Birthday
Originally a gift for chibirachy on LJ, back in 2010. Edited and reposted on Ao3 in 2014. It's... very old.
“So according to this gentleman I just asked, we’re in the past.”
“Really? What year?” Aaeru asked from the Simoun’s cockpit, still trying to find their clothes trapped under their seats.
“My birth-year. In fact, it’s my birthday.”
Aaeru looked up to Neviril, unsure of what she heard.
“Your birthday? You mean, your first?”
“The day I was born, yes.” Neviril’s voice was soft and wistful. She didn’t quite look at Aaeru, either. Instead, her eyes were on the horizon.
Aaeru finally found the coat she was searching for and covered Neviril’s shoulders with it. She almost jumped; lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t seen her coming.
“Why don’t we go to your house then? I’d love to see you as a baby.” Aaeru asked, her smile obvious in her voice.
Neviril didn’t know how Aaeru could read her so perfectly or when did she learn to do it. She was so oblivious to anyone’s feelings when they met! Now she didn’t even need to express her thoughts for Aaeru to catch on instantly. She stayed still a few seconds more, eyes closed, pretending the warmth spreading in her chest was the sun’s fault, while Aaeru ran back to the Simoun, ready to go.
*****
They spent more time flying to her natal town than expected, because Aaeru kept saying the town should be North of the lake, despite Neviril remembering it on the Southern side. Their Simoun landed in a clearing behind the old manor that was Neviril’s parents’ house, and they rushed through the fields surrounding it and into the house without being seen.
Neviril knew the halls and rooms by heart, even though she had never seen this state of the house. Her old bedroom’s carpentry work was still ongoing – was she born early? She couldn’t remember. Refusing to linger on, she moved past it, guiding Aaeru. They stopped before her mother’s room as she heard voices inside.
In silence, they hid in the hallway, doing their best to catch the conversation.
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” an exhausted voice said, that Neviril recognized with a pang of tenderness as her mother’s.
“Indeed. She will be a lovely lady. But how are you, my dear?” That voice was Paraietta’s mother, their neighbor, and her mother’s best friend.
“I’m a little tired, but I’ll be fine in a matter of days.”
The sybillae overheard a little yelp, promptly followed by a laugh. “See, I think Paraietta already loves her. She wants to touch and play with her!” her mother said. Neviril felt Aaeru reaching for her hand in the hallway’s darkness.
Neviril looked at her. “I’m here, remember?” she whispered. Aaeru only nodded, her face hidden. Before she could say anything, they felt someone moving in their direction and disappeared upstairs.
“I still haven’t seen you as a baby, Neviril. We can’t leave now.”
Neviril pondered over the unsaid word for a few seconds. Aaeru was pushing for her sake. That much was clear, and it was enough to help reach a decision. “Let’s go back to the gardens. My mother’s bedroom has a window over them, and I don’t think there’ll be anyone around.”
*****
“So, what do I look like?”
“You’re gorgeous, as always.”
“Aaeru...”
“No, really. Look.” Without warning, Aaeru pushed her lover a step forward from their vantage point in the bushes, so she could see inside the bedroom. “Your mother is asleep and there’s no one else in the room, there’s no danger.”
There, in a handmade wood cradle, was herself. The baby was awake, blue eyes open, even brighter than her adult counterpart’s. Neviril lost herself in those eyes, her other self seeming to watch her intently as well, even though she knew babies had a terrible sight. Everything was blurry to them… and yet, baby Neviril stayed still, watching her. Then, abruptly, she opened her mouth to cry. Neviril jumped back and left the room in a hurry as her mother stirred in her sleep and woke up.
“Let’s go back to the Simoun, Aaeru.”
*****
The baby was back asleep now. She was only hungry, and she dozed off after being fed and a few lullabies. While the sunset’s colors started painting the room in shades of orange and pink, she thought about the strange vision she had just after waking up; like a grown-up Neviril, the same hair color, the same fire in her eyes already. Her mind couldn’t forget that image, nor could she forget the fact that the girl she saw – dreamed of? – wore a Sibylla uniform.
She smiled at her daughter and caressed the tiny pink hair covering the baby’s head.
One day, you will fly too. Just like her.