tsireya pov
my body felt cold and sore. my mind was blank and slow to process what had happened to me. my nose twitched as i took in an unfamiliar, artificial scent. i blinked my eyes open slowly, feeling very drowsy. my heart rate began to accelerate when i realized i didn't know where i was. i noticed a figure in my peripheral view and turned my head to focus on a familiar face.
"lo'ak?" i murmured, slowly sitting up and pulling off the strange object attached to my mouth.
"tsireya!" i watched as lo'ak's face lit up, a sight that warmed my heart. "you're awake..."
to my surprise, he wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug. i blinked again and smiled, leaning my head against his neck as i hugged him back.
"uh... am i interrupting something?"
lo'ak and i scrambled away from each other when i saw norm standing behind us in the doorway. he grinned when he saw our sheepish expressions.
"i was only kidding," he joked. "how are you feeling, tsireya?"
"much better," i admitted, noticing the pain had disappeared from my head. i touched my forehead lightly.
"guys, jake is here!" i heard a voice yell from somewhere outside of the room.
all of a sudden, jake entered the room with worry written all over his face. when he saw us, his shoulders dropped in relief and he rushed up to our side.
"dad?" lo'ak's voice came out sounding small.
"lo'ak!" the father and son gave each other a tight embrace.
"i'm so glad you're safe, son," jake whispered. his eyes traveled over to me and he let go of lo'ak, approaching me slowly.
"tsireya, are you hurt?" he asked, his worried expression returning as he laid a gentle hand on my head, his eyes scanning me.
"no, i am okay now. thank you," i smiled up at him.
"dad, did mom not come with you?" lo'ak questioned.
"no, not this time. she needed to stay with your sisters," jake informed him, before turning to norm and giving him a hard pat on the back. "thanks for taking care of them, buddy."
"it was a pleasure," norm grinned as they exchanged a quick handshake. "except, i advise you to get tsireya back home as soon as possible. she is in critical condition."
jake nodded solemnly and turned to lo'ak and i.
"let's head home."
⠀───⠀ 𓇼 ⠀───⠀
author pov
the brilliant sun was setting over the ocean. colors of gold, orange, and red painted the sky and melded together on the horizon. lo'ak was sitting over the edge of the pathway that led to the surrounding marui pods. sharpening his knife with a rock, he desired to finish his task before nightfall.
a swarm of thoughts crossed his mind, as a lot had happened that day. his dad had brought his ikran and lo'ak's own with him, and it had been the first time tsireya rode on one. lo'ak was happy to share that special moment with her. he fondly remembered the loving embrace that tsireya's parents gave her when they saw her again, and the slap on the back that he received from ao'nung (he couldn't tell if it was friendly or offensive). his mother and sisters of course coddled him with affection, much to his dislike, but deep down he appreciated it. now, he was just content to be alone again by the water.
meanwhile, tsireya was walking along the pathways in search of lo'ak. she had spent the entire day in reunion with her family, but she still had something on her mind that she wanted to ask him. when she spotted lo'ak in the distance, she smiled and walked faster down the bouncy path to meet him.
"hi, lo'ak. are you busy?" the girl asked calmly. she stood over him, her head tilted as she watched him concentrate.
"hm? no, not at all," the lie slid easily off of lo'ak's lips, putting down his knife as he stared up at her with a grin.
tsireya smiled and sat down beside him, copying lo'ak's seated position by swinging her legs over the edge so that their feet would dangle over the water.
"how are you feeling?" lo'ak asked her before she could say anything, shifting over to give her some room.
"i'm doing much better," she affirmed, nodding her head slightly. "my mother said that i was having headaches because of the far distance i was from water. it is a kind of sickness that the metkayina people can contract if they are too far from the ocean."
lo'ak's eyes widened. "i never knew about that... i'm sure norm didn't either."
tsireya smiled and nodded. "it is a very rare kind. but i am grateful for his help."
lo'ak muttered in agreement and turned his gaze to the ocean, watching the water sparkle and reflect the sunset. "so, why did you come over, anyways?"
"i-i wanted to ask you something," tsireya spoke softly, looking down at her lap.
lo'ak's ears perked up, curious to know what she wanted to ask. he turned to look at her, his head slightly inclined toward her direction. "what is it? is something wrong?"
tsireya shook her head. "you know yuka, right?" she began, earning a grim nod from lo'ak.
"is she... are you two... something special?"
lo'ak felt his whole body freeze up for a quick second. then he held his hands up in defense, shaking his head quickly. "no, no, we're nothing like that," he affirmed. "yuka's just a friend. we used to be close during our childhood."
"oh, i see," tsireya nodded, folding her hands together. she stared out at the ocean, a small smile curving at the edge of her lips.
lo'ak noticed it, however, and smirked. "why do you ask?"
now it was tsireya's turn to be flustered. "n-no reason, i just noticed you two were close, and..." she stammered, making lo'ak laugh.
"don't worry, there is no one else in this world that i want to be with more than you," lo'ak murmured, touching his fingers with hers on the floor.
tsireya smiled shyly and laced their fingers together, returning his deepened eye contact. "it is the same for me, lo'ak," she whispered.
lo'ak broke away from her touch and lowered his head, staring at his lap. "it shouldn't be."
"why not?" tsireya murmured, her forehead wrinkling with concern.
"because i cause you too much pain," lo'ak responded quietly, taking a short pause before continuing. "all i've ever done is cause you trouble."
tsireya squeezed lo'ak's hand and moved closer to him, her eyes searching his. "that is not true," she said gently. "you have never caused me pain, lo'ak. you could not have known what would happen that day."
"i should've been stronger," lo'ak murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "i couldn't protect you."
"you did protect me, lo'ak," tsireya leaned forward and cupped his face with one of her hands, forcing him to meet her eyes again. "you saved my life."
lo'ak's gaze softened at her moving words. in that
moment, he wanted to kiss her so badly. instead, he slowly brought an arm around her shoulders and whispered in her ear. "and i would gladly do it again."