Chapter Text
The familiar noises of her alarm were as shrill as usual. On most days, it would have woken up a grumpy architect who would have thrown her blanket from her body, gotten ready for work, and complained about leaving so early, even when she loved her job.
However, nowadays, Windsong wakes up even before her alarm.
After a quick shower and change of clothes, she stood in front of the mirror, brushing her hair and using hairspray. She was excited.
Over the last few weeks since they first met, Windsong managed to get closer to Vila. What started with their little meeting in the café (“It's a daaaaaate!” She could hear Kakania yelling.) continued with them spending more time together, going shopping or even greeting each other whenever they met outside their apartments! And just a few days ago, Vila gave her some pirozhki, which she swore tasted just amazing.
Everything was going well.
Or was it?
Hair, done. Clothes are looking fine… and I’ll be out early. Maybe I can meet Vila and Avgust after work, too… Wait, this isn’t creepy, right?
Windsong groaned, putting her head in her hands and ignoring the strands of hair that were cold from the spray.
“What am I doing…?”
The crush only got worse over the last few weeks, and she didn’t believe it would stop anytime soon. May it be from the daily meetups or the encouraging words from her friends and colleagues — the whole place will know about her crush soon, huh — or the fact that she hadn’t been in a relationship in a while, spending time with Vila was truly something else. Still, Windsong was glad that she was able to form comprehensive sentences with her now. Though, it didn’t stop Ada from making fun of her.
“You should try to ask her out!” Kakania’s words from a few days ago echoed in her head.
“It’s not that easy!” Windsong answered back then.
Crushes were never easy.
But crushes aside, she was happy to get to know Vila and her son better. Vila. The motherly woman enjoyed coffee but liked tea even more. She loved taking care of elementary school children and was apparently pretty athletic — in her own words. When she laughed, it was easy to draw others in. Then, of course, her hair was brilliant to Windong’s eyes like shining gold.
Her son Avgust sometimes acted like your average three-year-old, but Windsong observed he also had quite sharp instincts and seemed to understand the world in his own adorable way.
They were a tiny family, just two of them that helped Windsong get comfortable in this new, unfamiliar city. That was a special that she can’t say happened often. She couldn't deny that the last few weeks were pretty good.
The architect glanced at the clock, now seeing that she had to speed up.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
Windsong pressed the elevator button, waiting patiently. She felt antsy, just standing there, more than she normally fidgeted. A sigh of relief escaped her when it successfully appeared before her without any issue.
It took weeks, but she was glad that the damn thing got finally fixed (No thanks to X).
She looked back to the doors of her apartment, with Vila’s right next to it, as if she hoped that she and Avgust might step outside, which was silly because they already left minutes before her. But Windsong liked looking back there. It felt like there was something to look forward to once she returned home.
The elevator made a loud ‘ping!’ sound as the doors finally opened. But Windsong suddenly saw a little figure rush past her when she tried to step in.
It was a child with shoulder-length platinum blonde hair and silver eyes. Wearing a blue jacket and shorts, she didn’t look like she was fully dressed for the cold weather, but the kid didn’t seem to mind. With a stoic, unmoving face, she casually watched Windsong step in, who stared back with mild confusion.
“Ah, hello…,” she said without getting an answer. She pressed a button, and after a few seconds, the elevator doors closed. They started to go down, making the silence only more awkward as the child blankly stared at the closed doors.
Windsong was glad she had lots of space inside. Although, she could feel the child staring intensely at her… for some reason.
“You are Ms Windsong, right?” The child’s voice was quiet.
“Huh? How do you know?”
“My parents talked about you. They said you were pretty interesting, especially since you’re friends with Ms Vila.”
Windsong raised an eyebrow. But before she could say anything, the elevator made a loud ‘ping!’ and the doors opened once more. Her new ‘friend’ casually stepped out and walked towards the exit.
“My parents are one floor under you. You’ll probably see them from time to time.”
With those words, she quickly left the building, leaving a confused architect behind.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
“Someone is in high spirits today.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about.”
Vila handed her colleague a lunch box filled with some black rye bread sandwiches and syrniki, which Ms Moissan and Ulu took gratefully.
“Seems more like she has been in high spirits for weeks.” Kaalaa Baunaa, the physics teacher, arrived at the group table, easily carrying multiple coffee mugs she distributed among her colleagues before she sat down. “Probably because of the neighbour she’s dating.”
