The funny thing with names is that they are supposed to define you, to make you who you are. That's just how it's been for so long. Her name was perfect in everyway. It was short succinct, funny and a little ironic. It gave people a glimpse of her wild side, and her passions, it made Mac who she was. It didn't matter that her parents had named her a name more suitable for a blonde cheerleader; she had molded it to herself. And then Veronica told her it wasn't really hers. That it had never been hers and that Madison Sinclair had taken one more thing from her. The irony was that the name, Cindy, the one her parents loved, would have been perfect for Madison. And Sinclair? Well, now looking at it, Sinclair was a really cool last name.
His last name was just that, cool. It was a sexy movie, a sexy city, exotic the way he was. Plus, dude, his first name rocked. He was the epitome of a dick and damn proud of it. The fact that he was the junior didn't matter. When people heard his name, there was something attached. Some awe, some disgust, some lust from the ladies, just the way he liked it. Hell, he even gave his little brother a cool name, instead of the pansy one his parents had given him. They were cool, they were a set. Everybody wanted to say the phrase and watch the anger flare up in every adults face. "Can Dick and Beaver come out to play?"
When the doctor told her she was pregnant with twins, despite Dick's exuberant whoops, all she could wonder is what to name them. She loved her boyfriend, she did. But his naming ability had caused her first boyfriend to jump from a building. She ignored the first name, too hard, and thought of the last. Should it be Casablancas, Mackenzie, Mackenzie-Casablancas? Was Mackenzie too much hers, should she give them Sinclair? Could she give them Sinclair? She didn't want her kids to be the Casablancas boys. She didn't want them to be the boys she remembered from being young. But she smiled fondly at the man sitting next to her, the man that had grown up, and decided Casablancas would be okay, Mackenzie as a middle name, maybe a Sinclair thrown on top.
Dick beamed over at his girlfriend, his Mackie who was fat with his kids. Not that it was bad that she was fat, just that it was Mac and with all her vegan food he didn't know she could get fat. She was staring off mumbling, and Dick wanted to do the same. There were babies in that belly, babies that were going to be his responsibility. He wondered if he should propose, then thought Mac would laugh. He didn't want the kids to just be Mackenzies, but he didn't want them to Casablancases either. His name didn't exactly ring with upstandingness. Maybe a hyphen. Yeah that would be cool, a hyphen. Now for the first name, and there were two to pick. He suddenly thought of his little brother and the stories his mom used to tell (when she still lived with them and didn't spend all of her time explaining how evil their father was, and how they'd end up the same) about how he had picked out Beaver's name from a book, a romance novel she was reading, had just stuck his finger on a random word, and his brother had been stuck with the world's worst name. He tried to make it up to him, he did. Beaver was a cool nickname, it went with his, and it was funny. But the Beav turned out to not like it so much. It was hard to not think of the Beaver as Beaver, and as Cassidy instead, the way Mac did whenever they got around to talking about him. Overall, it showed, maybe he wasn't so good at the naming thing. He'd given Mac some quality nick names, but maybe she would name the babies; it would be better that way.
Two weeks before she's due, and they've argued down to a hyphen. Mac thinks it's pretentious, but Dick just says it will make the kids seem smarter. She mentions casually that they should get married, and he's so happy, the naming thing gets forgotten till a week later, when they're standing in the hospital and he's reminding her to breathe. She looks so incredibly pissed off at him, and she sounds so much like a hippopotamus that he can't help but laugh. She gets even angrier and starts to swear, with words he didn't even know she knew, so he pulls out the big baby book and keeps reading names out loud. They've reached the "O's" and Dick reads each one in a clear voice, pausing to let her consider. Octavia, Odakota, Odelle, Odessa, Odette, Odysseus. Mac snorts when she hears the last name, and wonders aloud if her son will travel the seas after he gets in a fight with Poseidon. Dick has no idea what she's talking about, and chalks it up to the drugs they've been pumping her with. He pages through the book, wishing she had let them find out if they're boys, girls or both. He really wants both. It'd be nice to have another girl around. Suddenly she's making new gasping noises, ones he hasn't heard before, and he grips her hands tightly and takes the same breaths she took before, scared shitless.
After four of the most terrifying hours of his life, he's staring down at two bundles, one in pink, and one in blue. He's perched on Mac's bed, as she thumbs through the book and calls out names. His job is to see if they respond to any of them. The girl lets out a terrified wail when "Stephanie" is called out, but coos softly when Mac says "Oriana."
The boy doesn't do much the whole time, content to roll about, and Dick thinks he must be a true Casablancas, not too complicated, but then he remembers his little brother, and he makes Mac keep saying names. Bad names can make things complicated. He finally makes a soft keening noise when the name "Thian" is said out loud. Mac argues that it's Korean and it's ridiculous for them to steal a name, its like stealing culture. When "Thomas" and "Thornton" both illicit wails from the boy, Mac gives in. The name game continues as they try to find middle names, only picking what the children like. Thian Edan Mackenzie-Casablancas gets his name scrawled across a piece of paper an hour later. Dick's pleased when he realizes Thian means smooth and Edan "little fire". His kid will be smooth, and full of fire, just the way he aught to. And Oriana Rassia will be golden and well-spoken according to the baby book, so they're content.
Mac's mom cries when she hears the names, and shakes her head the way she did when she realized her daughter was having children out of wedlock. Never mind that they're getting married now, they named the kids these ridiculous names. Most of their friends agree, smiling politely when they explain the naming system. They're so scared; terrified that they made a mistake, that they name their kids the wrong names. Dick and Mac know what it means, what the consequences are for the wrong name. But their best friends, the friends who knew them back then, who get their fears, love the names. Wallace calls Thian a pimp in the making, and Dick can only feel proud. Veronica tells them that Oriana sounds like a strong name, and Logan just laughs, calling them originals. Parker says she hated her name, but she got used to it eventually. And Piz reminds everyone what is first name actually is, causing everyone to groan, and wince in sympathy. Mac lets out a loose hollow breath and clutches Dick's hand. They grin down at the bundles in front of them.
"Worse comes to worse, Oriana can call herself Kenzie."
Dick squeezed her hand. "Thian can be Blanca. That's the sweet character from Street Fighter. Dude kicked ass."
Their kids had names, solid ones.