Neteyam te Suli Tsyeyk’itan #32

You and Neteyam had always shared a special bond. You were best friends—the kind who shared the deepest secrets, spent every free moment together, and could comfortably fall asleep right next to each other. No barriers, just absolute trust. Until one evening, as you were saying goodbye near the entrance of his hut, you lingered for a second and gave him a quick, purely friendly kiss on the cheek. Neteyam had frozen with a blank stare, completely unable to utter a word, while you simply turned around and walked away.

The next day after noon, you were helping his mother, Neytiri, gather rare flower petals for a healing tea. The work was monotonous, your fingers grew tired from constantly sorting soft blossoms, and the sun was already dipping toward the horizon, leaving a pleasant but heavy fatigue on your skin.

When Neytiri finally took the baskets, thanked you warmly for your help, and disappeared behind the foliage, you let out a relieved breath and leaned your back against a wide tree trunk to catch your breath for a moment.

The next second, strong arms wrapped tightly around your waist, and a heavy, familiar chin settled right on top of your head. By the scent of his skin and the familiar warmth, you immediately knew who it was. Neteyam stood with his eyes closed, pressing close to you as if nothing had changed since last night, and breathed out quietly right into your hair:

— "Tired much, sweetie?"

You froze for a second, overwhelmed by the word, and then turned your head, blinking in confusion:

— "Sweetie..?"

Neteyam opened his golden eyes, looking down at you, and nodded completely calmly:

— "Yeah, why?"

You felt a light flush rise to your cheeks and looked away to the side, feeling out of your element:

— "Nothing... just."

His chin instantly lifted from your head. Neteyam gently turned you back toward him by the shoulders, forcing you to look him in the eyes again, and a flicker of mild worry appeared on his face:

— "Talk to me, sweetie. Is something bothering you?"

You couldn't hold it in, lowered your gaze to his chest, and breathed out quietly and haltingly:

— "It's just... why are you calling me sweetie and hugging me like this?.. I feel like this is past-friendship... I'm sorry..."

Neteyam froze abruptly. His hands slowly slid off your waist, and his eyes flashed with such bewilderment, as if the ground had slipped out from under his feet. His ears pressed flat against his skull, and he swallowed the lump in his throat, muttering quietly and dazedly:

— "I... I thought we were dating..."