“We are not dating,” Vila sputtered before grabbing the coffee mug and taking a sip. The familiar bitter taste immediately kept her warm in the cold weather. It's not as good as tea, but that was fine.
“But you do talk about her a lot. Even if you aren’t dating, you must have a pretty good feeling about her. Don't you think so?”
“She’s a great friend! Even though we’ve only known each other for a few weeks, Avgust immediately started to love her.” She remembered clearly how enthusiastically her son talked about his neighbour. She found it very adorable, especially the moments when Windsong noticed his affection and started to become a blubby, stuttering mess herself. It seemed like she couldn't take compliments well. “He even calls her ‘Comrade Windsong’.”
“Speaking of, you talk about her often, but do you have a picture of her?” Ms Moissan asked.
“Ah…”
“You don’t?”
“I-I never thought to take one. But I think I can see from her profile in our messenger app.” The young teacher opened her phone and quickly scrolled through the apps until she stopped at the top of her messenger. She clicked on the familiar profile picture and showed it to her friends. “There she is.”
“Hmmmm.” Kaalaa Baunaa took the glasses that hung on her coat and put them on. “She is quite handsome.”
“Not bad. Are you sure she isn't also young Avgust's mother? They look similar,” Ulu joked.
Vila rolled her eyes. “Honestly, seeing how he interacts with her… it wouldn’t surprise me if he wants her as his mother too. Windsong is pretty nice. She likes to buy him some sweets whenever we go out for coffee. I told her to stop, but she insisted! Though if he keeps eating sweets, Ms Tooth Fairy will start to scold us–”
Vila suddenly stopped when she realized how each of her colleagues had an amused look on their faces. A slight blush came over her cheeks, which she ignored, despite the growing smirks of her fellow faculty.
“Anyway, it’s really not what you think.”
“Mhm,” Kaalaa Baunaa answered, obviously not believing her friend. “Well, I’m sure Windsong will be having fun looking after Avgust today.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Vila, did you forget that we have a long faculty meeting today?” Ulu asked. “It's supposed to start after classes. You know, budget talk for the departments and such.”
“WHAT?” The art teacher jumped up from her seat and quickly pulled out her phone. “No! The daycare is closing early today!”
“Maybe we can ask to keep Avgust at our meeting if it’s not too much of an issue…,” Ms Moissan said softly, but Vila had already punched down the numbers to the daycare.
“I will be right back!” She yelled and quickly left the room once her phone started to dial.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
“My back hurts!” Finally freed from the shackles of office work, Windsong got up from her chair and did some stretches.
“Well done!” As usual, Kakania arrived with a smile on her lips. “Care for some after-work coffee?”
Windsong gladly took the hot cup from her friend’s hands. “Thank God there’s a free weekend after this. I really need a break.”
“Oh ho ho, will you go on another date with your dearest Vila?” As an answer, she got a soft punch to her shoulder and a pair of rolled eyes.
“Very funny. No, we haven't planned anything for the weekend. Maybe I will-” She went quiet after a loud voice from the TV interrupted her. Both women saw an ad for a popular expensive perfume, getting used by a woman with long dark hair and light washed-blue eyes. She, a well-known celebrity, was eye-catching, and it went unsaid between them and most viewers that everyone watching was more interested in her than the product.
“Heh.” Windsong rolled her eyes after seeing her friend's wide grin. “Yeah, sure.”
“Come on, you still don't believe me?!” Kakania cried.
“It's hard to believe that your wife is a celebrity, especially when it's Isolde von Dittarsdorf! Nobody knows if she has a girlfriend or if she’s even married!”
“I told you, it's still a secret! You can't believe your own friend?!”
“I’d love to! But at least show a picture of you two together or something!”
Before Kakania could give an answer, Windsong’s phone started to ring. Her eyes widened when she saw the now familiar name on the display. She looked at Kakania, her face mouthing the name ‘Vila’, which signaled the HR member to be quiet and listen.
“Hello?” the architect tried to sound unbothered.
“Uhm, hi, Windsong. Is now a bad time?” The architect immediately noticed the poorly hidden anxiety in her neighbour’s voice.
“Oh… oh no, I was just about to clock out. Is something wrong?”
