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Wednesdays were always the most boring on Mother Base. It was the day after most field operatives were deployed, meaning that the usually bustling platforms of the Caribbean base were desolate, save for a few members of the medical team and kitchen staff. Not that Cécile particularly minded. The quieter it was, the better she could hear her tapes.
Whenever she wasn’t doing research, Cécile would hang her legs over the edge of the command platform, lie back, and memorize new bird calls while she watched the clouds. It wasn’t the most engaging activity, but she supposed it was better than doing nothing. It was her goal to not only be able to mimic every bird call, but to do it better than anyone else. So far, she had little competition.
“Listening to those tapes again?”
Cécile tilted her head back further and saw Amanda approaching with a cigarette between her lips. Her face lit up and she sat up, patting the spot next to her. “I was hoping someone would come by. I would like to challenge you!”
Amanda took a seat on the edge of the platform. “Challenge me?” she questioned as she ashed her cigarette into the ocean below. “Are we having some sort of contest?”
“Yes, something like that.” Cécile popped a new tape into her cassette player and pressed play. Through the speaker came the call of the belted kingfisher. “We’re going to have a bird call contest!”
“Well, that hardly seems fair,” the comandante retorted. “Since I don’t have anything better to do right now, I guess I’ll accept the challenge.” Amanda closed her eyes, listening closely to the birdsong. After a few moments, she did her best to copy the call. It was about as bad as they both expected.
“That was… terrible!” Cécile put a hand over her mouth in a vain attempt to stifle her laughter. The “bird call” had come out sounding more like a dying cat’s cry for help. It was quite possibly the worst imitation she had ever heard.
“I don’t know what you expected!” Amanda huffed. Despite her best efforts to hide her embarrassment, the red tinge of her cheeks completely gave her away. Ordinarily, the revolutionary wouldn’t be too bothered by a minor embarrassment such as this one, but to fail so miserably in front of Cécile, an expert in the field of ornithology, left her feeling flustered. “Are you going to perform the call yourself or not?”
“Of course, of course.” Without a moment's hesitation, Cécile opened her mouth and perfectly replicated the call. She then turned her smug gaze towards Amanda, a smirk on her face. “Shall we try another?” The blonde didn’t wait for an answer and swapped the tape out for another. She pressed play and the song of the quetzal rang out from the speaker.
“Oh, come on! We both know who will win this!”
“Quitting so soon? So be it.” Cécile wrapped an arm around her comrade and leaned her head against her shoulder. “I know a different competition we could have. It would be a bit more fair, I think.” There was a mischievous glint in her eyes as she spoke.
Despite her better judgement, Amanda couldn’t help but be curious. She put out her cigarette, then leaned back to look at her friend. “What do you have in mind?”
“A kissing contest!”
If Amanda had been drinking anything, she would have spat it out. Instead, her mouth hung open and her lips moved silently as she subconsciously tried to decide what expression would properly convey her surprise. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t want to kiss Cécile, but Amanda never thought that their first kiss would be like this. “A kissing contest? Cécile, we aren’t pre-teens at a house party--”
Before she could completely finish her sentence, Cécile planted a firm, but gentle kiss on her lips. It took her a moment, but Amanda eventually melted into the kiss. Their lips seemed to lock together as if they were made for each other, like a matching pair of puzzle pieces. All too soon, it was over. Cécile was leaning back and staring at Amanda with a cocky grin on her face.
“I thought you said this was going to be a fair competition,” Amanda muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. “How am I supposed to compete with that?”
“Well…” Cécile took hold of the brunette’s chin, tipping her head to the side as they locked eyes. “I guess that means you’ll have to start practicing.”
And thus began Amanda and Cécile's weekly kissing competition.