Page 35 of Miles's Pact
Twelve
Miles
Under the dirt and mud, the puppy was the purest white I'd ever seen. His eyes were the only dark spots on him, his nose an almost-white pink. He was weak, skin and bones, but once we'd gotten him cleaned and warmed up, he'd become less passive.
I was still going to take him to Uncle Raph tomorrow to make sure everything was okay, but for now, I figured food and rest were the way to go.
"I've got puppy food!" Mateo called as he burst through the front door, and Duckie, who'd been sitting on the couch with the puppy in his lap, glanced up, grinning the moment Mateo stepped into the room. "I got the wet stuff because I figured it would be easier to eat. I'll put it in a bowl."
While Mateo did that, I filled another bowl with water, and he glanced over at me. "Duckie seems to like the puppy."
"Yeah. We were planning to adopt one anyway. This seems like destiny," I said, and Mateo nodded, then poked me with his elbow. "You wanna bunk up tonight? Duckie and puppy can take your room."
I smiled because that was what I'd thought earlier today, minus the puppy. Sometimes, having a twin who could practically read your mind was nothing short of a blessing. Other times, it was the ultimate curse.
"Sounds good."
The puppy attacked his food with a vigor that showed how long he'd been starving. We'd given him a small portion so he wouldn't make himself sick, but the pitiful sounds he made when he'd licked the bowl clean almost made me give in.
"Don't," Mateo warned, sensing my breaking resolve, and I sighed.
"I won't, I won't. He's so... cute."
"He is," Duckie agreed with a smile, running his fingers over the once-more-tired puppy's head. "He needs a name."
I pursed my lips, then shared a glance with Mateo, knowing he agreed with me. "You should name him."
"Really?"
The surprise and joy on Duckie's face made my heart skip a beat, rendering me speechless.
Seeing that I was in no condition to answer, Mateo jumped in. "Yeah. He clearly likes you, so you should do it."
Duckie glanced down at the puppy, and his brows furrowed in concentration as his lips moved, as he tried out some names. When he found the one he liked, he nodded, then glanced up at us.
"Snowball."
A wide, delighted smile filled my face, and I resisted the urge to pull Duckie into a tight hug. Snowball was something a kidwould name his first pet, and I wondered if maybe SnowballwasDuckie's first pet.
Growing up, there hadn't been a lack of animals in our house. April, Dad's familiar, and Saaya—the blackest of black cats, who could travel through shadows—Micah's familiar, had always been around. And how could I forget the hamsters, the rogue hedgehog, and the few other small critters Papa had adopted at one point or another?
While Duckie had interacted likely with a variety of animals while he lived as a duck, it wasn't the same as having one as a pet.
"That's a great name," I said since he was watching us expectantly, and he smiled, making my heart overreact once more.
"Yup! Welcome to the family, Snowball," Mateo said, and the puppy's head tilted to the side, as if he knew Mateo was talking to him.
We spent a while with the puppy. Then Duckie took him into the backyard so he could do his business. While he did that, I went upstairs and changed my sheets and made sure my room was ready for Duckie.
Mateo had also bought a dog bed and some toys, and I placed them between the bed and the wall so Snowball could sleep close to Duckie.
When I got back downstairs, Duckie was carefully wiping Snowball's paws with a wet cloth, and I stood there in the doorway, watching him. He was such a kind soul, despite all the shit he'd been through.
It'd taken me years after our dads adopted us to open myself up to people again. I'd struggled to trust everyone who wasn't my twin, and it had taken years of the people of Mistvale showing me how good they were before I was ready to accept it.
And yet here was Duckie, who'd until very recently been committed to spending his life as a duck, not trusting anyone or anything. How had we earned his trust so easily?
Duckie glanced up, freezing when he found me watching him before giving me a hesitant smile.
