Chapter Text
The first time Callie kissed her was at their Inkopolis's first annual youth folk-singing contest recital.
The judge had been taking a picture of her and Callie, with her holding a certificate and Callie holding the trophy the two had won together, a bright smile on her face.
*SNAP*
"Wonderful work girls! This looks wonderful! I wish you two the best of luck with your future in singing!" The judge said jovially, a bright smile upon their face as they shook the emerged photo to develop it before handing it off to Callies Mother, who began to show it to Maries as they cooed over it.
"Marie that AMAZING!" Callie skipped up to her, Trophy as tall as she was left behind where she had been standing before as she approached Marie with a bright smile, her beak on full display.
"Well we won so i kinda expect it wa-" Marie began saying, but was shocked into silence as Callie pulled her close and kissed her cheek roughly, Marie was shocked silent, before shoving Callie off of her just as suddenly and tucking her face behind the sleeve of her Yukata to hide the blush growing on her face.
"W-what the heck was that for Callie?"
Callie tilted her head at Marie, smile smaller but still on her face. "Im just so happy! We won! They all cheered for us and they loved us! And it was both of us! I couldn't have done it without you so i had to show my appri- Apricot?"
"Appreciation?"
"Yeah that!!"
Marie rolled her eyes at the absentmindedness of her cousin, Callie and hers parents were always close and thus her and Callie ended up spending time together more often than not, and thus Marie got very used to the particularities that her cousin had, Her absentmindedness, Her overwhelmingly positive personality, her energetic tendencies, and in particular, how touchy she was with her affections. She never could find it in herself to mind them, but she wasn't about to let anyone else know that.
"Your appreciation is weird, next time just say thanks" She said, her voice flat as the blush began fading from her face, her narrowed eyes staring at her cousins pouting face.
"Marieeeee, you're so mean to me! Me! Your beloved cousin!" Callie then proceeded to cling back onto Marie, trying to hug her close as Marie did her best to fend off the cuddle monster of a inkling that Callie was.
The struggle went on for a bit until their parents approached them, cooing over the twos "fighting", breaking them apart and thankfully saving Marie from being cuddled to death. Marie huffed at Callie from behind the safety of her Mothers legs, Callie just stuck her tongue out at her, to which Marie gasped dramatically, placing a hand over her hearts and putting an affronted look on her face that caused Callie to break into giggles.
Eventually, after their parents finished talking with each other, it was time for them all to head home, and Marie was pushed towards her cousin to say goodbye.
"Bye Callie, Try not to kiss anyone else on your way home mmkay?" Marie said with a certain amount of sass in her voice, raising an eyebrow as she looked at her cousin.
Callie blew a raspberry at her, rolling her eyes and giving Marie a smug smirk of her own. "Don't worry Marie! My celebratory kisses are only for my best friend! So you don't have to get jealous of anyone~"
"Tch, as if i'd get jealous of your slobbery kisses, ya weirdo!" Marie turned her face away in feigned disgust.
Callie just laughed out, her voice ringing out clearly even after all the singing she had strained it with earlier, the sound of it causing Marie to turn back to her and watch as her cousin laughed.
"If ya say so! But Momma says i give the best kisses! So see ya later Marie!" And with that Callie turned and ran back to her waiting parents, the little squids on her Yukata shimmering in the sunlight, And unbidden, Marie felt a smile coming to her face, as fondness for her cousin welled up inside her.
"She is a weirdo.. But she's lucky she is my weirdo, or else i'd never let her get away with what she does."
And with that thought, she turned and walked off to her parents, ready to head home and sleep this long day away, certificate still tucked under her arm.