
Festival | First kiss | “Tell me again.”
The Starsending Festival. Every year in Little Twin Stars’ Kingdom, the citizens would gather in the streets at night to receive a wishing star. During the week of festivities that followed, each citizen would wish on their star and bring it to the castle, where they were safe until the end of the week.
It was late in the evening. Everyone was gathered around the castle while Kiki and Lala made a speech. But up at the very top of the highest point, Louter and Klark were getting ready for their own important role in the festival. For the first time, they would send the stars into the sky so that the people’s wishes may be granted, instead of Kiki and Lala.
Louter, as she watched the crowd below, smiled. “Ah, Klark…”
She had to wait a moment for a response from her younger twin, who was making sure all of the stars were accounted for. “Loulou?”
“You’re still calling me that?” Louter giggled and turned towards her sister, her sparkling dress shimmering as she moved. She approached Klark and knelt down next to her. “I don’t mind. In fact, I’d like you to keep calling me ‘Loulou’ for as long as we both live…”
Her expression softened when Klark finally looked at her. A light blush tinted both of their cheeks. “Not around people…” She turned away again, embarrassed, and busied her hands with bagging up the stars.
But Louter could see right through her. “Are you nervous, Klark?” Though she tried to speak gently, her tone still had a teasing edge to it.
Klark huffed. “I’m not!”
Louter placed a hand on Klark’s back, rubbing circles against the glittery fabric. For a moment, they sat in silence, and Louter even began to help Klark with her task. Every minute or so, cheers and applause could be heard distantly through the window. It wouldn’t be long until the stars would be released into the sky.
“...What if I do it wrong?” Klark muttered.
“Hm?” Louter leaned over Klark’s shoulder to get a better look at her face. “Do what wrong?” Klark just gestured to the large bag of stars, and Louter knew what she meant. “Ah…” Her smile softened, and she planted a light kiss on Klark’s cheek. “You won’t do it wrong, because I’ll be doing it with you.”
Despite the smile Klark couldn’t hide, her voice was still meek. “It should be you, not me…”
To this, Louter frowned. She wrapped her other arm around Klark, pulling her into a warm hug. “I…” She struggled with what to say. “I’m a little nervous, too.”
Klark stared up at Louter with wide eyes. “You are…?”
Louter nodded. “Mhm. It’s my first time too, you know. But I feel a lot better doing this with my sister.”
For a few minutes, they simply stared into each other’s eyes. Louter was waiting for Klark to respond, but she never did. She could only hope her words comforted Klark in some way.
It occurred to her that she’d never just…stared at Klark like this before. She really should have looked away, if the warm and fuzzy feelings in her heart were anything to go by. This was her sister, but…
“I love you, Klark,” she whispered.
It was quiet.
“...S-Say it again…”
Louter leaned closer, her lips brushing against the shell of Klark’s ear. “I love you, Klark.”
And suddenly, their lips collided. She couldn’t get another word out with how enthusiastically Klark pushed their lips together. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her neck and hold the back of her head, firm but soft. Louter felt like a piece of glass in Klark’s hands with the way she was cradled so lovingly.
Klark finally pulled away, panting with a red, tear-stained expression. Her lips were slightly parted as she tried to catch her breath, and Louter couldn’t peel her eyes away.
“Lou…”
“Klark…”
Louter cupped Klark’s face and kissed her again. The second time was much less intense, yet the passion behind it was even stronger. She was gentle with Klark, not wanting to overwhelm the poor girl more than she already was. Now, she could savor the taste of her lips, her tongue, and the heat of her cheeks as she cried.
Klark tasted delectable, like a fresh plate of blueberry pancakes.
When she pulled away, Klark was in a daze. Her eyes were unfocused, and a bit of drool dribbled down her chin that Louter managed to wipe away before it dripped onto her clothes.
She took a moment to wipe Klark’s face with the sleeve of her dress, watching as Klark mumbled nonsense and leaned into her touch. “Oh, Klark…” she sighed.
“I-I’m…okay…” was the response she finally got.
“Alright, are you sure?”
Klark nodded, her head now resting against Louter’s palm. “I’m okay,” she said again, this time more clearly.
Louter let them sit in peace for a while, basking in each others’ warmth and comforting embrace. Once Klark calmed down, she was quiet, only nodding along with the soft praises and loving words Louter whispered into her ear. She looked so tired, and Louter guessed she must have stayed up the night before, too nervous about the festival’s finale to get any proper sleep.
But alas, she was selfish. Klark couldn’t do this by herself, but neither could Louter.
And the time was drawing near.
“Klark, it’s almost time.” She tried to move Klark off of her so she could stand up, but she had no luck. “Klark…I don’t want to release the stars alone. Please?”
They both knew Klark could never resist Louter’s wishes, not for long, anyways. And whenever Louter mentioned being alone, it pulled at Klark’s heartstrings and made her desperate to be in her sister’s company.
So finally, Klark sat up straight, and Louter helped her to her feet. They grabbed the large bag of stars and brought it out to the balcony, and just in time, too. The people cheered when they came out, and with a few more words from Kiki and Lala, they opened the bag and released the wishes into the stars. Each of them muttered prayers to the stars under their breath.
Once the stars had been sent up, Louter reached in and pulled out one more. “Everyone gets one star, one wish. And this one is ours.”
Confusion, then understanding flashed across Klark’s face. “What is our wish…?”
“Well…” Louter paused. What was her wish? And… “What do you wish for, Klark?”
Klark’s brows furrowed. “What about you?”
Louter smiled and shook her head. “It’s a shared wish. What you want matters as much as what I want.”
“‘Kay…” Klark didn’t look at Louter as she thought, mumbling to herself and fidgeting with her dress. Her eyes were glued to the dull star in Louter’s hands. The pink-haired girl watched the way her sister’s facial features twitched and changed with each passing second, wave after wave of emotions washing over her. Louter had never really given Klark the opportunity to make an important decision like this. Usually, Klark preferred to trust Louter’s judgement, and Louter had no problem taking the lead.
And this was a very important decision. A wish to the stars that may actually come true.
Finally, Klark exhaled, releasing all of the tension from the past few minutes. “I…–”
“Wait,” Louter cut in. She grabbed Klark’s hand and placed it onto the star. “Go on.”
With a bit of hesitation, Klark continued. “I wanna be with Loulou forever…”
Louter grinned. “And I want to be with Klark, forever and ever, until the end of time.”
Klark grinned back at her. “I love you, Loulou.”
“Say it again.”
“I love you.”