“Stay out of it,” Wash snapped, his voice more of a growl than normal. “It’s between me and Peri.”
“I’m his manager. And I told you I wasn’t going to let you mistreat my temps. Just because you’re a grumpy asshole doesn’t mean you can take it out on Peri,” Kian countered, his voice tight with barely contained rage.
There was a large group surrounding the two men, thick enough that Peri couldn’t even see them. He could only hear their voices as they grew more and more angry. It was allhis fault. If he wasn’t so emotional, none of this would have happened.
“W-Wait!” he tried to call out above the shouting, but neither of them heard him. A few people in the back of the circle looked at him, but their expressions were all pitying, and they didn’t interject on his behalf. They tried to urge him away instead.
“You don’t need to watch this. It’s okay. Go back to the break room.”
“Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble. We all know it wasn’t your fault.”
Except it really was. Frustrated, Peri flew above the crowd, flitting over their heads and landing in the middle between Kian and Wash just as it looked like they might come to blows. He squeaked in surprise, flinching when someone grabbed him but pain didn’t follow. When he opened his eyes, he was behind Wash, whose wings were thrown out like they had been the day before at lunch, protecting him from Kian and the surrounding crowd.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Let him go!” Kian demanded.
Wash’s only response was a threatening growl, his fists clenched like he was about to throw a punch.
Since getting between them hadn’t worked, in a pathetic attempt to stop him, Peri jumped on Wash’s back, putting his hands out to stop Kian from losing it entirely. “Wait! He didn’t do anything!”
Wash, for his part, didn’t react to Peri on his back. He stood like a mountain of stone, his face unreadable with Peri only able to see the hint of his profile. Kian looked stunned, though, and the collective gasp of the group told him what he did was completely out of the ordinary. Peri felt his cheeks flush, but he didn’t see any other option. No one would listen to him before,and he got the feeling any attempt at getting around Wash’s wings would land him right back where he started.
“Peri…” Kian began, his expression concerned.
“He didn’t!” Peri insisted. “I brought him breakfast and overheard something that made me sad! Wash didn’t do anything!” Burying his face against Wash’s shoulder, he cried, “I’m sorry!”
The group fell silent for a long moment before Kian finally spoke again. “Alright, Peri… If you insist…”
He wasn’t strong enough to hold up his weight without a little help, so he wrapped his arms around Wash’s neck and tightened his legs to stop himself from falling off. Wash still didn’t flinch, like he was used to being climbed on. That made Peri strangely jealous, and he tightened his grip, burying his face a little more against the demon’s shoulder.
With a sigh, Wash finally spoke. “You’re going to choke me, Peri. I think they get it.”
Ten
Reluctantly, Peri released his grip and slid off Wash’s back, poking him when Wash didn’t immediately tuck his wings back in. With a grumble, Wash tucked his wings away, his arms crossed and glare firmly locked on Kian when Peri eventually stepped around him. While he still felt bad for upsetting Peri, he was pissed that Kian didn’t even speak to him before shouting accusations. He might not be an easygoing person, but he wasn’t a complete asshole. Especially not toward innocent people like Peri.
“This was all a misunderstanding,” Peri began. He had tear stains on his cheeks, and he still looked disheveled, though Wash didn’t know if that was just because of what had happened that morning or if climbing on Wash’s back had led to him looking like that. Either way, it made him itch to fix it. The little fairy needed to be cared for, and if it wasn’t for his colleagues’ interference, Wash would have taken care of things on his own.
“What made you cry?” Kian demanded.
Wash stiffened. He did not want his family business spread throughout the company.
Thankfully, Peri didn’t seem interested in spreading gossip. He waved away Kian’s demand, shaking his head. “It wasnothing. Just something I overheard. My cousin says I’m empathetic to a fault, so it shouldn’t be held against me. The only thing that matters is that Wash didn’t do anything.”
Kian’s expression was dubious, but no one seemed willing to argue with Peri, who was already upset. Kian dipped his chin in acknowledgement but didn’t hesitate to send Wash a warning look. “As long as it stays that way. Why don’t you come upstairs with me, Peri? If being down here is this upsetting, then we can have someone replace you and find you a different job.”
Wash’s chest lurched in protest, and it took everything in him not to let his expression show just how much he hated that idea. That dream turned hook up really threw him for a loop.
“I’m okay,” Peri refused with another head shake. “I like it here. Thanks for checking on me, though. I appreciate it.” He followed that with one of his bright smiles, and it seemed to put everyone at ease enough to disperse. Kian was the last to leave, still looking uncertain, but Peri waved him off, and Kian had no choice but to let it go.
Peri slumped once they all left, grimacing apologetically when he noticed Wash watching him. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve said something sooner. My emotions got the better of me, and I–”
“It’s fine,” Wash cut him off. He didn’t want to get into why Peri had been so upset earlier, so he changed the subject instead. “Dakota was looking for you earlier. She probably has some work waiting.”
Seeing the sweet fairy droop made Wash feel like an asshole, so he followed up with, “...Did you want to eat lunch together again today?”
Watching Peri brighten eased the tightness in his chest. “Yes, absolutely! I heard a lot of people talking about a sandwich shop yesterday afternoon. It seems really popular. Do you want to go there?”
Wash lifted a shoulder, already feeling awkward. He never went to lunch with his colleagues, so he had no idea what Peri was talking about. It showed just how enraptured this little fairy had him that he was willing to offer in the first place.