Chapter 13
Thirteen
Miles
I had some big plans for today, but I'd done my best to keep things simple at the same time. I was extremely aware of the fact that human life was still quite new for Duckie, and the last thing I wanted to do was overwhelm him.
I'd gotten the note idea from a show I'd watched, and after a bit of teasing, Rhiannon had happily spelled it for me.
Since Mateo had Snowball, he'd taken the car, which was just as well because walking would give me the chance to tell Duckie all about his new home.
"Ready?" I asked once Mateo had left, and Duckie peered at me with his dark, dark eyes before nodding. He looked nervous, but also a little excited. Or maybe I was imagining—hoping for—that part.
Leaving the house, we walked down the street side by side, my fingers twitching every time they accidentally brushed against Duckie's. I wanted to hold his hand, but I wasn't sure if he'd be open to it.
Rolling my eyes at myself, I cleared my throat and glanced over at him. "May I hold your hand?"
Duckie's eyes fell from mine to our hands, and I watched as he swallowed hard, then contemplated it for a moment before nodding.
Smiling, I wrapped my hand around his slightly bigger one, linking our fingers and giving it a squeeze.
Duckie sucked in a breath before squeezing back, and I pulled my gaze away from our joined hands with some difficulty.
"Do you like ice cream?" I asked as we drew closer to the town center, and he made a soft, humming sound.
"It's been a long time since I had some, but yes."
"Me too. There's this little ice cream shop on the next block. Wanna get some?"
Duckie nodded eagerly, and I squeezed his hand again, leading him across the street and to the ice cream shop.
It was one of the few remaining human-owned businesses in town, and from what Cam had told me, the guy who owned it had refused all of Raiden's offers to buy him out.
Of course, Raiden would never forcefully buy someone out, so the shop stayed.
A little bell jingled as we stepped into the shop, the air thick with the scents of chocolate and caramel.
The place was empty since it was about ten a.m. on a weekday, and Felipe, the shop owner, glanced up from behind the counter as we came in, his eyes flicking from me to Duckie.
"Hey, Miles. Where's your troublesome half?"
Chuckling, I headed to the counter as Duckie stuck to my side, glancing between us curiously.
Felipe was in his late twenties, with riotous dark curls that bounced around every time he moved, deep brown eyes, and soft brown skin. He got along great with most people, but especially Mateo.
While we tried to keep our distance from humans not in the know, Felipe was easy to get along with, and Mateo and I had spent many a free afternoons in this shop over the years, starting when Felipe's dad had run the shop.
"He's off doing his own thing. Felipe, this is my date, Duckie. Duckie, this is Felipe, and he makes the best ice cream in town."
Felipe gave a showy bow, making his dark curls fall forward, and Duckie smiled, the unease he'd been exuding disappearing instantly.
With both of us in our human form, I couldn't sense his emotions the way I would if one or both of us were in our bird forms, but his face was extremely easy to read.
I guessed since he'd grown up in his duck form, he'd never learned how to mask his emotions. I found it endearing.
"So what can I get you?"
I turned to Duckie, who eyed the display cases full of flavors with much trepidation.
"How about we get two flavors to share now and we can keep coming back until you've tried them all?
" I suggested, seeing Felipe's brows shoot up out of the corner of my eyes.
I imagined it would be strange for a human to suggest a commitment like that on a first date—though I had no idea how Felipe had figured out this was a first date—but Duckie and I weren't human.
We were fated mates, and while we were still getting to know each other, I had no doubt we would end up together.
Duckie thought about my suggestion for a long moment before nodding, then picked double chocolate with mint. I went with blueberry since I hadn't tried it yet, and we got them in cones so we could walk as we ate.
"Where to next?" Duckie asked curiously before taking a lick of his ice cream, and my heart skipped a beat as I watched his tongue move.
Swallowing hard, I dragged my gaze away as my dick twitched in my pants, reminding me it'd been a while.
"Miles?"
"Sorry. Is there anywhere in particular you'd like to go?" While I had a plan of my own, nothing was set in stone, and if Duckie wanted to go somewhere, I could easily fit it in.
Duckie thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. "I don't know what my options are. Whatever you've planned is good with me."
Nodding, I licked a trickle of ice cream off my hand, before it could reach my wrist, and then almost dropped the cone when Duckie tugged on my other hand as he tripped.
I jerked him up before he could fall as his ice cream fell out of the cone, and he sucked in a breath as he steadied himself, his face flushed as he peeked at me.
What the... Oh. Had he gotten distracted by me eating my ice cream? Like he'd distracted me?
Knowing I affected him too was thrilling, and I bit back a smile as I turned to him. "You okay?"
He nodded quickly, then eyed his empty cone mournfully.
"Want mine?" I asked, and he blinked at me, then at the cone in my hand, before his cheeks turned a darker shade of pink. "Or we can go back and get a new one."
"No, it's okay. Maybe later," he said, and I nodded, and after we'd gathered up the spill and dumped it in a nearby dumpster, we started walking again so he could take a moment to gather himself if he needed.
Duckie
All these feelings were so damned overwhelming, and yet I didn't want to stop experiencing them.
