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The first time Evernight ever called her a pet name, it was a random Tuesday evening.
March was exhausted, having just returned home from another day of dealing with non-stop complaints and adults who had the maturity of a three-year-old. Her roommate, Evernight, was sitting on the sofa, watching Netflix intently.
As March used their barely functioning coffee machine to pour herself a cup of coffee, Evernight called out from her spot on the couch, “Honey, can you fetch me a glass of warm water?”
The five-dollar mug that March was holding nearly slipped out of her hand. “What?!” March exclaimed, her mouth gaping open and her cheeks flushed cranberry red.
“What?” Evernight asked teasingly, amusement lacing her tone as she paused the television to turn to look at March.
“You just- what did you just call me?” March stammered out, stunned.
“You heard me,” Evernight responded shamelessly, “honey.”
“You- why would you- what? Why?” March spluttered, her cheeks still coloured red.
Evernight smirked, turning back to the television and unpausing it like she hadn’t just called her roommate a pet name.
March, still mortified, downed her entire cup of coffee in one gulp.
-
The second time was far worse.
March’s phone began ringing melodically, Cyrene’s contact name lighting up the screen as March dashed towards her phone to pick up.
“Hello? Cyrene?” March answered.
“Hey!” Cyrene giggled back, her voice cheerful as always. “So, what’re you getting for Stelle and Caelus? Like, for their birthday?
Before a word could leave March’s mouth, Evernight’s voice rang out from somewhere in their cramped apartment, “Love, did you take my umbrella? I can’t find it in its usual spot!”
March froze. Why must Evernight do this now?
“Oh?” Cyrene giggled teasingly. “Are you in a secret relationship, Marchie? Have you been hiding this from me?”
March’s face instantly went beet red. “No! I-I… ugh, that’s nobody!” March practically shouted, a little too defensively.
“Sure,” Cyrene smirked, and March could practically see her wink, despite them being on voice call. “Anyway, I just realised I agreed to meet Cas, so I have to go now. I’ll leave you and ‘nobody’ alone now. Bye!”
March slammed her phone on the table, face red partially from anger and partially from being flustered. “EVERNIGHT, YOU BI-”
-
The third time was, objectively, the worst one, by a thousand miles.
Stelle, Dan Heng, and Caelus were crashing at March’s apartment for the weekend.
“Hey Marchie,” Stelle said obnoxiously, sprawled across the couch lazily.
“Must you three overtake my house?” March demanded, glancing at where Dan Heng was seated on her massage chair.
“Deal with it,” Caelus shot back, making snow angels on the carpet.
“What’s stopping me from stepping on your face right now?” March questions, gingerly stepping over her friend’s extended limbs.
Suddenly, Evernight emerges from the shadows, snapping a picture of March’s irritated face with a fond smile on her face. “You should see your face right now, darling.”
Time stopped.
Dan Heng looked up from his book, cocking an eyebrow judgementally. Stelle's eyes widened and Caelus stopped sporadically waving his limbs around, turning to look at Evernight confusedly.
March froze mid-step, her cheeks turning bright pink, words lodging themselves in her throat. Her heart raced as she struggled to find her words. The first two times were more teasing, but this time felt different.
"I didn't sign up to watch live yuri," Dan Heng groaned, rubbing his temples.
"I totally signed up to watch live yuri!" Stelle exclaimed enthusiastically, while Caelus nodded supportively in agreement.
"'Yuri?' We're not- it's a joke! We're just playing around!" March protested, her face still poppy red. Was it just her or was the room suddenly very hot?
"Mhm," Caelus nodded, unconvinced. "What else are you going to tell me next? That pigs can fly? That Aventurine will stop gambling? That Aglaea is straight?"
"You- ugh! Our relationship is completely platonic!" March objected hotly. "We're barely even friends!"
Evernight, who'd been hauntingly quiet for the duration of the exchange, smiled amusedly. "What Marchie said," she agreed, punctuating it with a wink she definitely learnt from Cyrene.
"I hate all of you!" March snapped vehemently, before turning to menacingly stare down a surprised-looking Evernight. "Especially you!"
-
The fourth and fifth times was softer.
"I'm sick," March noted, looking at the thermometer, which blared red. 39 celsius.
Again, Evernight practically melted out of the wall, glancing over March's shoulder. "Oof, you should call in sick today. I'll take care of you."
"I'm a grown woman! I can take care of myself, thank you very much!" March yelled, but didn't protest as Evernight led her to her bed.
"Okay, I'm going to run to the pharmacy to get some fever medicine. In the meantime, just stay in bed and drink water. I'll make soup for you when I get home," Evernight said, March lying in bed with her blanket pulled up to shoulder level. March mumbled a brief "okay," as Evernight left the house.
"Here you go, princess," Evernight smirked, spoon feeding March soup. The medicine she'd bought from the pharmacy sat on the bedside drawer.
March's face went red as she coughed loudly. "Wha- why?! Again?!"
Evernight chuckled, clearly enjoying it. "You're cute when you're flustered, y'know?"
"Am not!" March snapped, coughing again.
Evernight smiled. "Just get some rest, angel."
Evernight exited the room, turning off the lights as she went.
Then, barely audible, "Love you."
-
"Movie night!" March announced, wrapped in three different blankets, with popcorn and soda at her side.
"Indeed," Evernight said, smiling briefly. "What movie?"
"Since the holidays are rolling around, maybe Home Alone? It's a classic!" March suggested, grinning.
Evernight shrugged. "How about something more spooky, like The Nightmare Before Christmas?"
With a sigh, March relented, agreeing.
Halfway through the movie, and their popcorn supply was dwindling at an alarming rate (mostly because of March).
Glancing at the little amount of popcorn left in the bowl, Evernight promptly turned to March and snd stood up. "I'm getting more popcorn, okay?"
"Of course, honey," March replied, pausing the television and turning to Evernight while wiggling her eyebrows flirtatiously.
Evernight froze.
"You can't just... flip the dynamic like that," she said, her cheeks tinged with pink - a rare sight for someone usually as stoic as herself.
"Aw, are you flustered?" March asked teasingly, leaning forward.
Evernight turned her head away. "Shut up."
(They then passionately made out.)