He was right, that did make Peri sad, but it also made him unbelievably angry. He straightened, scowling. “Those jerks! Why are kids so mean? You’re perfect as you are! They were probably just jealous!”
Wash studied him for a long moment before finally asking, “You really believe that, don’t you?”
“Of course I do!” Peri insisted, stomping his foot. “I like you just how you are. You make me feel safe and protected without that little voice in the back of my head telling me that if I’m not careful, you could accidentally hurt me just by leaning on me or something. You’re just the right size for me. Anyone who says any differently can say it to my face!”
It didn’t happen often that he got so angry, he was a happy person in general, but when he did, he didn’t hide it. Peri had always worn his emotions on his sleeve, and he wasn’t going to pretend he wasn’t mad that people mistreated his boyfriend. He wished he had been there. He would have put those bullies in their place and–
His stomach flipped as Wash teleported them far enough away to be out of sight while they could still hear the group talking nearby. Peri opened his mouth to ask what was going on when Wash’s lips crashed against his in a rough demanding kiss. He squeaked in surprise, the sound melting into a moan as Wash dragged him closer, plastering them together so tightly, it was almost impossible to tell where Peri began and Wash ended. Hands groped and tightened, breaths mingled. It was the kind of kiss that Peri would dream about, filled with an emotion that wanted to burst out singing. He held it back, because it felt too soon, but that didn’t mean he felt it any less. He was in love with a grumpy demon, and if he had his way, they would have stayed like that forever.
Wash’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and Peri’s started ringing a second later. Their absence had been noticed, and because Peri liked his ringtone too much to silence it, the group would find them soon. Supes had excellent hearing and the VP of the interdimensions division was a werewolf. Their hearing was better than anyone else’s.
The growl that came out of his boyfriend was demonic and didn’t help Peri get his libido under control. He was all riled up after a kiss like that, and knowing he wouldn’t be getting off any time soon made him whimper.
“I’m sorry,” Wash grumbled against his lips, kissing them softly in an apology. “I didn't mean to go that far.”
“How far did you mean for it to go?” he asked breathlessly.
A slow grin pulled at Wash’s lips. “Okay, maybe I did, but I’d fully planned on getting you off before we had to go back.”
Whining, Peri asked, “Do we have to go back?”
“Yes, you do!” Taron shouted far enough away that he wouldn’t immediately stumble onto their hiding spot but close enough that they only had seconds to get themselves back to rights. “This event is mandatory! Get your butts back here!”
Wash groaned, which made Peri snicker, but they eventually detangled themselves from each other and headed back to join the group. Wash refused to teleport, saying he wasn’t going to rush back to something he dreaded, and Peri didn’t complain. He needed a few minutes to cool off anyway.
Taron found them on the walk back, throwing an arm around Peri’s shoulders in a friendly way that made Peri beam at him. He always liked being physically affectionate with his friends. And Taron never held back, not even when Wash tried to jerk Peri away and glared at him.
“Hey!” Taron pointed a finger sternly at him. “He was my friend first. Don’t be selfish.”
Peri pursed his lips thoughtfully. Technically, that wasn’t true. He hadn’t met Taron until he’d already had a solid crush on Wash and was looking for any kind of excuse to get close to him. It wasn’t easy, Wash was a busy man, so he was glad that Taron had asked for help getting Wash to relax more. It gave him permission to be more demanding of Wash’s attention.
The pout Taron shot him made him laugh, and he bobbed his head just so Taron wouldn’t be sad. “Friends share. That’s a rule.”
“I’m all about sharing,” Taron nodded. “I have to be. I have two mates. I had to learn to share my sweet Tony with Zephyr so I could keep them both.”
“A hard learned lesson,” Zephyr grunted, snatching Taron away once they stepped out of the tree line. Wash had teleported them to one of the treasure hunt locations, so they hadn’t been that far away. Taron didn’t argue with his mate, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips before he was bouncing back to join the rest.
“‘Hard’ is definitely a word I’d use to describe it!” Taron called back with a cackle, squealing when Zephyr took off after him. Peri snickered as the couple chased each other around untilTaron went for Tony and was saved from Zephyr just by being in the human’s vicinity.
Once they rejoined the group, Taron spun to face Wash, his expression surprisingly serious when he said, “I understand if you’re not feeling up to flying after yesterday. You got hurt too. We figured Peri could just do the lower ones twice if you’d be more comfortable sitting it out.”
Wash shook his head, not taking the out Taron offered him. “I appreciate it, but I’m good. I’ll do my part.” He glanced at Peri, and Peri felt his heart skip when an affectionate smile ghosted across his face. “I’ve got a long weekend to earn.”
Thirty
“Go, go, go!” Peri cheered, cupping his hands around his mouth.
Since he’d been distracted by the little fairy, Wash hadn’t heard who was on their team until it was already too late. He’d been uncomfortable with the idea of being on the same team as Elijah, especially after the talk they’d had earlier, but with Peri around, there wasn’t a chance for things to get awkward before the races began.
Elijah was in the first leg, racing Avery and Darnell’s boyfriend, Tom, on foot into the forest to find ‘the sacred coil of destiny’ while Peri and the rest of their team cheered them on. There were spells following them so they could still watch after they’d disappeared into the trees, projecting the images onto magic mirrors that had been set out for each team. The spell would switch off when they passed the baton and Wash resisted the urge to wince at the thought of the entire leadership team watching him fly. It was only Peri’s words replaying in his head that forced that anxiety away.
You’re just the right size for me.
He’d always hated his size. Hated being the smallest. The only demon shorter than him that he knew was his uncle onhis mother’s side. Apparently, it was genetic, and he’d always resented his mother for having him when she knew it was a possibility he’d be ridiculed for his entire life. But Peri didn’t care about his size. He didn’t care that Wash was at least two feet shorter than the average demon. He preferred it, actually. Wash could understand his reasoning, Peri was even smaller than he was, and the risk that a clumsy significant other could actually hurt him would obviously make the fragile fairy nervous. He didn’t have to worry about that with Wash.
He’d never thought his size might end up being a good thing. That it would put his boyfriend at ease and make Peri feel more secure. He wasn’t quite sure how to wrap his head around the idea.
“Oh!”