It was surprising to realize how muted my moods had been all these years.
While my duck form had helped me survive, it had also kept me from feeling much of anything.
While I'd been able to feel stronger emotions like fear, or attraction toward Miles and eagerness toward wanting to know Mateo better, they'd been a lot more muted.
I had forgotten what simple joys like eating an ice cream felt like, and I'd certainly never felt my whole body go hot at the sight of another person eating an ice cream.
But the way Miles had licked the ice cream off his own skin... Just thinking about it made me shiver, and I shook my head, pushing the image to the back of my mind to examine later.
"This way," Miles said once we'd finished our ice creams, and led me to a small doorway between a restaurant and a deli, where an old wooden sign read Betty's Books and Biscuits.
Miles pushed the door open, and a bell jingled as I stepped through, taking in the warmly lit room lined with shelves upon shelves of books. The smell of old books, leather, and coffee filled the air, and I walked deeper into the shop as Miles stayed a step behind me.
"Hey, Bettino," Miles greeted, and I followed his gaze to the man behind the counter.
He had very light blond hair and green eyes, and was a few inches shorter than Miles.
He seemed older than me, though he looked young, and he was definitely a shifter of some kind, but not one I'd come across before.
"Hey, Miles. Looking for anything in particular?"
Miles shook his head, then turned to me. "Duckie, this is Bettino. He owns this place. Bettino, this is my mate, Duckie."
I blinked, then smiled at Bettino, feeling a touch more comfortable when he returned it.
"There's fresh coffee and cookies in the back. Let me know if you need any help."
Miles nodded, then led me into the shelves full of old and new books.
"I thought we could buy something to read together later," he suggested, and I hummed thoughtfully.
"I'm not very good at it. I mean, I know how to read, but as you know, I didn't finish my schooling, so..."
"Mat and I can help you learn more, if you'd like," he offered, and I smiled. I did want to get better at it, like I wanted to learn more about the supe world, about the human world, and everything else I'd missed out on because of my fears.
"I'd like that."
We ended up browsing the shelves for quite a while, and even had some of the delicious cookies set up in the cozy reading area at the back, careful not to disturb the human napping on the couch.
Miles told me his name was Anson, and he was Bettino's mate.
Before coming to Mistvale, I'd thought mated pairs were rare, but now, I didn't know what to believe.
After debating between a few interesting choices, I settled on a series of graphic novels about two high school boys called Heartstopper.
Miles paid again since I didn't exactly have any money, and I wondered if a job even existed for someone like me, someone who had no skills and zero experience being an adult, much less a working one.
I hadn't thought about it until now, but Miles and Mateo had been paying for all my expenses since they brought me home, and that wasn't fair to them.
Mates were supposed to be equal partners, and right now, I was dependent on them.
Did they mind, or did they not care? I knew they weren't lacking for money, but that didn't mean they wouldn't appreciate it if I started pulling my weight, right?
"Bettino is a shifter, isn’t he?" I asked to get my mind off my lack of contribution to our relationship, and Miles hummed.
"He's a shapeshifter, actually. For a long time, he ran the store in the form of an old woman named Betty. But then he met his mate, and I guess he found the confidence to be himself after that."
I blinked, surprised by the parallel between our lives, and wondered if Bettino might be interested in being friends. I thought we'd be able to relate to each other in a way others—including my mates—couldn't.
"That's great. Is his mate a shifter too?"
"Anson's human, but he knows about supes now, of course."
"I can't imagine having a human mate. I probably would've spent my whole life in my duck form if my mates were human. We never would've found each other. I'm glad it's you and Mateo."
Miles beamed at me, making his dark eyes crinkle as the sunlight sparkled off his blond hair, and I couldn't look away. He was beautiful, and he was mine. How had I gotten so lucky?
"I'm glad you're my mate too," he said, giving my hand a squeeze, and I smiled, unable to help myself as I leaned over and pressed a very quick, very chaste kiss on his cheek.
Miles's eyes went wide, and a faint pink blush colored his cheeks before he shook his head and a soft smile bloomed on his lips.
He turned his gaze to the street, and I did the same as my heart fluttered in my chest, the warmth of his smooth skin lingering on my lips.
"I thought we could do some shopping next. You still need essentials, and more clothes. We ordered a few for you the other day, but maybe you'd like to buy some for yourself?"
I pursed my lips, unsure about having him spend even more money on me. But what was the alternative? Wearing these clothes—the ones they'd bought me the day we visited my mom—every day? Wearing Miles and Mateo's ill-fitting clothes? Going back to my duck form? Asking my mom for money?
None of those options sounded appealing, and I couldn't tell Miles I didn't want him spending money on me, not when he looked so eager about the prospect.
Maybe I could pay him back once I figured out the job thing. There had to be something I could do to make some money, right?
"That sounds good. I don't need anything fancy, though."
Miles nodded, though I wasn't sure if he was agreeing with me or humoring me. Still, I let him lead the way, pushing all worries about money to a corner of my brain so I could enjoy this date Miles had planned for us.
So far, it'd been the best day I'd had in a long time, and I knew it was only going to get better from here.