Chapter 14
Winny
My first morning escorting Luca to his morning hydrotherapy session goes well enough. Much as I hated having to pry myself out of Gillian's octopus hugs super early and leave her still dozing with a kiss and a promise to see her later, it's probably for the best.
If I hadn't promised to be at Clara’s house bright and early to pick up her kid, I might have convinced myself to skip my daily pool time in favor of a few more stolen moments in Gillian's bed.
But I made a promise and sneaking out in the pale gray pre-dawn glow just before sunrise means I don't have to meet the infamous Trudy freshly fucked and wearing yesterday's clothes.
Gillian pouted when I told her I'd probably leave before she woke up, but she also seemed relieved when she mentioned that this way we get to decide when and how much detail to share with her family about our budding relationship.
Meanwhile, that bird has flown the coop on my end.
Nothing less than I expected when I suggested the diner for our date.
I've got all kinds of messages from each of my siblings and in my family group chat teasing me over the fact I didn't come home after my date.
Mama: You have fun on your date and remember that if we don’t hear from you, we fly at dawn.
Mom: I know you said you wouldn’t be home for dinner, but it’s getting late Winnifred, when should we expect you?
There were a few more messages in that vein of them wondering where I was. Then Briony’s smug message changed the tone.
Briony: Call off the search, Rose saw her kissing Gillian at the diner and from what she said, I wouldn’t expect Winny home tonight.
Seb sent a gif of the song another one bites the dust.
Seb: Happy for you sis, she better treat you right.
Elric: Wait, Gillian, as in the octopus shifter from open swim? The one who grabbed Leighton and scared them out of their flight feathers?
Bram: Winnifred! Is it true? You’ve been consorting with the enemy?
Bram: On second thought, good planning. This way if there’s another incident you’ll have the inside scoop on how to foil an octopus attack.
Ty: Isn’t she the new pre-school teacher? She’ll be teaching Leighton and Kyrie next year, is she nice?
Bram: Well, at least she knows CPR.
Briony: Bram raises a good point. How’s her mouth-to-mouth Winny?
The teasing gets more absurd from there.
I roll my eyes and ignore their barrage of questions.
This is very firmly the type of teasing that means they love me.
I still don't want to answer everyone’s questions about my date.
Calling Gillian my girlfriend is too new and I need time to sit with it before I share.
They just need me to check in, like our static cousins in the wild contact calling to check that every member of the flock is safe and accounted for.
So I spam them with over the top memes of various static birds strutting and flaunting their plumage as I walk to the pool.
Seb: You seem happy? I’m happy for you, tell us about her when you’re ready. Love you sis.
Seb sends a separate message to me, and I can reply to him because he’s the best at being present without being pushy.
Winny: I will, it’s just too new to share. Love you too.
By the time I finish scrolling through my messages and checking in with the family, I’m at Clara’s place to collect Luca.
She plies me with coffee and I sip it as I listen to the litany of things to remember for walking Luca to and from his session with Hilda.
I take notes on my phone and promise to call if we have any issues, and then Luca interrupts his mother to chivvy me out the door.
“Mom! I’m f-fine, can we go swim?” Luca flashes begging eyes at both of us and I chuckle. He’s almost as eager to get to the pool as I am, kid after my own heart.
“Yeah, Clara, can we swim already?” I tease, gulping the rest of my coffee and rising to rinse the empty mug. Luca is already in the hallway, his braces propped against the wall as he puts on his winter jacket.
“Oh, fine, have fun you two. I’ve got that Winny.” Clara swats at me with a dishrag and hipchecks me out of the way. “I’ll meet you at the diner with our donuts afterward.”
“Bacon maple?” Luca zips his jacket with painstaking concentration then reaches for his braces again.
“Yes, Luca, bacon maple. I haven’t forgotten your favorite flavor,” Clara says.
I get my jacket on too and we leave. I match my pace to Luca’s as he talks my ear off about swimming then segues into his favorite fish while we navigate the two blocks of well-kept sidewalk.
I’m extra vigilant crossing the icy streets, but walking with Luca is just like escorting any fledgling.
