Chapter 14
Fourteen
Miles
Since Duckie was insistent he didn't want any 'fancy' clothes, we went to Threads & Needles instead of Wish For It, since it was a more suitable choice for everyday clothes.
Threads & Needles was nothing like Wish For It. It was full of rows upon rows of similar-looking t-shirts, hoodies, shirts, sweatpants, and jeans in various but comparable shades of colors.
At first, Duckie seemed a little overwhelmed by all the choices, but once he got the hang of it, he quickly found clothes he liked, including some colorful graphic tees, some sweatpants, jeans, and a soft brown leather jacket that made him look hot as fuck.
He also got some socks, underwear, as well as shoes, and after we'd paid for our purchases—which would be delivered home, thankfully—I decided to take Duckie to my favorite bakery in TOSS for an early lunch.
TOSS, short for The One Stop Shops, was Mistvale's version of a strip mall, only ours was full of locally owned stores and had no chain stores.
We walked past Mama's Kitchen, All You Need—the small supermarket, which was kind of an oxymoron in itself—and Bean Time, before coming to a stop at our destination.
"Hey, Miles. Who's this?" Brittany, part-owner of She Bakes, She Brews asked as we approached the counter, and I smiled at her, then gestured toward Duckie.
I wondered what he thought about the fact that I knew practically everyone we'd met today.
It was the way things were in a town this small, but Brittany and her mate were also a part of the Mistvale clan.
"Hey. This is Duckie, my mate. Duckie, this is Brittany. She's a part of our clan, and makes amazing tea."
"Flattery, huh? I'll allow it. It's nice to meet you, Duckie," Brittany greeted, her blue eyes sparkling as she beamed at Duckie. "What can I get for you?"
After looking over today's offerings—while they had a base menu, Iris, Brittany's mate and the baker, rotated through a few specials that I could never resist—we ordered a few sandwiches, two pieces of brownies, and some cinnamon tea.
We claimed a table in the corner that looked out through the glass storefront into the rest of the mall, and I placed our bag of books on the empty chair as Duckie took the one across from me.
"Are you having fun?"
Duckie's smile was instant, and it was comforting. While I'd hoped today would be fun for him, I'd been worried I might be trying too hard, or pushing him too far outside his comfort zone.
"I am. The more I see of this town, the more I like it. And the people here are so nice."
I couldn't argue with that. A large part of the credit for that went to Raiden and his dragon magic.
His shield over this town protected it from people with ill intentions, and while some managed to slip through every once in a while—like the asshole who'd attacked Finn and Levi two months ago—Mistvale was safer than most towns in the country, maybe even the world.
"They are. It took me a while to accept that when I first moved here, to trust that people were as nice as they seemed."
Duckie turned thoughtful, and he seemed hesitant about saying whatever was on his mind. I offered him a nod of encouragement, and he bit his lower lip, pulling my attention to his lips for a moment before I dragged my gaze back to his.
"Can I ask about your past? Mateo told me a little bit, but..."
I hadn't intentionally avoided talking about my past—or maybe I had. Despite all the time that had passed and all the healing I'd done, talking about my early childhood was still a sore spot for me. But I knew all about Duckie's past, and he deserved to know about mine.
"Of course. You can ask anything you want."
Duckie nodded, his fingers tapping away at the table for a beat before he asked, "Your birth parents?"
"Never knew them. I think they died soon after we were born. At least, that was what we were told at the group home. We ended up in a few foster homes over the years, but it never stuck."
Before Duckie could speak, Brittany appeared with our order, but she sensed we were in the middle of a conversation and didn't linger.
"But then you were kidnapped?" Duckie asked once Brittany was gone, and I nodded, my right hand reaching for my left wrist without a conscious thought. I rubbed at the smooth skin, the scars long gone thanks to Uncle Raph, and Duckie's eyes dropped to my hand.
"Yeah." I cleared my throat, taking a sip of the sweet tea before elaborating.
"By dark witches. They used our blood for black magic.
Mateo and I were held with a bunch of other kids.
We were there for a while before we were rescued.
Maximus, the leader of the people who rescued us, brought us here because he knew Raiden could keep us safe, and that's when our dads adopted us. "
I still remembered the day I'd first seen Maximus. With his blood-soaked sword, he'd looked like a knight, and he'd been as noble. He'd freed us from hell, and brought us to the closest thing to heaven that existed in this world.
"That sounds terrifying. I'm so sorry you had to go through that," Duckie murmured, and I nodded.
I wanted to say that he'd had it worse, that at least I hadn't had to go through any of it alone.
I hadn't had to watch my parents get murdered.
But I didn't say that, because I knew our experiences were different.
It would be crazy to try to compare the two.
"It's in the past now," I said with a smile, shaking away the memories that I'd happily forget.
The only good thing that had come from getting kidnapped was that Mateo and I had ended up here.
That I got to be Miles Romanov-Baudelaire.
That I had a family, and a place to belong.
Sometimes, I thought it was a fair trade.
Duckie nodded, but I could tell from his expression that he understood perfectly that it was never truly in the past. My early childhood had shaped the person I was today, like Duckie's had shaped him. But that didn't mean I was going to let my past affect my present, or my future with him.
