umkansa - atwow highschool au

nine

lo'ak

Lo'ak was awoken by his alarm that he had made sure to set the night before. He didn't want to risk causing his siblings to be late for school again. He rubbed his eyes briefly before letting out a exhausted groan, sitting up on the side of his bed. He walked over to his closet and picked out a navy blue nike jacket and kept his black and white plaid pajama pants on. He didn't feel like putting on a proper outfit this morning. He heard a knock on his door as he put his socks on. "Yeah?" "You awake Lo'?" Kiri called from the other side of the door. "No, i'm fucking sleep talking," Lo'ak could here his sister's scoff from the other side of the door and her footsteps slowly getting quieter as she walked downstairs. Lo'ak walked out his room and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. After finishing brushing and flossing he turned the bathroom light off, and headed downstairs to the kitchen. When he approached the kitchen he spotted Kiri eating her morning bowl of captain crunch and his mother packing their lunches. "Huh? Where's Tey?" Lo'ak asked, looking around the kitchen. "He doesn't feel good," Kiri said bluntly, not making eye contact with her brother. Neteyam never really got sick, so it really worried Lo'ak when he did. He decided to go back upstairs and check on his brother. He knocked on the door softly before slowly cracking it open. When he peeked inside Neteyam was still laying in bed with his back turned to the door. "Teyam," Lo'ak whispered. No answer. "Tey, you okay?" Still no answer. Lo'ak figured he must really be ill. He made sure to close the door as quietly as possible, in an attempt to not wake up his sleeping brother. "Lo'ak! Hurry up, Rotxo should be here any minute!" Kiri shouted from downstairs. Lo'ak quickly made his way back into his room and put his nike slides on and grabbed his backpack. He then practically jumped down the stairs, grabbed his lunch and started heading out the door behind his sister. "Hey, hey, hey wait! Lo'ak, meds!" Neytiri points to two pill tablets and a glass of water sitting next to the kitchen sink. "Ughhh, fine," Lo'ak groans walking over to the sink sluggishly. He takes a deep breath and swallows down the tablets one at a time followed by various sips of water. He then opens his mouth towards his mother to prove he gulped them down. "Thank you and I love you. Have an amazing day at school bubba" Neytiri kisses his forehead and waves him goodbye. "Love you too Mama" he smiles giving her a wave back in return.

Kiri and Lo'ak took a seat on steps of the front as they waited for Rotxo to pick them up for school. "How do you think Tey got sick?" Lo'ak asked looking towards his sister. "He's not sick dumbass, he's just overwhelmed by what you said yesterday," Kiri snapped refusing to make eye contact with her brother. "Did he tell you that..?" Lo'ak asked, leaning in slightly as he was truly concerned. "Not exactly, no," she continued looking down at her book in hand. Lo'ak didn't bother to ask any further questions. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and started scrolling through his contacts.

teytey 😵‍💫

(lo'ak) hey bro, im really sorry about what i said yesterday you don't have to tell mama unless you're ready
i didn't mean to sound like i was rushing you and shit i was just genuinely curious
i won't tell her either i swear or papa
i wont tell papa either
i hope you feel better
i'm really sorry tey

A honk came from their driveway and both siblings looked up in unison. Rotxo had pulled up in their driveway with his car. Kiri nudged her brother and pointed towards Rotxo with her chin. They entered the car, Kiri in the front and Lo'ak in the back. "Hey queen, hey Lo'ak!" Rotxo smiled. "Morning Rotxo, thank you for the ride," Kiri buckled her seatbelt giving him a tone of appreciation. Lo'ak stayed silent in the backseat. He felt really bad about what he said to Neteyam. But he truly had no ill intentions behind it. Neteyam still hadn't answered any of his text so he assumed he was still asleep. At least he hoped he was, and that Neteyam wasn't giving him the silent treatment. Rotxo and Kiri conversed the whole ride to school while Lo'ak sat there staring out the window. He had tuned out his sister and Rotxo's conversation shortly after getting into the car. "...Lo'ak? Lo'ak!" he jumped out of his daze and shook his head. Kiri gave him a look. "Are you okay?" she whispered. He gave her a nod, and looked outside to see they were in the school parking lot. He let out a groan and put his backpack on, exiting the car. Rotxo waited for everyone to get out the car then locked the doors. "I'm gonna meet up with Reya and Ao'nung, you guys wanna come?" Kiri looked at her brother for confirmation and he gave her a shrug. "Okay sure," she sighed giving Rotxo a grin. The three of them walked into the building and spotted Tsireya and Ao'nung at a vending machine talking. As the approached them Tsireya threw a honeybun at Lo'ak. "Think fast!" he caught the honeybun to his chest and gave her a toothless smile. She looked at him with slightly furrowed brows then walked over towards him. She led him away from the rest of the group by the shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked, sliding her hand from his shoulder to his upper arm. "Not really, but i'll be okay," he gave her a look that he hoped would make her worry less. "What's wrong?" she questioned tilting her head slightly. "I can't tell you," his voice was quiet, almost inaudible. She just gave him a nod of understanding and brought him into a short, but very much needed, hug.

The five minute warning bell rung meaning the group had to split up soon. Lo'ak checked him phone again incase Neteyam had texted him back. Nothing. He let out a sigh and began scratching the back of his head and pacing in a circle. "Lo'ak?" Tsireya looked at the boy concerned not sure what to do. "Uh, Kiri," she tapped the girl on the shoulder and gestured to the boy walking in circles. Kiri turned around, eyes going wide after spotting her brother. "Oh, don't worry I got him," she gave a reassuring nod as she walked over to Lo'ak. She held him in place by firmly grabbing his shoulders and facing him towards her. "Hey, what's going on? It's okay, it's okay. Is it about Tey? I'm sorry about this morning, maybe Neteyam really is sick and just-" "No! No- he's not- he won't answer my text Kiri, he hates me I know it. I fucked things up again. I'm sorry. I know that- I wanted to- I said I would be better and I'm trying I just- My brain just keep spinning and-" "Lo'ak stop it! Look at me. Please breath" she whispered, still holding him by the shoulders. She looked around to see the rest of the group had already headed to class. Well, all except Tsireya. She still stood by the vending machines observing the current interaction. Kiri looked back at her brother. "Neteyam does not hate you, I can assure you that. He may be a little upset right now but he'll come around he always does," Kiri took a quick peek at the clock located on the wall. 3 minutes until class started. "Look, class starts soon so we better get going, but you can't go in there like this so I need you to take deep breaths and allow yourself to calm down," she placed a hand on his chest and one on his back. Lo'ak took 3 deep breaths before giving her a nod, signaling that he was ready to head to class. She gave him a hug, rubbing circles on his back and gestured for Tsireya to come over. They all walked to class together, Lo'ak and Tsireya hand in hand. Lo'ak felt a huge sense of relief when the warmth of the girls hand interlocked with his. He looked down at her and she gave him a small smile. He returned the smile, squeezing her hand slightly more firm making sure not to hurt her. They all made it the first period just in time before the bell rang.