Even if he needs his braces to help keep his gait steady, and a little more time to put his thoughts into words.
We both get our pooltime in and I recognize the peace that seems to settle over him in the water, a mirror of how I feel when I swim.
Leaving the pool, Luca leans on his braces more than on the way there.
Kid worked darn hard in the water. I'm weirdly proud of him, considering all I did was walk next to him so his mom can have a morning to herself.
I hope she relaxed a little knowing that her flock has her kid's back if he needs anything.
I walk closer to Luca’s side as his pace flags, in case he needs extra support. We're only a single storefront away from the diner where we're meeting Clara when Luca slows down even more and glances surreptitiously over at me.
"What's up kiddo, need a break?" I ask, stopping next to him. He turns toward me, leaning more heavily on his braces and I wince internally at making him twist around to see me properly even as I move so that we can talk more easily without him having to maneuver around in the cold.
"Um, Aunt Winny, can I ask you something?" For all that he's a latent, the way he cocks his head to look at me is an avian mannerism.
"Yeah, of course." I nod.
"Mom says you're moving in next door, right?"
"That's the plan, yeah." I agree, wary of what he might say next.
If my experience with hatchlings holds true, then his next question might be anything from the practical to the absurd. I've had Myra ask me my favorite type of cookie with the same nonchalance she asked if I thought my family would be upset that I like omegas, and if that’s why I'm single.
I was so startled by the question I offended the poor cub by laughing at her concern.
When I pointed out that we all loved Seb's mate and they're both omegas, she'd huffed and grumbled that she thought maybe the fact they're both omegas was why they pretended not to be mates. And damn if I could fault that reasoning. I won’t be the least bit surprised to hear if she tells Ty and Bram she likes omegas too, but that’s neither here nor there.
If nothing else, interactions like that with Myra should mean I’m ready for anything Luca might say. I remind myself not to laugh, no matter what. "Why are you asking?"
"Mom asked if I'm okay with you being part of our flock," Luca says. He looks at me, expectant.
"Oh. That's a big change, isn't it? Are you okay with it?" I ask.
Luca's little face scrunches and he considers me a while longer. "You knew my dad, right?"
"Yeah." I try not to let my feelings toward the kid's sperm donor color the word, but it's damn hard. I'm glad Luca takes after Cora for the most part. Other than his lack of feathers, he looks just like her.
Luca nods to himself, like I confirmed more than just the answer to the question. "Mom says she wanted me so much that he agreed to help her have me, but he wasn't our flock."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. He wasn't avian like us." Luca scrunches his face and blows a raspberry.
I'm not sure if he's dismissing the idea that an outsider could understand flock, let alone be part of his, or if he's disputing that he's as much a part of our flock as I am, but there's more to unpack there.
"You are, though. A part of the rave. Mom says you're our flock, like all the corvids in town.
But you're also flock. You were there for us when I was born too sick to leave the hospital.
And I know you've always been around. I just don't know…
you're not the alpha who helped make me, are you? You're not in love with her?"
"No. I'm not. I'm an omega, for starters.
I love your mom in the sense that she's a flockmate I'm proud to call my dearest friend.
We understand each other. But if you're worried that I'm going to try to take her away from you, it's not going to happen.
I'm moving in next door because flock looks out for our own, and you and your mom are both important to me.
You've been my flock since you were a tiny squalling infant and you'll be my flock until you're old and gray. "
"Even though I can't shift? Or fly or preen or do anything most birds can do and a bunch of stuff even static humans can do easy?"
"Ooph. Bet you've heard a lot of nasty things about all that, huh?" I say, my heart breaking for the kid.
"Yeah. They say I'm not really a crow. Or an avian at all, since I can't shift.
I heard one of gran's friends tell her that I'm not even really part of the flock.
" Luca sways a bit and I'm worried he might be about to topple over.
Falling right now might snap the last strand keeping him from unraveling, he's so worked up.
"Oh, buddy, you are as avian as I am. You're flock." I don't blame him for being upset. Hell, I'm mad as hell even though I've heard similar words directed at myself and shrugged it off like so much featherdust. It's different when that vitriol is turned on a hatchling.