“Ah…I am sorry, but I must ask you something strange.” Windsong heard how she took a deep breath. “You see, we have a meeting today that’s going to take longer than I expected. I seriously did not know!”
On the other side of the phone, Windsong was frantically but silently mouthing “WHAT DO I DO!?” to Kakania, who could only throw her arms up in a shrug as the mother continued speaking.
“This means I can't pick up Avgust from the daycare. So I am asking you…”
“Oh, to pick him up? I can gladly do that!” She answered too fast.
“Well, yes, but I am especially asking for one extra thing: Can you maybe look after him for a few hours?”
“HUH?!” Windsong yelled and dropped her mug. Yet she completely ignored the hot mess and shards at her feet and even the curious looks of her colleagues.
“Huh?!” Now, Kakania gasped in surprise at her friend's scream.
“Uhm…uhhh, can I ask for more details, please?” Windsong asked in a quieter voice, signaling Kakania to follow her into an empty room and close the door, completely ignoring the mess she had left behind.
“This might be overstepping our… current relationship, but please hear me out! The daycare where Avgust stays closes early today, so I can’t be there to pick him up. I know just asking you out of the blue to pick him up and take care of him too is more than I’d usually ask, but I just don’t have any other way right now. But if you want to refuse, I understand. I will just bring him to the meeting with me.”
Windsong’s eyes grew larger after hearing the panicked words of her neighbour. Her thoughts went back and forth, thinking about this situation. It was indeed tricky, especially considering Vila was a single mother who had to take care of such a young child. But was it appropriate for Windsong, who might be a friend but still a stranger to favors like this, to take care of a little child like him? However, Windsong also considers, would Vila have really called her if she didn’t believe that she could trust the architect to be a good enough person to look after her son?
Wouldn’t it be right to help a friend in such a tricky situation?
“That’s fine,” she said with a sudden boost of confidence. “Can you send me the location of the daycare?”
“OH HELL YEAH!-” Kakania enthusiastically shouted before being silenced with Windsong’s one free hand.
“Sorry, that was nothing. It must’ve picked up my coworker,” Windsong explained over the phone. “I’ll pick him up.”
✦✦✦✦✦✦
The daycare was only a 15-minute ride by train from her workplace’s nearest station. After that, it only took some walking and walking down a quiet road in the residential areas. Windsong quietly went through the small green gate of the location she had pinned on her phone’s map app and looked at the building in before her.
It wasn't remarkable — a small, pretty place of only one floor and made of red bricks. Many of the windows had paper flowers and suns on them, from what she could only assume were the kids posting their drawings, and some windows were closed by curtains that blocked her from seeing more. Next to the windows was a bicycle rack with a single sky-blue bike tied to it. Windsong thought this was definitely the daycare.
As she went past the gate, Windsong took in more of her surroundings and saw that the front yard was well-maintained with flowers decorating it, albeit the cold weather made everything look like a colorful mix of powdered sugar.
She opened the door and was immediately hit by a comfortable warmth from the heater accompanied by the laughs of young children. Walking further into what she assumed was the welcoming lobby, colorful garlands in the shape of snowflakes were hanging above her, which was lower than her office space’s ceiling.
At her right was a small changing station where the children hung their coats and left their shoes — and they barely looked messy even — with another door pointing to the bathrooms. Then, at her left, Windsong saw a small dining area but couldn’t see more than a few tables and a microwave from her position. But from an unseen part of the room, a woman suddenly appeared.
She was older than Windsong, though probably not by much. The woman looked older than her and was wearing a long coat alongside a dark hat, which sat atop her long platinum-blonde hair that was braided into a ponytail. Still, the most remarkable thing about the woman was her eyes. They were painted in a mesmerizing silver color yet appeared completely unfocused.
“Welcome!” The woman said. “Are you here to pick up one of the children?”
“Ah! Ah, yes!” Windsong shook off the slight feeling of familiarity she had. “I’m Windsong, and I’m here to pick up Avgust… at the request of Vila!.”
“Yes, I remember Ms Vila’s call.” The other woman said in her general direction without making eye contact, causing Windsong to be relieved she didn’t sound like someone again attempting to steal a child. “So you are Ms Windsong. Since you are unfamiliar with this place, let me bring you to Avgust.” Now, Windsong noticed the cane that the woman was carrying. “Oh, I am Bessmert, the owner of this little place.” She extended her hand with a welcoming smile, which Windsong took. “Please follow me!”
