“We’re not alone now,” Taron pointed out, poking Zephyr’s face and snickering when Zephyr snapped his teeth playfully. “Don’t be jealous of our awesomeness.”
Peri must have gotten jealous, because he hopped onto Wash’s back, wrapping his arms around Wash’s neck. Taron immediately sat straighter, his grin back at full force.
“The race has started already! Come on, Zeph! Giddy up!”
Zephyr’s face flattened, and he immediately released Taron, causing the shapeshifter to slip off his back with a squawk. He landed on his feet, but only just, and his pout was legendary. The only person who could pull it off better was Peri.
Twenty-Nine
Taron was still complaining about Zephyr dropping him when they headed outside. Peri would feel bad, especially since Wash hadn’t bothered to put him down, and he’d gotten a free ride to where the rest of the group was gathering, but the smirk on Zephyr’s face made him think this was just how they interacted. Taron complained, Zephyr teased him, and Tony made it all better. He could already see the human giving them both an exasperating smile filled with affection as he came to soothe Taron’s ruffled feathers.
“We’re on a team today,” Peri informed Wash, hugging his neck a little. “I made sure couples could stay together this time.”
“Thank the goddess,” Wash grumbled. “I would’ve feigned injury if you weren’t on my team for whatever insanity Taron had planned.”
Since Peri had checked his injury that morning and it was almost fully healed already, he probably wouldn’t have gotten away with that, but he didn’t say it out loud. His grumpy demon was just doing his usual grumbling. He’d have fun eventually.
“Ladies and Gentlemen!” Taron called their group to attention, standing on top of a picnic table with Zephyr hovering beside him, one hand on Taron’s leg to steady him. Taron didn’tcomplain about the protectiveness, his focus on the group as they gathered around. “As we all know, this is our last afternoon here. The work week waits for no one, and we’ve got plenty of ideas to tackle when we go back. I know you’re all sad about that, and I wish we could stay here longer and continue to have fun with each other—” The group chuckled, and Taron winked at them. “—But don’t worry. I’ve planned something epic as a final bonding event for us.”
“Am I getting heavy?” Peri whispered into Wash’s ear. His grip hadn’t faltered in the slightest, but Peri hadn’t expected to stay on his back during the whole speech.
“Not possible,” Wash smirked.
Peri rewarded his sweetness with a kiss on his cheek, getting more comfortable on Wash’s back. If it bothered his wings, Wash didn’t say anything, but to his knowledge, demon wings weren’t sensitive like fairy wings were. He’d lost track by now of the number of times Wash had lain on his back during sex with Peri on top of him. He never mentioned it bothering him.
Taron’s laughter drew him back to the conversation, and he watched as his friend put his hands up in surrender, his innocent grin failing to miss its mark entirely. “Relax, relax. I promise, none of the legs of this race are dangerous.”
“Alistair saw the plans,” Elijah pointed out from somewhere on the right. Peri couldn’t see him with all the giant supes in the way. “He approved them. I trust his judgment.”
“So do I,” Ozen agreed and Brennus nodded. They might not be willing to trust Taron, which seemed a little unfair to Peri, but they trusted Alistair. Peri was curious as to why, but he couldn’t ask Wash. Alistair was Elijah’s anchor, and Peri still hadn’t figured out a way to get Wash to talk more openly about his brother.
All eyes swung to Alistair, who dipped his chin once. “It’s fine. Think relay race with obstacles.”
“Obstacles?” Wash muttered under his breath, shooting Peri a suspicious look. “What kind of obstacles?”
Since Peri knew Wash was just as protective as Alistair, he felt it was better to be honest and explain. “For anyone with wings, there are moving hoops to fly through, controlled by spells from one of the staff members. I told Taron I couldn’t fly as high as Maverick or you can, so he made two legs, one with higher hoops and one with lower ones.”
He felt Wash stiffen beneath him, and when he released Peri’s legs, Peri slipped off his back, coming around the front to look at him. “Hey… What’s wrong?”
“I don’t… I don’t like flying in front of other people.”
Peri frowned, cocking his head. He’d never mentioned that before. “Why not?”
Wash’s expression darkened, and he looked away, a muscle ticking in his jaw. He looked like he didn't want to explain, which hurt Peri a little. They were boyfriends. They should be able to tell each other anything.
“Do you not trust me?” He couldn’t help the wobble in his voice, even though he tried to hide it. He didn’t want Wash to feel obligated to explain if he really didn’t want to.
Thankfully, Wash didn’t get angry about it, drawing Peri into his arms and resting his head on Peri’s. His voice was low, a grumbling whisper so he wouldn’t be overheard by the crowd who was still listening to Taron’s spiel about the race and what they could expect.
“I do trust you, baby. I just don’t like making you sad.”
Which meant the reason Wash didn’t want to fly would make Peri sad. He wanted to look up, to reassure his boyfriend that he could keep a rein on his emotions, but maybe it was better if he didn’t. He’d be able to mask his tears better hiding his face if Wash was right and it really did make him sad.
“I’ll be okay,” he urged reassuringly. “Tell me so I can tell you you’re wrong and the best and the hottest demon in all the realms.”
Wash snorted, which eased some of his tension, and hugged Peri a little closer. He didn't answer right away, and Peri didn’t rush him, half listening as Taron started going over team assignments and who chose the teams. Tony did, with a little help from Dorian, to make sure they were split up evenly with enough supes with wings in each group to make it fair.
With a sigh, Wash admitted, “I was teased when I was younger for being small. ‘Hugo the imp’ was a popular title for me. If they saw me flying, it only got worse. I stopped flying around other people just so I didn’t have to hear it anymore and get into another fight.”