“Doth my eyes deceive me? Did our resident grump just smile?” Taron demanded, a wide grin on his face. “Peri, you little miracle worker!”
The tiny smile vanished, and Wash rolled his eyes, nudging Peri toward the opposite end of the table. “Let’s go sit over there.”
“Hey! Wait! No! Bestie, come back!” Taron pleaded. Wash tried to ignore him, but Peri tugged him back and sat across from the throuple, snickering at Wash’s put out expression.
“Have I mentioned lately that you’re my new favorite?” Taron queried, passing Peri his menu.
Peri winked and blew him a kiss, which made Taron laugh, but to his surprise, Wash snatched him out of his seat and into his lap, scowling at him.
“No. No blowing kisses at Taron. Or anyone else,” he growled low enough that most of the table didn't hear. Taron did, if the smirk was anything to go by, but he pretended otherwise, taking a sip of the drink Ozen brought him to hide his expression.
The possessiveness made Peri melt, and he tossed his arms around Wash’s neck, rubbing their noses together. “Okay. I’ll only blow kisses at you from now on.”
Wash was satisfied with that answer, but he didn’t let Peri get up from his lap until the food was served. Peri was smiling so much, his cheeks hurt. Possessive boyfriends for the win.
“Hey, who won the treasure hunt?” Taron piped up while Zephyr was cutting his food for him. He looked around the table eagerly before zeroing in on his mate’s notebook. He tipped his head at Tony.
Tony, for his part, looked like he was fighting back a smile when he admitted, “You did. You and Wash found all the hidden items first and got back here before everyone else.”
“Ha! See, Wash? I told you that was the last one we needed!”
Wash sighed heavily, but Peri didn’t miss the way his gaze flicked to Taron’s injured wrist before he reconsidered his words and gritted out, “Yeah, Taron. You were right. Congratulations.”
Taron looked baffled at Wash’s response, and the wide eyed confusion made Peri burst into giggles. Wash was obviously being nice because Taron was hurt, but Taron didn’t know how to handle it. He gaped at Wash until he scowled and refused to look at Taron again. Then he shot a stunned look at Peri. “You really are a miracle worker.”
“Eat your food and stop irritating the man,” Zephyr interjected, handing Taron his fork. Of course, Taron used the opportunity to bat his eyelashes at his mate, his pout putting Peri’s to shame easily. “You aren’t going to feed me? I’m injured…”
Unlike Wash, who didn’t have enough patience for Taron’s antics, Zephyr grinned at that pout, leaning in to whisper into Taron’s ear. Whatever he said made Taron shudder and nod, taking his fork with his left hand and shoveling a bit of food into his mouth.
“Can we all have lessons on how you do that?” Isaac asked blandly. He was sitting next to Elijah at the other end of the table, watching on with amusement as Taron opened his mouth to comment, shot a look at Zephyr, then closed it again, turning back to his food.
“No,” Zephyr denied him, his grin almost shark-like. “I get the feeling you wouldn’t be able to follow through.”
No one needed any further explanation as to what Zephyr was promising to get Taron to behave. Peri hid a snicker behind his hand, replying in kind when Taron shot him a wink.
“This is a company retreat,” Wash pointed out grumpily.
“We’re all friends here,” Brennus argued, surprising them all. “We’re also all adults and most of us are mated. I think a little commentary is fine.”
The table was shocked silent for a long moment before Ozen started laughing. He laughed so hard, it became contagious, and the rest of the table joined him. Even Wash huffed a small laugh, shaking his head. Peri beamed at that small sign of camaraderie. This was a good group for his boyfriend. They understood his grouchiness but didn’t let it bring them down. Nor did it dissuade them from drawing him into the conversation. If Peri could convince Wash to let them in, he’d never be wanting for friends with this group.
“There you are.”
Wash had woken up alone, the sheets rumpled and his boyfriend missing. He’d gone looking for him, concerned Peri had been stolen away by Taron or Kian to cause some kind of mischief. He should have known he’d find Peri in the retreat kitchens, a little corner near the ovens covered in baking supplies, and his sweet boyfriend humming to himself and dancing to music only he could hear as he stirred ingredients together in a bowl. He looked up when Wash spoke, beaming at him, and Wash noticed a little spot of flour on his nose.
Rounding the counter, he leaned his hip against it, not wanting to interrupt Peri’s flow, but still wanting to be close. It’d only been a few weeks since they met and already Wash was starting to despise the moments they were apart. This little fairy was very quickly becoming his whole world.
The thought came out of nowhere, and he blinked a few times when he realized it. Was he falling for Peri? He’d never been in love before, but the more time he spent with Peri, the more he wanted. When he watched the little fairy dancing around the kitchen, he wanted nothing more than to drag him into his arms and never let go. Was that love? Or was that him being possessive and demanding? He almost didn’t want to know. He was an asshole, he knew that. He didn't want to drag Peri down with him.
“Try this,” Peri demanded, interrupting his train of thought as he offered him a bite of something covered in sticky sweetness that smelled delicious. Wash obligingly took a bite, humming in approval as the flavors hit his tongue.
“What is that?” he asked, snagging Peri’s wrist to steal another bite. Peri giggled at Wash’s playfulness, holding the treat out so Wash could finish it.
“Churro crullers. I made fruit and cream cheese pastries too, but I was feeling fancy and wanted to try something new. Do you like them?”
“They’re amazing,” Wash agreed. “You’ve got real talent, you know?”
Peri’s cheeks turned a pale shade of pink, his expression pleased. Wash looked down at the trays of pastries already waiting to go to the dining room for breakfast, then the oven filled with even more.