Page 46 of Miles's Pact
A soft, shuffling sound pulled me out of my sleep, and I squinted into the dark room as I tried to figure out what it was. Snowball was out cold in his bed, so it hadn't been him.
Focusing further out, I heard footsteps padding down the stairs. Was one of the twins up? What were they doing up at this hour?
Curious and not quite sleepy enough to fall back asleep, I slipped out of bed and made my way downstairs, finding Miles leaning against the kitchen counter with a glass of water in his hand, the thumb of his other hand stroking his wrist.
He glanced up when I came into the kitchen, his brows furrowing. He was doused in shadows, only the side of his face lit by the moonlight filtering in through the window behind him. He looked unreal, like something out of a fairytale. Or a dream.
"Hey, did I wake you? Sorry about that," he said in a low voice, probably wanting to avoid waking Mateo too.
Shaking my head, I offered him a tender smile as I closed the distance between us, leaning against the counter beside him. "I don't mind. Are you okay?"
Miles blew out a soft breath, then hummed. "Just had a bad dream."
"Do you wanna talk about it?"
He shook his head, then let it rest on my shoulder, making my heart skip a beat. Carefully, I slid my arm behind his back, and he leaned further into me, letting me support his weight as he relaxed.
This close, I could hear the steady thumps of his heart, and my lungs were filled with the warm, slightly spicy scent of him. It reminded me of sitting under a tree warmed by the sun, of being sheltered and safe. I wondered if I made Miles feel safe in some way too.
The clink of the glass touching the kitchen counter broke the silence, but Miles made no move to pull away, and I had no intention of letting him go.
If I weren't a supe, I'd be shocked by how quickly my feelings for Miles—and Mateo—had deepened, but since I was, it felt like the most natural thing in the world.
"You should try to get some sleep," I said after a while, and Miles hummed in agreement as he slowly straightened up. Ireluctantly dropped my arm, releasing him from my hold as he took a step back, then took his glass to the sink. I opened my mouth to wish him a good night, and ended up saying something different. "Would you like to sleep in your room?"
Miles blinked, a confused look on his face. "You want to bunk with Mateo?"
I ducked my head, giving it a slight shake. What was I doing?
"No. I thought you and I could..." I trailed off, then thought better of it and added, "Maybe in our bird forms?" I'd cuddled with him in that form before, on the couch. It had felt nice. We could do that again, and maybe it would give Miles some comfort too, make him fall back asleep and forget whatever dream had woken him in the first place.
Miles gazed at me for a long moment before his lips curved in a tender smile. "I'd like that." He held his hand out to me, and I took it without hesitation.
We made our way back to Miles's room as quietly as possible, and I went in first, adjusting the pillows before shifting and flying into the bed as Miles—in his barn owl form—slipped through the gap I'd left in the door for that purpose.
He flew up onto the mattress, joining me in the nest of pillows I'd set up, and I pulled the blanket over us with my beak before settling in. Miles snuggled into my larger form, and I wrapped a wing around him, holding him close.
Goodnight, Duckie, Miles said through the link, his words followed by a wash of happiness and contentment.
Sweet dreams, Miles, I replied as I let my eyes fall shut, breathing him in as I allowed myself to relax and unwind.
It didn't take long for me to feel sleepy again, but I still waited until Miles had drifted off before letting myself follow him into oblivion.
When I woke up the next morning, I was alone in bed, but a note waited on the pillow beside me.
Shifting and quickly pulling on my clothes from last night, I grabbed the note, unfolding it as I stood up.
Thank you for last night. It meant a lot to me. Come downstairs when you're up. I'm going to make pancakes. (Or make Mat make them.)
Chuckling, I folded the note and placed it in the drawer with the magical date note from the other day, wondering if I was cheesy for saving them, but not caring if I was.
After freshening up and grabbing a quick shower, I went downstairs, finding Miles and Mateo bickering in the kitchen while Snowball chased their feet, his tail wagging a mile a minute as he waited for them to drop something he could gobble up.
Mateo spotted me first, and he waved at me with the spatula he was holding. "Morning, Duckie. What do you want on your pancakes? Choco chips or blueberries?"
"Morning. And, uh, blueberries?" I said, though it sounded more like a question, and Mateo mock-saluted, still with the spatula.
"You got it."
"Hey," Miles said as he walked across the small kitchen, and my lips curved up automatically, like seeing him was enough to make my day better.
"Hey. Did you sleep okay?"
Miles nodded, his dark eyes warm as he reached for my waist, then stepped closer so he could press his lips against mine. I sucked in a soft breath before kissing him back, my hands falling to his hips when he tried to step back. I deepened the kiss, using the tip of my tongue to trace his lips. I hummed when I tasted blueberries on them, and Miles made a soft sound low in his throat, making my grip on his hips tighten.
Remembering we weren't alone, I slowly broke the kiss and put some distance between us, though I couldn't bring myself to let go completely. I snuck a glance behind Miles, but Mateo was focused on the pancakes, though judging by the smile on his face, he'd caught some of that. I didn't mind. Mateo was a big part of our lives, and being shy around him wouldn't serve us in the long term. Unless he explicitly told us he didn't want to see the PDA, I wasn't going to let his presence stop me from kissing Miles.
"Come on, let's eat," Miles said, and I nodded, letting him tug me toward the counter as Mateo admonished Snowball for making him trip,again.
