the delicate balance (of me and you) | tsireya x y/n

Happiness (chapter eleven)

You didn't sleep at all last night; you lay awake, staring at the patterns on the woven ceiling, reaching up to trace them in the air. At some point, you snuck out to return to the cliff, because what else could you do? Eventually, you fell into a light dream-like doze, where you tossed and turned for the rest of the night. When you woke up, your first thought was, I have to talk to Tsireya. And so, now you're standing here outside Tsireya's hut, where her entire family is sleeping. 'Shit,' you mutter. What am I thinking? She made it clear she doesn't want to, or can't, talk to me. But instead of turning around and leaving (which would be the logical thing to do) you peek inside, and see Tsireya lying asleep, her hair tussled, breathing lightly.

You take a deep breath. I'm going to regret this, you think, as you step inside the hut quietly. You tiptoe towards Tsireya slowly. You step over Tonowari, who's snoring, his arms wrapped around Ronal. You walk past Aonung softly, who's also snoring. You hold back a giggle. I'm going to tell Neteyam, you think. You know he broke things off with Aonung after the fight, and you're definitely on his side, not Aonung's. Finally, you reach Tsireya, having successfully made it past everyone else. You look down at her, her face soft and unworried as she sleeps. You feel guilty, but you lean down and whisper in her ear; 'Reya, wake up.' She starts, and opens her eyes. You see her eyes widen in shock when she sees you, and you signal to the door. She nods, and presses her finger against her lips as she slowly gets up.

Once you're both out of the hut and a safe distance away, she hisses, 'what are you doing, y/n? I told you, I can't see you.' 'But why?' you ask, and this time she doesn't break eye contact. 'I - had a fight with my mother,' she mutters. 'Over what?' you question. She sighs. 'I tried to convince her to change her mind about you, and I told her that you were just defending the others. But she thinks that all of you are a bad influence on me, and she threatened to ship me off to another clan to be mated, where I would then live the rest of my life. Without you,' she finishes, tears forming in her eyes. 'Reya,' you murmur, shocked that Ronal would do such a thing. 'And I love you, y/n, and I'd rather wait until she changes her mind than have to live without you,' she whispers lightly. 'Wait,' you say breathily. 'You love me?' She smiles through her tears. 'Yes, y/n. I love you.' 'I love you too, Reya,' you say softly, smiling. And her eyes sparkle, and she pulls you in, and you're kissing out in the open where anyone could see you.

And the sun is rising, and casting a pink glow over the both of you, as you hold Tsireya close, your forehead pressed against hers. Tsireya murmurs, 'I love you, y/n,' and you grin, telling her again, 'I love you, Tsireya.' You lean in gently, holding the side of her face lightly as you kiss her. She clasps her hands around your back, holding you close to her. 'I missed you,' she sighs against your lips. You grin. 'I missed you more.' 'Look, fuck it,' Tsireya says suddenly, pulling away from you slightly as she looks into your eyes. 'I don't care if I disappoint my family. I would fight tooth and nail before being shipped off to some other clan. My mother can fucking live with me spending time with you,' she says loudly. Your eyes widen slightly, and you grin. 'Okay then,' you say gently, pushing her hair back from her face. Finally, you know that everything is going to be okay.

* * *

Ronal paces back and forth as you stand next to your father. Tsireya is standing next to you, and you flash her the tiniest smile as Ronal turns away. Tonowari is standing back, observing the situation with a slightly concerned look on his face. You have to hold back a giggle. He's the clan chief but he really doesn't act like it sometimes, you think. Suddenly, your attention snaps back to Ronal as she hisses, 'so you disobeyed my direct order, Tsireya. Is that correct?' Tsireya hangs her head, looking at the ground. 'Yes, mother.' 'And you come to me to what, ask me to change my mind?' Ronal says incredulously. She looks around to see if anyone's on her side, but everyone (even Tonowari) avoids her eyes. She huffs. 'I see I'm outnumbered here. Fine, you and y/n may be friends again. But if I hear of one more outburst from y/n...' she trails off, glaring at you threateningly. 'Yes, mother,' Tsireya says, overjoyed. 'Thank you!' 'Now, get out of my sight,' she says, clearly disgusted. 

Tsireya grins at you, grabbing your hand and pulling you out of the door. Your father follows behind slowly. As soon as everyone's out of the hut, you hear Ronal say, 'Tonowari...' loudly. Tsireya rolls her eyes at their muffled fighting, and says, 'come on.' You yell, 'see you later, dad,' over your shoulder as you run after her. He smiles gently as you leave him behind. You know he probably wishes that you spent more time with him, and you feel guilty for a second, but when you see Tsireya's smile and hear her laugh you forget about it. 'Let's go to the cliff!' Tsireya yells, and you shush her. 'No one knows about that spot except Kiri, remember? I don't want it to get found out,' you say. Tsireya looks at you, curious. 'Why does Kiri know about it?' 'Uh, no reason,' you mutter, embarrassed. She shrugs, and wraps her arm around you. You rest your head on her shoulder, and you walk along the beach together. After what feels like years, but was only a few days, you can finally spend time together again.