We switched to lighter topics as we ate, and Duckie told me about his experiences as a duck, following behind flocks of actual ducks during migration season, avoiding getting hunted by humans who wanted to eat him—while Duckie made it sound funny, I was sure it'd been anything but that when it'd actually happened—and all the strange little experiences he'd gained in his web-footed form.
After we'd finished our food, we decided to watch a movie since Duckie hadn't done that in years, and we settled on a romantic comedy that was showing in twenty minutes.
Since it was a weekday, the theater wasn't crowded, and after we'd gotten some popcorn and soft drinks—despite the fact that we were full from lunch, neither of us had felt right watching a movie without popcorn—we found our seats as the lights went down and the preview started to play.
When Duckie slid his hand into mine a few minutes later, the lingering shadows of my past dissipated away as I returned his hold, soaking in the warmth and comfort he offered.
Duckie
I'd forgotten how fun watching a movie in the theater could be.
The big screen, the scent of buttery popcorn in the air, the way being in the dark room made you feel like you were the only person in the world.
.. until something funny happened on screen and everyone around you joined in with your laughter.
Being here with Miles made it all the better, even though it was awkward to share the tub of popcorn with one hand. Neither of us were willing to let go of each other, so we found a way to make it work, though we'd dropped more popcorn than we'd eaten in our struggle.
The movie itself was quite fun, lighthearted and cheerful, and I found myself wanting to know what the future held for the couple when it ended.
By the time we left TOSS, the sun was low in the sky, and I couldn't believe the day was already ending. I didn't want our date to stop, but I knew we'd have to head home soon enough.
"Do you want to go home?" Miles asked as he pulled me close and linked his arm with mine, and I glanced over at him, meeting his dark eyes.
"Not really. I...I'm having a lot of fun, and I don't want this day to end."
Miles smiled brightly, and it sent my heart tumbling over itself. I wanted to make him smile like that all the time.
"So am I. I do have something planned for dinner, if you're up for it."
I nodded eagerly, and he chuckled, then glanced around before pulling me into a dark alley. Stopping when we were hidden from view, Miles pulled back.
My breath caught in my chest as our eyes met, and I wondered if he was about to kiss me. I'd never kissed someone before, and I really, really wanted to be kissed by Miles.
Giving me a soft smile that told me he could tell exactly what I was thinking, Miles took a step back and pulled his phone out of his pocket.
"One sec," he murmured as his thumbs flew over the touchpad. His phone buzzed, and he smiled at whatever text he'd received before sending something back and putting his phone away.
Before I could ask what was happening, a stirring in the air behind me made me jump, and I turned to see a... a portal opening in the dark space.
"Come on," Miles said as he took my hand once more, and I followed after him, shivering as the magic of the portal washed over me.
The scent of fresh grass and moss filled my nose as we stepped through on the other side, and the portal disappeared a moment later, leaving us standing at the edge of a small lake, an old, arching maple tree on the other side offering the perfect canopy to sit under.
I blinked, then glanced around, my gaze catching on the blanket spread out under a tree laden with glowing yellow fairy lights. A large basket sat beside the blanket, as well as a small cooler and a stack of dishes.
"What..." I trailed off, unable to process what I was seeing. How had Miles even arranged all of this?
As if reading my mind, Miles squeezed my hand. "Mateo helped. And Rhiannon, with the portal." He must have noticed my confusion because he added, "She's Rebba's mate."
Ah, I knew Rebba. She was the alpha of the Mistvale shifter pack, and the woman who'd brought me to her shelter and then introduced me to Mateo.
"This is... wow," I exhaled, unable to find words to express how much I liked it.
"I thought we could shift for a bit. We could swim or fly, and then we can have a meal together. What do you think?"
I thought he'd saved the best part of the date for the last. I also thought he knew me far better than I'd thought. How had he known I'd want to shift and destress for a bit after all the excitement of today?
"I think it sounds wonderful," I said, and got another of his bright smiles as a reward. I'd noticed that while Miles was a lot less expressive than his twin, when he did feel happy, he showed it easily.
We used the shelter of the nearby trees to change—while I had seen Miles naked when he shifted in front of me before, it felt different now, more intimate—into our bird forms, and then Miles followed me into the cool lake.
While I swam around, his owl form sank underwater before he started flapping his wings, though his feathers weren't made for this.
Your feathers are getting waterlogged. You should climb up on me.
Nah, I'm okay, he replied as he swam around me, his heavy wings dragging through the water.
Miles, I insisted, and he sighed before carefully clawing his way up onto my back. I mentally cheered. He was a perfect fit! We spent the next few minutes quietly soaking in each other's presence.
The sun was gone, and I could see stars twinkling away in the sky as their reflection danced across the water.
The night breeze blew ripples against the lake surface, and Miles shook out his wings, spraying me with water.
I nudged him playfully in return, which almost sent him toppling back into the water until he dug his talons in.
My amusement was reflected by his through our bond, and I hoped we'd do this all the time from now on. Not visiting this lake per se, but spending time in our bird forms.
Something was different about it, about being close without needing words to fill the silence. It was pure and beautiful. Something magical.