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Mother says we look alike, b̶̶u̶̶t̶ ̶s̶̶h̶̶e̶ ̶l̶̶o̶̶o̶̶k̶̶s̶ ̶a̶̶t̶ ̶h̶̶i̶̶m̶ ̶m̶̶o̶̶r̶̶e̶. Like the sun and the moon, she used to say, though it was never clear to me which one would I be.
I remember, with great detail, childhood to be spent in a longing state to be elsewhere, but that feeling always disappeared when my brother was near.
As kids we stayed awake in the dark, whispering under the blankets and muffling laughter in pillows.
He asked me if he could tell me a secret, and I nodded; "You can tell me anything." I remember saying, and the mischievous smile on his face I will never forget.
"Faith is for fools." He confessed to me the very same night the theology teacher had stormed off the house.
I frowned and he laughed. "I have faith in a great many things."
"Nothing is worth it." He waved arrogantly like he had seen grownups doing.
"You are."
"Fool."
And maybe he was right. Faith breeds folly, and he didn't know better than to warn me properly without destroying every bit of hope.
And now I look at us and know he would act mercilessly without a doubt just to hurt me. Greediness had made us into something unsightly.
He would kill me in a heartbeat if given the opportunity, and I would forgive him a thousand times over.
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Neteyam felt bad for his brother. He did.
Always claiming to have come down with a stomach bug, or a sudden terrible headache, Lo'ak was never able to own up to his drunkenness.
He felt such pity every time he stumbled upon the figure of his lying brother. Sleeping in random places their parents couldn't see him in, always smelling like alcohol on weekend mornings, brushing everyone off with a shrug when he was shown worry.
Lo'ak was not the one to accept help unless he was asking, and he had grown to be a terrible proud man only when it came to something related to his brother.
Neteyam tried approaching many times, but his hateful glare made sure to keep him at a distance and to let him know he was aware that his father's rejection was his doing.
They spend days going back and forth. Neteyam tried to converse at the table, asking questions and making cheerful remarks like he hadn't done in a while.
His family was overjoyed. All of them were over the moon and responsive to his attempts, except for the only person he really wanted an answer from.
Lo'ak remained stoic. Indifferent to everything that happened and was said. At some point of the meal, his eyes even lost their anger, and only exhaustion remained.
He was the first one to leave the table to go find a place to smoke quietly, and Neteyam was the last one to stand up with the sole purpose of going after him.
-Did you enjoy the meal?-Neteyam smiled sheepishly, taking a place to stand next to him.-Roasted duck with oranges...Prussian recipe.
-...Wasn't too bad.-Lo'ak mumbled, taking a puff from his cigarette.
-Is your favorite nervous smile dancing on his lips.-I was thinking yesterday, and I realized that it had been a while since we last had it, so I went to Missus Geljo and I asked for it as a favor. She wasn't too pleased, but the woman working in the kitchen was seemingly overjoyed, so I-
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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.
