{ x }
"Wait -- wait, okay, what's that one, then?"
A low sigh mingled in with the cricket chirps that filled the flower-filled field behind the Silva plantation and, for a moment, she swore she was going to strangle him before he even left. Her head, cushioned by one of her arms, tilted to the side to view the young Daen with equal parts annoyance and fondness.
"I just told you… That one is Oxoron."
"No, I thought you said the one over there was Oxoron!"
The Daen boy's arm flailed for a moment and pointed in the opposite direction that her own was pointed, which garnered another exasperated sigh from the Sihai.
"I swear to the Stars, why do I bother with you?"
"Because I leave for the academy tomorrow and you're going to miss me."
"That's debatable, Silva."
"You say that a lot, but every time you say it, it means I'm right."
She paused for a moment, silver eyes narrowing when the Silva's head swiveled and their eyes met. Silver and emerald were always a pleasant colour combination, she thought. They stared at one another for a while, letting the symphony of crickets and distant sound of waves crashing against the shore fill the silence between them. She had no retort, no smart ass remark.
The companionable silence was broken by a chuckle and, for a moment, the Sihai almost looked offended that he might be laughing at her.
"What?" she snapped, brows knitting together as her temper rose much like the swells in the ocean just a stone throw away from where they lay beneath the blanket of stars. Her attention drifted back to the inky, eternal blackness overhead and inhaled, reveling in the salty-sweet breeze that rushed through the field.
"Nothing, Moji."
"I hate you."
"No you don't."
"I should."
"I don't know why you hate that nickname so much. It's more fun to say than Haku."
"Your siblings having fat tongues has landed me with an awful nickname is why."
"Mooooojiiiiiiiiiiiii," the Daen sing-songed out.
"Stop."
"Moooojiiiiiii," he tried again.
"I'm going to kill you."
"Moji," softer this time, less teasing.
The tone gave her pause and she turned back to him, rolling onto her side in the same movement. She found him staring at her with an expression she can't recall she's ever seen him wear before. When he rolled onto his side to mimic her position, her confusion only mounted higher.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Why was she speaking so quietly?
"Like what?"
Why was the corner of his lip curling up into a smirk that made her want to shove a fistful of flowers into his face?
She exhaled again, a low, suffering sigh that cut short when he chuckled again. The Sihai stared at him and silver settled against emerald all over again -- not for the first time that night, she thought green and silver looked good together.
Neither of them moved, simply observing one another with hesitant breaths and nervous bouts of laughter that neither of them could really explain.
He made the first move after what felt like an eternity hung on a string in the space between them. He reached out and brushed his fingers across her cheek as he tucked stray strands of hair behind her ear. Much to the surprise of the both of them, her head tilted slightly into his hand and her eyes fluttered closed.
Drawing in a breath, as if she were preparing to say something, the Sihai suddenly found the Daen boy's lips slanting against hers in a clumsy, slightly off-center kiss. She froze, eyes flying wide open to stare at his decidedly screwed shut eyelids.
His expression was something between a grimace and a flinch, as one would expect from someone preparing to be socked right in the lip and, when he finally leaned back, she couldn't help but burst into laughter despite her shock. His face flooded red at her outburst - and then it was his turn to look offended and confused.
"Why are you laughing? That was my first kiss!"
"B-because-- haha-- oh Stars-- Mateo, you looked like I was gonna sock you in the lip!"
"Well! Was I wrong to be prepared?!"
Peals of laughter persisted from the young Sihai as she rolled onto her back, clutching her stomach and kicking her feet into the dirt, to which the young Daen offered up a haughty pout.
"Stop laughing!"
Despite the embarrassment, even a small smile began to form on the young boy's features as he watched her cackle and wheeze.
It took some time before she finally simmered down, breathless and genuinely wheezing as she rolled onto her stomach and propped herself up with her elbows. She was right next to him then, silver eyes glowing in the low light of a waning moon while she stared down at him. The young girl leaned in and checked her lips upon his in an equally clumsy attempt at a kiss, albeit less off-center than his was.
"That was my first kiss, too. You're gross," she murmured playfully as his face flooded red all over again. Her own cheeks held a soft tinge of pink, eyes crinkled at the corners and her nose wrinkled at the bridge in a way that would follow her for years and years. It was a soft expression, one that was always going to be saved just for him.
"You like it," he replied, reaching out to tuck hair behind her ear once more. Flower petals littered her short hair, bringing another chuckle to the surface. He'd let her figure it out for herself later.
They stayed like that for some time before gradually transitioning back onto their backs to stare up at the blanket of twinkling stars that watched over them. Their hands rested between them, pinkies curled around one another.
A shooting star streaked across the sky, eliciting an excited gasp from both of the young children. Moji's free hand raised as she traced its path with her forefinger, a low murmur hanging between them.
"You're my shooting star, Mateo de Silva."
