The car ride home from school was tense. Ao'nung was clearly upset by something. He had left their lunch table abruptly after Rotxo's outburst and hadn't come back. But, Ao was here now, driving Tsireya home. Rotxo was driving his own car back to their house. Tsireya knew that Kiri probably knew something had happened between their brothers even without being told. She knew Neteyam was certainly more open about himself in that regard, and felt none of the shame and fear that Ao'nung was clearly drowning in at this time. She glanced over at him from the passenger seat. His jaw was clenched and his hair had been tied back in a tight bun on top of his head. His eyes were squinted slightly. Tsireya opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it and turned away as his eyes began to shift towards her. He sighed. "Just say it," he groaned, rolling his eyes. "Say what?" she asked carefully. "Dude," he muttered, giving her a look. "I'm just worried for you, Ao." "Why are you worried?" "Because I know how hard it is to be so scared, all the time. Especially over something so vulnerable." Ao'nung's face dropped. "How would you know how hard it is?" he asked softly, not looking over at her. "Well, I can imagine-" "No, you can't." Tsireya closed her mouth and nodded. "Sorry," she whispered. He didn't respond.
They arrived at their house. Rotxo wasn't there yet. Ao'nung started to get out of his truck, but Tsireya stopped him. "Why are you so scared for people to know?" she asked quietly, holding onto his sleeve. He sighed and sat back down, with his legs hanging out the open door. "I mean, very few people are, you know, against that. Especially now. Especially if it was you." Ao'nung blinked. "What does that mean?" he asked, looking at her in confusion. "I mean, you're kinda- I don't think people would say anything. Especially to your face," she finished awkwardly, grinning at her own words. He snorted. "If- if people find out, it would just-" he trailed off. "I'm just not ready. I'm scared that guys on the swim team would be uncomfortable around me. I'm scared that papa will be disappointed. I mean, what if I'm wrong? What if he's just, like, nice to me, and I'm way overreacting?" Tsireya pursed her lips. "I'm just scared. I know Rotxo didn't mean to do all that today. I know that Lo'ak probably didn't think anything of it, and if he did suspect something, he probably couldn't care less." He paused, taking a deep breath. "It wouldn't make sense for someone like me to..." he gestured aimlessly in front of him. Before Reya could respond, Rotxo pulled up beside them, and any emotional progress they had made was instantly halted. Ao'nung got the rest of the way out of his truck, shouldering his backpack and waiting for Rotxo to finish parking. Once his car shut off, Ao'nung went to his door and opened it. "Oh, hey, Ao'nu-" "You can't do that shit, man." Rotxo was silent. "I mean, ever. I'm not mad or anything, I just- if someone had heard you and picked up on what you were saying, I would just be..." Ao'nung trailed off. "I'm really sorry, man," Rotxo said softly. Tsireya stayed in Ao'nung's truck, letting them finish their conversation before she walked over. "I didn't even think about it like that. Looking back, it didn't occur to me that Neteyam wouldn't tell his siblings." "I asked him not to." Rotxo hesitated. "I'm sorry. I promise something like that won't happen again." She saw Ao'nung's head bob as he nodded. "Okay. Thank you." Ao'nung stepped back and let Rotxo get out of his car. When she heard his door slam, Tsireya got up and went over to them. "Everybody okay?" she asked quietly, looking at both of them. Rotxo looked at Ao'nung for confirmation before nodding. "Yeah," Ao'nung muttered. Tsireya grinned and pushed past them, running inside to see Iolana.
Ao'nung sprinted up the stairs to his room as they entered. Rotxo and Tsireya went into the kitchen, looking for their parents. Ronal was trying to help Tonowari straighten up before the Sully's got here, but it seemed like he was not going to let her. "You can fix the pillows and make it look nice, if you want, but I'm not letting you get on a ladder to dust," he was saying as his kids walked into the kitchen. Ronal opened her mouth to argue but stopped upon hearing their footsteps. Iolana was held close to her chest by a soft, stretchy blanket. Her little head rested on Ronal's chest, right over her heart. Tsireya beamed and went over to them, pressing her nose and forehead softly to her mother's and gently cupping Iolana's head with her hand. Ronal sighed deeply, smiling. Tonowari gripped Rotxo and Ao'nung's shoulders, grinning at them. "You two are going on ladders with these," he said, brandishing two microfiber cloths. Ao'nung groaned. "Don't look at me, son. He won't let me," Ronal called, eyes twinkling. "That's probably a good idea," Rotxo murmured, smiling at Iolana. "Come say hi," Ronal whispered, beckoning both boys over.
Tsireya went up to her room as her brothers began to help straighten up downstairs. She pulled out her phone, checking to see when their guests would get here.
kiri:
(reya) do u know what time u guys are coming?
(kiri) mama is having everyone load the car rn but she hasn't gotten dressed yet LOL (kiri) probably soon. like, maybe 30 mins to an hour?
Tsireya straightened up her room while she waited. It never got very messy, but she still had a particular way she liked it to look. She straightened the shells on her shelves and dresser, making sure the best ones were visible. She made her bed neatly and arranged her pillows and stuffed animals, pausing to light a candle on her bedside table. She went into her brother's rooms and began to clean theirs as well. Ao'nung's room was pitch black with the curtains drawn. She used her phone flashlight to find her way, stumbling over shoes thrown on the floor. "Jesus christ," she mumbled, throwing back the curtains. Ao'nung was never particularly organized, especially in his room. She set his shoes on the shelves in his closet, hanging up the shirts that laid on the floor. Tsireya went to make his bed, pulling back his wrinkled comforter and tangled sheets. A small silver hair cuff was hidden within a fold of his bedsheets. She picked it up, examining it. A green leaf dangled from it, connected by a thin band of silver wire.
"What are you doing?" Tsireya dropped the cuff and whirled around. Ao'nung stood in his doorway, arms folded across his chest. "Cleaning," she said, shrugging. "Why do you have one of Neteyam's hair things?" Ao'nung's eyes widened. He blinked at her, frozen. "He gave it to me," Ao'nung muttered, looking down at the floor. "And it's called a cuff. It goes around the outside of the braid, I think." Tsireya snorted "Did he?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. Ao'nung nodded, rubbing his face to hide his smile.
the group🌺🏊🎸🎨🏄🏽♂️🥍:
(kiri)
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(kiri) On my way!
(lo'ak) "On my way!"🤓
(neteyam) I just heard a smack from their row and turned around and Lo'ak looked like he was holding back tears
————— Fun fact: the way tsireya greeted her mom is called Hongi. it's a traditional Maori greeting, meaning "shared breath", for the simultaneous breath shared between two people. Ronal isn't Maori but she's been with Tonowari for so long their cultures have blended together, especially around their kids !!! :)