Bessmert led her to a playroom just a few meters beside them. The carpet was scattered with various toys, a small ball pit that was at the back of the room, and beside some bookshelves were full of picture books.
Right in front of the ballpit was a young red-haired teenager who appeared to be reading aloud one of the books while surrounded by a handful of children. Windsong immediately spotted Avgust next to her, who turned to see his mother's friend and beamed.
“Comrade Windsong!” he yelled. Many pairs of eyes stared at the visitor who waved towards them, albeit slightly nervous. Yet that didn’t stop the child from jumping and running towards his friend.
“Are you picking me up today?!” The shine in his eyes was strong enough to blind her.
“Haha, yes! Your mother couldn’t pick you up in time so now I am here. Wanna go?” He nodded enthusiastically and turned around to wave at his friends.
“Bye, guys! See you on Monday!”
“You are more energetic than ever, Avgust,” Bessmert said. She casually walked through the floor with the boy next to her, staring straight ahead. “Are you that happy to get picked up?”
“Yes! I asked Mama so much if comrade Windsong would come over, but she always said no. But now she is here, and we can play together. And I will introduce her to my best friend.”
“I am sure she will like your friend.” They stopped at the entrance, and Bessmert turned around to roughly face Windsong's direction. “Here you go. Ms Windsong, I hope you like the little place we have here. It was nice to meet you.”
“The pleasure was all mine, too! I can see why Avgust likes it here.”
“I am glad. And it was nice to finally meet Vila’s partner.” Bessmert smiled. “I hope you will be back another day, too!”
Windsong almost gasped at the woman’s words, but all she could do was stare with a wide, open mouth. She knew that hiding her red face was impossible but prayed that the daycare boss could not hear the heartbeat with her fine hearing.
Her partner?!
She had to admit that a part of her was happy that a stranger assumed that, but the shock she received upon hearing it out loud took her out even more.
“Uh yes ah uh…I will try to be back soon! Ah… see you soon, Ms Bessmert ihavetogogogo!” She quickly grabbed the child by the hand and ran.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
“Okay, kiddo, welcome to my home.” Windsong took his jacket, bag and shoes and put them near the door, Avgust sat on her couch. “Are you hungry?”
He nodded.
“Alright, how about I make you some tasty spaghetti while you watch some TV? Mama will also be back home soon.”
His smile got bigger when Windsong turned on the TV and opened a familiar channel (“Spongebob is still fine for his age, right?”).
Windsong went to her tiny kitchen and checked her phone. Through their correspondence, Vila gave her some advice even while she was in her faculty meeting, which included having Avgust watch TV for a short while, what kind of food he enjoyed after daycare, and that she would be back before evening.
She will be back in roughly two hours… That should be fine.
Being an only child and having no kids herself, Windsong’s knowledge of babysitting was limited. She had no toys for Avgust, or even anything a child might find interesting to play with because she mainly packed essentials during the move, which was why she was glad that she had a TV.
Over in her apartment’s kitchen area, Windsong grabbed the spaghetti package, pre-made tomato sauce and minced meat. Thankfully skilled enough to cook for herself, she got ready, tied her hair into a ponytail, and put on an apron.
“Alright, Windsong, this will be fine!”
✦✦✦✦✦✦
“Avgust! Lunch is done!” Vila’s son happily jumped up from the couch and followed Windsong to the kitchen. There was a little table with plastic chairs on the wall, with barely enough space for two people. A plate of hot spaghetti sat there, causing his eyes to burst with diamond sparkles.
He grabbed the fork, but before he could take a bite, Windsong stopped him.
“Hold up! Can’t make a mess, little guy!” She put a tissue into his collar. “Just in case! And don’t forget to blow it cool before you eat.”
He nodded and followed her advice. Nevertheless, the clumsy child immediately managed to spill some sauce around his mouth, which made Windsong grin and glad that she got some extra tissues.
“It’s so good! Just like Mama’s!”
Taking a moment to mentally pat herself on the back, in the quiet moment of Avgust cutely blowing on his food, Windsong noticed a blue pencil in his other hand.
“Huh, did you draw something?”
“A house!” Avgust proudly proclaimed.
“A house?” She didn’t remember that there was any paper in the living room.
