𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐞 ⎮Neteyam x Aonung

nine

"Don't overdo it, do you understand?" Neteyam demanded with a strict tone swaying through his voice the second he stopped his car and pulled out the keys. The boy looked at Lo'ak in complete seriousness. "Mom thinks we're just staying at someone's house, and we need to be back by 12."

The na'vi's ears perked at the intensely loud music blasting from the house across the street. They could call themselves lucky for finding a parking spot this close.

Lo'ak already felt the excitement rushing through his veins just by looking at the empty plastic cups spread out across the yard. He hasn't been to a party for quite some time now, so this was pleasantly thrilling.
"I know, let's just go in," the younger boy exclaimed before opening the door and rushing to the other side. Lo'ak pondered fulfilling his nasty addiction while waiting for his brother by doing something he often joked about, but quickly decided against it. Neteyam should not be made aware of it.
Not yet.

Because the door was not locked, the two of them could simply slip into the vibrating home. The exact moment Neteyam stepped foot in the house, his wish that it wouldn't be that bad got crucially crushed by an immense wave of various aspects: The music, the tightness caused by the dozens of people in there, the smell. Yes, the smell was really bad. Because instead of the odor of alcohol gently tickling his nostrils, he felt as if his head had been shoved into a bucket of vodka.

Regret started to overtake his mind instantly, and the last thing he wanted to do was stay at this place any longer.

However, before he was able to change his mind and rush out again, Lo'ak had already grabbed his arm and forcefully pushed him through the crowded hallway. Despite a small cough erupting from Neteyam's throat, they eventually made it to the kitchen. Even though there were less people around, the strong odor persisted.
"Probably because of the numerous beverages and drinks on the counter.." the boy thought to himself after gazing around the room.
Suddenly, his face scrunched up in disgust when he noticed two people—one of them sitting on top of the sink—sticking their tongues into each other and making out as if this was their last day on earth.

"Come on, Neteyam," Lo'ak merely sighed, watching his brother's face fill with remorse and perplexity as he stared at them.
"Let's go get you something to drink."

"But I don't dri—"

"Alcohol-free, of course," he immediately added, a faint smirk on his face.
After Lo'ak observed the drinks, bottles, and red punch on the counter, he figured that he'd need to look somewhere else for beverages without alcohol. Not even the fridge provided anything useful for this situation.
The boy turned to his brother again. "Can you wait here for a second, Tey? I'll be right back," Lo'ak almost shouted due to the loud music in the back.
As soon as he got a nod from Neteyam, he dashed back into the throng of drunken high school kids and pushed his way through them in quest of a specific boy. Someone he shared his classes with and attended this party as well; he had a good relationship with the owner of this house.

What Lo'ak did not expect, though, was to accidentally bump into none other than the girl of his dreams herself. She turned around immediately, her expression softening as soon as she realized who stood in front of her. "Fuck, I'm so sorry!" the boy apologised urgently as he checked if some of her drink had spilled on her clothes.
She smiled, warming his heart and quickening his beats. "It's alright, nothing happened!" Tsireya chuckled slightly in response before she tucked a strand of her curly hair behind her shoulder.

"Thank Eywa," the boy muttered under his breath. He'd be so intensely embarrassed if he ruined her beautiful dress. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I'm here with my brother; he begged me to come as well."
Tsireya sipped from the cup while maintaining eye contact with the other, her attention drawn to their conversation rather than some of her friends dancing behind her back.

The two of them talked for a while more, Lo'ak unaware that time could fly by so rapidly while chatting to someone this attractive. Because after approximately 30 minutes he realized something. He realized why he'd left the kitchen in the first place.

Neteyam.

He forgot about Neteyam.

Immediately he felt panic along with a pinch of guilt rushing through his veins.
What if something happened to him?

At such gatherings, one should use extreme caution at all times. Especially in the case of Neteyam, who is attending his very first party.

"Fuck..", he suddenly whined, causing Tsireya to stop in her tracks. She looked at him confused. "What's the matter?"

"I uh, kind of forgot my brother. I'll go and look for him. Can we talk later?" the boy asked with hope glistening in his honey-coloured eyes. As soon as he had made sure that Neteyam was alright, he would definitely approach her again.

Tsireya chuckled a small "Sure!" right before watching Lo'ak run off and eventually disappear in between the crowd.

To the Sully's dismay, Neteyam was nowhere to be found by the time he arrived in the kitchen. He was aware of the fact that his brother was old enough—older than him as well—and not a child anymore, hence why he probably just wandered off out of boredom, but he just couldn't get the thought out of his head that something could've happened to him. The chance to bump into nasty and perverted people at such parties was pretty high, so he couldn't help it.

If he wanted his nerves to calm down, he needed to find his brother quickly.

With fast steps, Lo'ak dashed through the house, occasionally calling Neteyam's name but never receiving an answer.
The more time he spent looking for him, the more worry filled his aching chest. The older boy wouldn't even answer the several phone calls Lo'ak placed to him.

Just as he was about to run up the stairs, Ao'nung suddenly came turning around the corner, a calm expression on his face.
"Hey!" the sully child called out to get his full attention, to which the other simply responded with widened eyes. His lips curved into a wicked grin. "If this isn't the nerd's little brother."

Lo'ak furrowed his brows at first, but swiftly blurted out the reason he had prevented him from going somewhere. "Could you please help me find Neteyam?" he practically begged the other, his face filled with concern.

Ao'nung made a naughty laugh. "Why? Has the little nerd disappeared?"

Lo'ak felt his eyes darken and his blood begin to boil almost immediately. "Yes," he hissed angrily. "Don't be such a dick and just fucking help me!"

It didn't take long for Ao'nung to give in, a sigh departing his lips. He wanted to know where Lo'ak had already looked for him so that they might omit these places from their search and reduce it to a simpler and speedier level.
Neteyam didn't appear to be below, thus the only places he could be were the rooms upstairs, where Lo'ak had originally planned to go.

"Alright, stay here in case you missed him before; I'll be going up," Ao'nung offered, a little crease on his forehead appearing.

Nodding, Lo'ak distanced himself from the railing and hushed back into the crowd.

If something happened to Neteyam, he would never be able to forgive himself.
.
.