ohana - family

The flight to Kauai was rough for everyone for a few reasons.

The first being that Claire turned green and puked on some guy sitting next to her. The second reason is that no one could seem to sleep through the cheap flight they got due to the unwavering turbulence and uncomfortable movements. Thus Claire's motion sickness.

The third and final reason happens to be all Emerson's fault. At least that's what everyone keeps telling him as soon as they step off of the plane and onto Hawaiian soil. He, however, would like to argue that his civil attempt to have a conversation with the pilot was much needed and that the stock of soap in the plane's restroom was simply not sufficient. They insisted that this was not a problem to bring directly to the pilot but he argued that every problem must be taken to the very top in order to be efficiently carried out.

They laughed in his face and demanded that he go back to his seat immediately.

"I just need a soft bed and a pillow. That's it." Gwen mumbles as she lays her head onto Isaac's shoulder, the yellow mini van taxi they called barreling down the road as they make their way to the hotel.

Isaac pats his girlfriend's hand, "Me too, babe. Me too."

"I think you need a toothbrush too." Her head pops up immediately, her eyes narrowed angrily at Alex, "Just saying." He mumbles tiredly, not seeming too effected by her reaction.

"I think we all do, Gwen. Don't let him get to you." Isaac reassures her, sending a 'what the heck man' expression in his brother's direction.

"I'm just glad we finally made it here." Claire holds her hand against her stomach, her face still holding a pale hue and her forehead coated slightly with sweat.

Rhyme's hand is reached over and gently placed on her shoulder, his blue eyes smiling at her reassuringly. "As soon as we make it to the hotel, I'll go on a search to find some ginger ale, okay?"

"Thanks, Rhyme." She winces, sending him a grateful smile before closing her eyes and breathing heavily out of her mouth and back in through her nose.

Emerson used to watch her do this on the bus rides home from school when the roads got too bumpy and the small space got too hot for her to bear. He used to pack a small bottle of soda in his backpack just in case she started to feel nauseous. A small smile appears on his lips at the memory.

"You'll be fine." Alex waves off her illness, staring out the window, "I can't believe we're finally here." He breathes as his head angles up slightly to find the tops of the palm trees.

"It's been a long time coming." Rhyme agrees with a large grin before nodding once at Emerson,  "Hey, by the way man, I wanted to say I'm happy you decided to come. I was worried the flight might be too much for you."

Emerson's heart clenches slightly at the memory of even being on that disgusting bacteria filled plane with crying children and coughing adults. "Yeah well...nothing I can't handle I suppose."

"Well I hope you have the same attitude towards everything on our itinerary." Alex winks back at him, his brows furrowing.

"We have an itinerary?" He asks everyone, still feeling completely unsure of what the plan is exactly, "I thought we were just going to come and sort of...wing it." Emerson cringes at the idea of a disorganized schedule but the last thing he expected was for Alex to have a game plan or to think ahead in any way, shape, or form.

"What are we, amateurs?" Isaac nudges him, Gwen now snoozing away on his shoulder, "We booked a tour guide." He winks, clearly feeling very accomplished.

Emerson blinks at this, feeling slightly caught off guard by his friends' thorough planning. "What kind of tour guide?" He inquires, now curious.

"Just someone to show us around Kauai and help us get the most out of this trip. We told you this means a lot to us." Isaac chuckles, adjusting his girlfriend's head so it doesn't fall off of his shoulder completely.

"You sure did." He presses his lips together as he nods, keeping his knees together in the tight space he sits in, flattening the top of his hair down smoothly.

I ❝ mister blue sky, please tell us why you had to hide away for so long. ❞ I

"This has to be some sort of mistake." Rhyme argues with the tall angry looking man behind the front desk, "We booked two conjoined rooms, I'm completely certain."

"Well I apologize on behalf of whatever idiot must have screwed up your reservation but there's simply nothing I can do." The man whose name tag reads: Harold, says with an upturned nose.

Rhyme's sweet nature simply won't allow him to return any negative energy therefore all the man receives in return for his attitude is another kind smile as he asks, "Well can I ask if there will be any openings for two conjoined rooms any time soon?"

Harold looks at everyone in the young group, each of them tiredly slouching against the counter, bags underneath every eye, before sighing and typing something into the computer. A few seconds later he looks back up at Rhyme with a tense smile, "You're in luck, there's been a cancellation. There will be two conjoined rooms available tomorrow morning. I'm afraid you'll only have one room for tonight but we will do our best to accommodate you in any way we can until then."

Emerson looks around at his friends, all of them coming to a reluctant agreement. "We'll take it." He agrees for everyone, taking the single key when it slides across the desktop. "Thank you." His smile isn't quite as kind at Rhyme's.

"My pleasure. Please, enjoy your stay."

"I'll enjoy punching you in the throat, douchebag." Gwen mumbles under her breath, earning a light smack on the arm from Claire as they walk to the elevator with their bags in tow.

As soon as the doors are closed, Emerson begins to feel claustrophobic being in there with five other people plus their bags. Closing his eyes, he breathes in deeply and tries to imagine himself in a much wider space until the doors open and he's able to rush out, the wheels of his suitcase rolling loudly behind him on the hard wood floors.

"I call the bed." Alex smiles smugly at his friends as he walks backwards down the hall, earning arguments from everyone in the group. Emerson tunes this out, checking his watch for the time and trying to figure out how many hours of sleep he will need in order to maintain a regular sleeping schedule.

"Don't you think us girls should get the bed, Em?" Claire asks Emerson with her wide brown eyes as he gently sets his belongings in the corner of the room where he hopes they will say nice and safe.

