Calix was fuming. He mentally cursed. That smirk always ticked him off. As if reading his mind, the damn Monrell heir let out a laugh. And as if a trigger, the floodgates of unwelcome memories were opened.
A young child with blue hair and purple eyes held his hand as they ran to god knows where, just to escape the raging man behind them. Unlike little Calix who felt like it was the end of the world, little Lumierre was having the best time of his life. He was laughing, lips and cheeks stained with blue sugar.
Everything sank in when little Calix felt a sticky sensation from the other's palm. That's right. The damn kid just stole the cotton candy!
It happened so suddenly. Little Calix was just waiting for the other kid to finish buying so they could go back to the academy already. Once the cloud-shaped mass of fluffy spun sugar was handed to him, little Lumierre immediately took a bite, letting out happy hums as he enjoyed his treat.
He exuded such joy that it was contagious. However, after half a minute, little Lumierre leisurely patted his hands after he finished eating. Calix's eyes widened as he realized the other had no intention of paying. When the other kid saw his expression, his grin broadened.
"Don't-" Calix was about to intervene, but it was too late.
"That was delectable, mister!" Lumierre exclaimed to the vendor.
The large man laughed. "Well, I'm relieved!"
"Then," Lumierre began, then bowed down. "Have a nice day!" he exclaimed, grabbing Calix's hand as they ran away.
"You rascals!" exclaimed the man after he recovered from his shock. His stall shook when he bumped into it as he furiously chased the two.
"Thieves!" He shouted so loud, the pigeons resting by the fountain area flew away.
His large frame put him at a disadvantage against two young kids brimming with energy and youthful stamina. It didn't take long for the large man to come to a halt and catch his breath. When Little Lumierre saw this, he smirked and dragged Little Calix to an alleyway near a modest restaurant.
They settled beside wooden boxes of fresh vegetables stored there, presumably by the owner of the humble restaurant. They sat on the cemented ground, between a box of radish and celery. Little Calix wasted no time to reprimand the other once again.
"Are you crazy?!" Little Calix had to stop himself from grabbing one of the radish and smack some sense on the other boy.
Little Lumierre just laughed and continued to do so at the other's frustrated expression.
"Stop laughing! Do you not realize what you have done? You just stole something!"
Lumierre was no stranger to being chastised. He is, after all, the heir to a painfully uptight family. He will always desire the freedom to do as he pleases. But there's something about the way the other was reprimanding him that struck Little Lumierre. Was it because the other person was also a child? It was quite amusing to see him act like an adult.
Calix was on the verge of exploding when he noticed the dried cotton candy smeared on the other's cheek. He despised disorder, so he reached out and grumpily cleaned up the mess. He was so preoccupied with wiping away the dried candy that he almost missed the fact that the other had already stopped laughing.
Calix blinked and carefully raised his head. The other kid was staring at him with his purple eyes wide open. The intensity of the other's gaze was enough to make Little Calix realize what he had just done, and he reverted to his previous stance.
Little Calix wanted to explain, but when he looked back and saw that the other was also staring at him, he agaib averted his gaze. Lumierre did the same thing, his young heart pounding like a frantic drum.
Because of how red their faces were, anyone passing by would mistake the kids for two large tomatoes.
Little Lumierre broke the awkward silence once the embarrassment was tolerable. "The seller deserved that," he began, making Litlle Calix look at him in confusion, his embarrassment washed away by intrigue.
"I saw him yelling and hitting his own wife and children the other day." Lumierre gritted his teeth as he remembered seeing someone much younger than himself pushed to the ground, their knees scraped and bleeding. It makes him reconsider how not everyone has the right to be a parent, especially when children never asked to be born.
Litlle Calix was taken aback by the revelation, but he stood firm in his reasoning and logic. "There are laws for that," he replied.
Little Lumierre laughed again, this time with venom in his chuckles. "Laws are nothing more than a façade; with the current people in power, laws are merely a false sense of security."
Little Calix fired back, refusing to back down. "Order exists because there is law."
Little Lumierre shook his head in dismay. "You're a little too naive, kid."
Calix gasped. "You're a kid, too! And I'm not naive; do you even know who you're talking to?" Little Calix doesn't want to brag about his position, but he was too agitated. And while the other kid clearly resembled a high noble, he was still confident because he was a Lanchaster, the heir to the first dukedom. A family second only to the imperial family in importance.
Little Lumierre looked at the other kid up and down. "No. I don't," he answered.
He truly doesn't because, despite being told about the Lanchasters and how they are their clan's worst enemy, he hasn't seen the heir. For a family labelling another as their worst enemy, they sure are prepared. Please take note of little Lumierre's sarcasm here.
Calix huffed, surprised that the other didn't recognize him but glad for the change. It was refreshing to see someone who didn't know who he was. "It's Calix, remember that," he said, rolling his eyes.
The other raised his brow at the sass but nodded. "Okay, Ali. I'm Lumierre."
Lumierre was a familiar name but Calix was too focused on the nickname. He fixed his gaze on the other. "I said Calix."
"Yes, Ali."
"Calix!"
"Ali."
Little Calix groaned. "Fine, Lumi."
A laugh. "Ali and Lumi it is."