Ao'nung washed his face dry. The hot sun on his eyes had woken him up, which meant that he was starting his day finding himself closer to lunch than to breakfast.
His stomach growled in protestation, but the need to take a bath to clean himself of the thin layer of sweat covering his body was greater.
He opened the door on the side of one of his bedroom walls that took him directly to the lavatory, but when he opened it he was startled to find someone already standing by the sink.
Neteyam tore his eyes from his shaving task and looked at him through the mirror.
Ao'nung looked away and attempted to close the door, but before panic could settle and the questions arose, he reminded himself that their rooms were next to one another, and they indeed had doors that took them to a shared lavatory.
—I'll be gone in a minute.— Neteyam's voice weaseled its way through the crack of the door that Ao'nung had failed to shut.— Is it urgent?
—No.— Ao'nung shook his head despite not being seen.— I just...Do you mind if I wash my face? It won't take long.
He poked his head through and slowly made his way through, standing by the entrance as he fidgeted with the chipped wood of the frame.
He saw Neteyam nodd silently and resume to shave the difficult parts under his jaw, tilting his head as he did so.
—Usually, you don't get ready this late. Not even on weekends.— Ao'nung mumbled, standing next to him. The sound of water running filled the bathroom walls.
—When I woke up this morning everyone was gone.
—The midday mass.— He explained.—My family takes it very seriously.
—Mm, my family as well.—He sighed.
—Then why are you still here?
—Why are you still here?
—I overslept. What is your excuse?
—The loss of faith.— Ao'nung joked, earning a disbelieving glare through the mirror.—It is taking a toll on a man as devoted as me. Have some compassion.
Neteyam hummed in forced acknowledgment, dragging the blade upwards on his skin. A quiet hiss of impression left through his teeth when he caught sight of red.
—Ah...fuck.— he mumbled under his breath, leaving the blade aside.
He washed clean the last remains of shaving cream, straightening his back to try to see the cut more clearly as two of his fingers pressed against the bleeding wound.
—Let me see.— Ao'nung grabbed his face with one hand, squeezing his cheeks and forcing him to turn his head up with ease.—It's an ugly cut.
—I realize.— Neteyam grumbled, grabbing his wrist to liberate himself from his hold.
—Stay still, damn it.— Ao'nung grumbled back, though his words didn't come off as strong due to the daze he was in at the sight.
There was a weak string of blood running down from the cut sitting right under his jaw.
Neteyam's blood was dark, as dark as it could have been naturally possible.
—It just needs some pressure, hand me the towe...—His words were cut out by the big pair of hands that wrapped around his neck.
Ao'nung's thumbs lingered by the sides of it, squeezing just enough to drag a choked little gasp out of him.
Overcome by the most animalistic desire of biting and never letting go, he leaned forward and licked the dark red droplets off his skin.
YOU ARE READING
Water's Embrace || Ao'nung x Neteyam
Fanfiction"The corruption begins with the mouth, the tongue, the wanting. The first poem in the world is: 'I want to eat.'" - Where It Begins, Erica Jong.