"Um..." he hums, looking up at the rest of the group, all of their eyes locked on him as they await his opinion.

"What I think is that, since women's equality is such a big deal these days, you should all be treated like men and be put on the floor. Yeah?" Alex's body bounces on the soft surface of the mattress as he leans onto it, placing his hands behind his head as he closes his eyes.

Emerson watches as Claire marches over to him and smacks his thigh, earning a loud grunt from Alex, "You using our independence against us isn't going to work. We still get the privileges of being respected, Alex."

"Well you can respect me by shutting up." He shoots back at her, earning a harsh glare from both of the girls.

"What he..." Rhyme jumps in between the two of them, "means to say is that maybe we should all figure out a fair way to determine who sleeps on the bed and who takes the pull out couch and floor. We could...draw our options out of a hat? Emerson, do you have a piece of paper and a pen?" He asks him, pulling his own baseball cap off to reveal his thick red hair.

Emerson blinks, feeling lost in the sea of immediate interaction and quick remarks, "Of course I do." He mumbles, walking over to his carry on and unzipping it, carefully opening it and reaching into one of its pockets.

"Holy crap, Frat Boy." Alex exclaims from the bed, "Your suitcase looks like a Lunchable."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Emerson mutters before zipping the case and handing it to his friend. "I have scissors too if you'd like to borrow them." He offers, earning a chuckle.

"It's fine, I'll just tear it...and also not ask how you managed to get them through security." Rhyme raises a brow.

A few minutes and pieces of folded paper later, everyone has come to terms with the sleeping arrangements. Claire and Gwen on the pull out couch, Isaac and Rhyme on the bed, Alex and Emerson on the floor.

With dinner time being in about an hour, everyone agrees that a nap is much needed. So despite Alex's snoring, as soon as Emerson's head hits the pillow, he's out.

I ❝ don't worry, be happy. ❞ I

Hawaii is exactly as Emerson expected. Hot, humid, bright, and sandy. Sand everywhere.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Claire asks him as she holds onto his arm for balance support, her wedged heels hitting the paved sidewalk with a thud accompanying each step.

Emerson takes another look at the clear blue skies, the light dimming slightly as the evening marches on. Looking out into the distance as the mountains touch the clouds he replies, "Yeah I suppose it is. If you can look past the unbearable humidity." His fingers pull at the collar of his button down shirt.

"Well it's not for everyone but, personally, I enjoy it. I feel like I can even breathe better here." She breathes deeply with a content smile before letting go of his arm and hurrying to catch up with Gwen.

"That's not scientifically true!" He hollers after her before sighing and shoving his hands into his pockets, kicking a pebble with his loafer, "People with asthma or respiratory issues may even fine it harder to breathe." He mumbles to himself seeing as no one seems to want to listen to his negativity.

"Come on, guys! The restaurant should be right around the corner!" Rhyme holds up his phone, a display of Google Maps on the surface.

"I'm starving." Gwen grumbles, grabbing Isaac's hand. Emerson's eyes follow the movement before looking away and staring out at the busy street. "I hope they have french fries because I have a hankering for them."

"I'm sure they will, Gwen." Isaac's kisses the top or their head just as Claire looks back at Emerson and sticks her index finger into her mouth, feigning a gagging motion. Emerson laughs in response, choosing not to mention to her that she indeed has thrown up only a few hours ago and the movement could also be used to mock herself.

Emerson's first impression of the small food establishment is the overwhelming scent of grilled salmon and shrimp. Emerson despises salmon.

"Is this okay?" Claire knows this.

Emerson shrugs, unbuttoning the sleeves of his shirt as the heat becomes even more so unbearable. He can't imagine the extent of the temperature in the heat of the day, "As long as I don't have to eat it, I'm fine."

"Alright." She smiles, helping him evenly roll up his sleeves, "You look nice." Her usual compliment brings a smile to Emerson's face.

"Thanks, Claire. You too."

"Let's eat!" Alex rubs his hands together as he passes the two of them, licking his lips. "I'm gonna order a huge plate of salmon." His winks is directed towards Emerson.

"You're such a - "

"Hi! Party of six?" A pretty waitress with tousling dark hair and large hazel eyes stands before them with her hands folded in front.

"Yes, that's us." Rhyme grins at her, speaking for the group.

Her lips pull into a professional smile, "Come with me please."

"She's pretty." Gwen nudges Rhyme with a smirk and he rolls his eyes in reply.

"Forget it, Gwen."

"Worth a try." She laughs mischievously.

As soon as everyone is seated, Emerson orders a large glass of water, feeling parched from the walk there. Why Claire insisted on walking is evident; to save money. Yet he can't bring himself to find it worth the exercise. He's never been one to be very active.

"So who's excited for our hike tomorrow?" Isaac grins, looking around the table.

The water Emerson chokes on comes out of his nose painfully, his hands reaching for a napkin as Claire pats him on the back with concern, "Emerson? Are you okay?" She chuckles, pulling her hand away.

He nods wordlessly as he catches his breath, "I'm...fine. Did you say hiking?"

Rhyme looks at him with a disbelieving laugh, "Uh...yeah. It's our first activity on the agenda. It'll be fun." He grins, taking a sip of his soda.

"Fun isn't exactly what comes to mind when I think of climbing up a mountain feeling dehydrated while breathing heavily for hours on end." Emerson replies dryly.

"Lighten up." Alex nudges him, "Just suck it up and maybe you'll have a good time."

"I highly doubt it." He mumbles.

✭✭✭

Aloha, ohana! I apologize if any reader at any point happens to be Hawaiian and I portray anything completely wrong. Hawaii is a beautiful place and so are its residents and I have mad respect for you.