“Yes, I saw a big house, and it looked like the one from Mama’s pictures. But it was white! Mama’s house was blue like water! Because she is a mermaid!”
“Huh, a mermaid, you say?” She asked with a giggle, but that made Avgust even more agitated.
“Yes, mama is a mermaid! But before we came here, she lived in a house with a lot of snow! She told me that she was also living in the sea every day!”
The child’s words both confused and interested her at the same time. Windsong recalled that Vila rarely ever talked about herself, especially what she did before she moved to the city. Due to the nature of their relationship, she always thought it would be too rude to ask. Still, Avgust’s words also perplexed her thanks to the childlike fantasy he often spoke with, making her wonder how much of what he said was actually based on reality.
Curiosity took over.
“I see… You and your mama lived in the blue house before coming here?” Windsong kept her words simple, playing into the child’s story to get a reaction.
“Uhhh…” Now confusion took over his face. “I don’t know… All I remember is snow! It was very cold! But mama loves snow and water. And me too!”
Snow and water, huh? Did they used to live near a lake? Or even the sea?
“Uweh!” The young woman took a tissue to clean his mouth.
It’s kind of funny…thanks to Avgust suddenly going into my home, I got to know him and his mother. Now, here he is in my home again, and I’m learning even more about those two…
Hm… “home?” Right, he only said… “house.” What does that… No, he’s probably just too young to know the difference…
“Haha, I love snow too.” Windsong continued the conversation. “While we can’t go to the sea so easily here, how about we play in the snow once more comes down?” That seemed to cheer him up.
“Yes! Thank you, Comrade Windsong!”
Right at that moment, the doorbell started to ring.
“Ah, maybe it’s your mother!” She got up from the table and went to the living room where the door was. When she opened it, only Vila was standing in front of her, slightly out of breath.
“Windsong!”
“Mama!” Little Avgust rushed past Windsong only to jump into his mother's open arms, who happily spun him around.
“My little arctic fox! I hope you didn’t cause Comrade Windsong any trouble!”
“Nuh-uh!”
“You better not have!” His mother ran her fingers through his hair, causing her son to giggle.
So cute.
The thought shot into Windsong’s mind.
Seeing this mother carrying her son into her arms, both laughing and happy to see each other, even if their parting was only for a short time. She thought it was beautiful and heartwarming, not even noticing the smile the crept into her face. Windsong didn't want to admit that she wanted to see such a sight more often.
“Windsong!” Only now did the woman notice that Vila had already put Avgust down…and wrapped her hands around Windsong’s own.
“Thank you so much! I’m sorry that I asked you on such short notice, but I’m very happy that you helped!”
“...No-no problem!” Her voice was so high-pitched it sounded like a dying goat. She cleared her throat. “Uh… uh, I mean… I’m happy to help! Anytime! Avgust was also behaving pretty well! Don't worry, it was no issue at all!”
She's holding my hands, ohmygodohmygodohmygod!
“Still! You answered my message on such a short notice. I owe you something. Would you please like to join Avgust and me for dinner tomorrow?”
“Dinner??”
“Yes! I’ve wanted to invite you for the longest time… and after you’ve done this for me, it seems only appropriate to return your kindness as a thank you. Would it be okay for you?”
“Yes, yes of course!” She answered a bit too fast.
“Great! Feel free to come over in the evening and keep an empty stomach!” To Windsong’s disappointment, the young mother let go of her hands and waved at her. “See you tomorrow!”
“See you tomorrow!” She waved back and closed the door after her neighbors left.
And then she leaned her bright red head against the door, holding it between her hands. The temperature on her face could easily rival the sun.
Dinner… at her apartment…
She wanted to open her mouth to scream, but instead, she just punched the air in happiness.
This is good. So good! She invited me for dinner! Yes! YES!!
“I gotta tell the others about this.” She went to the small table she had in her living room to grab her phone, but something stuck out from the corner of her eye.
“Did Avgust leave his drawings?” She picked them up from the table. “They are- wait…” It was basically a lot of blue scribble that you would expect from a three-year-old. And there was a funnily written sunflower next to it. Yet, upon closer inspection there was something very familiar to Windsong under the colors.
“No…” Her face grimaced into a mask of pure horror.
“NOOOOOOO! WHAT DID HE DO?!”
On this day, a young Windsong learned to never let children near her work papers ever again.
