Page 143 of The Pushy Pixies Are Going Down
Well, that wasn’t true at all, but I wasn’t about to say that out loud to them.
“I know that,” Miles said, clearing his throat. “You guys are doing great by yourselves, but you don’t have to be alone. We can help. We want to help.”
Chaos stared at him again, his jaw ticking. “You really want two unhoused teenagers sleeping in your house? What if we steal your shit and leave? You really want to take that chance?”
Did he forget that they’d spent the night last night? Although, I supposed that was different since we’d all been in the living room together, watching a baby dragon hatch.
Without missing a beat, Miles said, “Yes. And I don’t believe for one second that either of you are the type to steal from me. But even if you are, I don’t care. You need a place to live, and I have the room. I don’t… I don’t want to watch another kid get… hurt…” He trailed off with a grimace, looking upset, so I rubbed his back.
Chaos and Aeson stared at Miles for a long moment before they looked at one another and did that twin telepathy thing they seemed to have going on for them.
“Listen, guys, I know you’re nervous, and I get it. But the truth is that it’s starting to get colder and colder at night. Pretty soon, there’ll be snow and ice everywhere. You need somewhere warm to stay. So… stay with me.Please.”
After another minute, Aeson looked at Miles and quietly asked, “Are you sure?” He looked so nervous and shy, which was so very unlike him.
“Absolutely.”
They exchanged another look before Ace nodded and met Miles’s eyes. “We’ll come stay with you.Temporarily. But we can leave anytime we want.”
Miles nodded. “Agreed. You can stay as long as you like. And if you want to stay longer, then we can get the official paperwork going, okay?”
They did their silent twin thing yet again, then Aeson nodded at us. “Alright. Deal.”
Miles seemed to sag with relief so much I had to hold him up so he didn’t melt into a pile on the ground.
“You’ll meet us there?” I asked them.
I knew they technically weren’t allowed to drive since they were too young, but at this point, we had to pick our battles. The driving thing would have to be brought up later, after Miles was their legal guardian or something.
One step at a time.
Chaos nodded. “Yeah, we’ll meet you there.”
I started to pull Miles to the car, but he stopped and turned back, asking, “You’re really coming, right? I promise we won’t do anything with the paperwork or anything like that without your permission.”
Chaos clenched his jaw, but after he glanced at his brother, he gave a nod. “Yeah, we’re coming.”
“Thank you.”
I wasn’t sure why Miles felt the need to thank the kids when he was the one offering up his home, but it was kind of cute of him.
I dragged him to the passenger seat, shut his door, and climbed into the driver’s seat. I waited for the kids’ car to start, then I slowly pulled out of my spot and headed for home. Er, for Miles’s home.
While I drove, I kept glancing back to make sure the kids were following.
I parked in Miles’s driveway since his work truck was on the street, and the kids parked in front of his house. They seemed cautious when they got out, but as soon as we all made it inside and the pets all came forward to greet us, they calmed a little.
Miles asked, “Do you need anything?”
“Nope,” Chaos said.
Ace hesitated, then asked, “Can I hold the hatchling?”
“Oh. Of course. Here.” Miles carefully took the sling off, and the two of them worked together to get the sling hooked onto Ace securely with the hatchling still inside it.
I didn’t think anyone was surprised when Miles asked, “Are you guys hungry?”
“We ate during our dinner break,” Chaos said while petting Goliath and not looking up.
