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"I have a question for you," Evernight said. She had her open umbrella leaned back over her shoulder, poised, precise, deliberate.
Stelle looked at her. That was unusual, both Evernight having a question, and seeing an open umbrella in her room. Stelle didn't wonder about the umbrella—obviously it was for effect. It was a cool umbrella. But she was instantly curious about the question. "Shoot."
"Why don't you use March 7th's full name?"
At the mention of that name, Stelle's attention, of course, went to March—who was busy raiding Stelle's snack table. Stelle smiled. "Well, it's not like I never do—wait, hang on." She looked back at Evernight. "If you're asking me, then that means that March doesn't know the answer, right?"
Evernight looked at her evenly. "It is not something she is concerned about, but she does sometimes wonder about how people decide what to call her. She chose her own name, after all."
Stelle suddenly understood, on a deeper level, why Evernight did call March by her full name. "So... are you concerned?"
Evernight's look stayed even, with a suggestion of a hint of a shrug. "Not concerned. But... a little curious."
"Hmm," Stelle said, and, looking at the room, did a series of extremely fast mental calculations. Then she moved to the foot of the bed, and cleared out a space to stand. She nodded to herself, satisfied, then looked over to Evernight, who had stayed where she'd been, and was looking at her, somewhat quizzically, still with the open umbrella on her shoulder. Stelle waved her over, and gestured for her to put the umbrella away. Evernight raised an eyebrow, but did, coming to stand next to her at the foot of the bed, the umbrella blinking away into a cloud of particles.
Stelle smiled at her. "Back me up here—if you'd like," and then before Evernight could answer, she raised her voice and turned to March. "March, could you come over here?"
March put down the snacks she'd been perusing and practically bounced over, a smile on her face. "What's up?"
"March 7th," Stelle said.
March's smile brightened into a full beam. "That's me!"
Stelle looked at Evernight, more a question than a glance. Would she play along?
Evernight briefly met her eyes, and seemed to see no harm in it. They both returned their attention to March, and this time it was Evernight who spoke, her voice tinged with the warmth that was—almost—only reserved for her other self. "March 7th."
March turned her beaming smile on Evernight. "Uh-huh!"
It was Stelle's turn again. She smiled, and let her affection color her voice. "March 7th."
"Steeeeeelle?" By this point, March definitely knew something was up, but it was not in her nature to shy away from attention or affection. If she thought it was a trap, she thought it was a trap well worth walking into.
"March 7th." It was the most tender Stelle had ever heard Evernight sound. Clearly, she had decided this was a worthwhile exercise. There was a deep flash of emotion in March's eyes as she turned them to meet Evernight's.
"Evernight," she answered, and there wasn't a question mark to it.
Stelle wanted to get rid of hers, too. "March 7th," she said, with an unvoiced 'I love you'.
"Stelle," came the answer, and the emotion, eyes meeting eyes.
Evernight raised her right hand, and touched March on the cheek, the touch lingering. "March 7th."
"Evernight."
That was a good move. Stelle followed it up, raising her left hand to touch March's right cheek, mirroring Evernight, then caressed her cheekbone with her thumb. "March 7th."
March looked at her, but instead of answering with words, brought up her own hands, her fingers curling around each of their wrists, asking for the touch to stay.
So of course, it did.
March had stopped answering each individual call of her name, but she looked between them with each one, increasingly overcome, her hold on their wrists tightening with every call and every caress. They took turns pouring her full of love, until March practically vibrated with it.
It took a little longer than Stelle had expected, but sure enough, eventually March reached a limit and exploded with a "YOU GUYSSS~!" and tackled them both, releasing their wrists to throw her arms around them and bowl them straight over and into the bed, landing on top. "You can't just team up and lovebomb me like that! Two on one is so unfair!"
"But we do love you, March 7th." Stelle said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, which it was. She smiled at Evernight over March's head, burrowed in between them.
Evernight returned the smile, carried by the moment. "We really do..." Stelle saw her take a moment, to think, to decide, and to look again at Stelle, in a way that told her that Evernight had found the answer to her question. "... March."
Month, no date. End of sentence.
March instantly lifted herself up, so she could look down at Evernight. Her smile was radiant, but Stelle only saw it for a moment before March hugged Evernight, going "Eeeevieeeeeeeeee!"
Stelle couldn't see Evernight's reaction—March had blocked her sightline when she'd glomped onto Evernight—but March's weight was now off Stelle, so she was able to turn over to her side and prop her head up so she could see Evernight again, past the back of March's head.
Evernight could see her, too, and her expression told Stelle many things—topmost of which was that she was not on a calling-her-Evie basis.
Stelle just smiled at her, showing more amusement than affection. Evernight had rather lower tolerances for that than March did, and she already had her hands full—literally. But another thing her expression told Stelle was that it was worth it.
Evernight would do anything for March—even be loved.
Stelle put her free hand on March's back, high enough not to interfere with Evernight's, and patted her gently, then moved on to stroking the hair at the back of her head.
It didn't take long for March to explode again, leaving one arm around Evernight, but using the other to bring Stelle back into the hug. "Aaaaaa I love you guuuuuuuuys!"
Stelle smiled, and kissed her on the cheek. "Love you too," she said, and heard Evernight say it at the same time—and then, sharing a look, an understanding, and a purpose, they both leaned closer to March on opposite sides, and whispered into her ears, "March."
That made March shiver, so they did it some more...
... and some more ...
... and some more ...
... possibly an irresponsible number of times.
Finally, March shot up, above them. "That does it!" She had them both pinned to the bed by a shoulder, and looked down at them, both of them, fierce with joy, incandescent with love. "I'm not letting either one of you go tonight! And that's final!"
Stelle looked up at her, hopelessly in love. She heard Evernight say "Very well," sounding only a little resigned.
Having secured that half, March turned more of her attention on Stelle.
Stelle didn't have any intention of keeping her waiting. "Yes, ma'am."
A flicker of amusement passed between them at how she'd addressed March, but they were both comfortable with it. In the silence, Stelle took a gentle hold of March's arm at her shoulder.
She didn't want to let go either.