly grief stricken with embarrassment. "You, uh," he cleared his throat. "You took it off. Said you were too warm." Neteyam picked it up from the floor where it had been tossed. He handed it to Ao'nung gingerly, dropping it on the bed. Lo'ak snatched it up. "It's a cotton t-shirt. It's thin. How was this too warm?" The room was silent as 3 heads turned to glare at him. "I'm just wondering," he grumbled, balling it up and throwing it at Ao'nung's face. He caught it, holding it in his lap with both hands. He was staring down at it, picking at a loose thread.
Lo'ak felt someone's hand close around the back of his neck. He turned to see Kiri, brows furrowed in frustration. "We are leaving now," she said, voice quiet but filled with white-hot determination. Lo'ak knew better than to try to argue. He nodded, letting her tug him out of the room. He shoved her hand off at the doorway, glancing over his shoulder. Neteyam was standing, with his legs a few inches away from Ao'nung's propped-up knees. Neteyam was rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, looking down at Ao'nung with a small smile on his lips. Ao'nung was looking up at him with wide, scared eyes. He was whispering something. Lo'ak felt Kiri's angry stare and left, shutting and locking the door behind him.
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