A small swell of disappointment made Peri frown, but he pushed it away, offering the box to Kian instead. “Morana said you have dietary restrictions, so they’re vegan. I made enough for people to share.”
Curious, Kian opened the box, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise when he looked inside. “Woah. Is that an expansion spell? How many are in there?”
Peri looked at the ceiling as he counted in his head. “I think around three hundred? I wasn’t sure how many people I’d be working with. I always make big batches, though, so it wasn’t hard.”
Dakota was practically leaning over the counter to see inside the box, her mouth popping open in surprise when she saw the contents. “You made three hundred cupcakes? In one night?”
Peri shrugged, his smile sheepish. “I like baking.”
Kian snorted, pulling out a cupcake. “‘Like’ seems like an understatement if you’re this good.”
They were all decorated to look like sunflowers on top since Peri wanted to make a good impression, and sunflowers were happy flowers. The box, a gift from his father, expanded to fit each one and kept them from getting smushed or jostled even if he dropped them. It’d been the best gift he’d ever received, and his mother was still competing to get him something better ever since. Gift giving was her love language, and she pouted for days when Peri cried after getting the present, but only hugged her three times when getting hers.
Dakota made gimme hands and snagged her own after Kian handed her the box, taking a big bite. Her groan of approval made several heads turn and a few of her colleagues came to see what the fuss was about. Soon, the reception desk was crowded with Spellbound employees, all clamoring for a cupcake. Kian and Peri actually had to move out of the way to make room for people trying to reach over them. Kian was tall enough that he’d probably be fine, but Peri didn’t want anyone accidentally brushing his wings. That wouldn’t be pleasant.
“Well, when it comes to first impressions, you sure know how to make an entrance,” Kian said with a smirk, wiping frosting from the corner of his mouth and licking his thumb. “Those were delicious.”
“Thank you. I… Do you think I should bring one to him?”
When Kian raised an eyebrow, Peri gestured in the direction Hugo had gone, nibbling his bottom lip. It seemed like everyone on the research floor was going to get a cupcake except the demon. He didn’t want him to miss out.
Kian sighed. “I mean, you can try, but Hugo isn’t the friendliest guy at the company. He’s not outright rude, but Dakota was right. He doesn’t like people, and he avoids crowds like this like the plague. If you’re going to offer him one, you’re going to have to bring it to him. And don’t take offense if he refuses. I don’t think it’s personal with anyone.”
Peri nodded, his wings fluttering a little and giving away his nerves. “I won’t. Promise.” He glanced at the crowd still surrounding reception, considering his options. He could fly overhead, but some species didn’t like that. Until he knew everyone a little more, it was better to keep his feet on the floor.
Kian snapped, and two cupcakes appeared in his hand. He offered one to Peri with a grin, ignoring the complaint from the desk about someone cheating and using magic. “Good luck, sunshine. I get the feeling you’ll need it.”
Four
Wash had barely started working when there was a knock at his door. Annoyed, he thought about ignoring it, but if it ended up being Ozen, that might just make his day more difficult. With a frustrated growl, he pushed out of his seat and stomped to his door, opening it a crack with a grouchy “What?” already spilling from his mouth before he even knew who was standing there. He regretted it the minute it came out. Then again, the last person he expected to see standing at the door was the little fairy from before with a cupcake in his hands and a smile on his face.
He didn’t often meet men smaller than him, which made his dating life difficult for… reasons, but the fairy couldn’t be more than a handful of inches over five feet, with a couple of inches added at the tips of his wings. The wings themselves were a shimmery opal color, pretty common for fairies, and sparkled in the direct sunlight from the window nearby. His hair, curling near the tips of his pointed ears, was a light blue, with hints of pale purple threaded throughout. His rosy cheeks and big blue eyes made him look innocent and sweet, and the light pink poet shirt with the billowy sleeves and high-waisted navy bluepants only added to the effect. He looked like he belonged in a fairytale.
It took Wash a long moment to realize he was staring at the fairy, and he only noticed when the tips of Peri’s ears turned pink and his smile turned shy. Goddess, even that made him look cute.
Clearing his throat, he frowned at the fairy. “Did you need something?”
Holding out the cupcake with both hands, Peri replied shyly, “I made these for everyone. I didn’t want you to miss out.”
The automatic refusal was on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed it down. He might not want the temp’s help, but he didn’t need to be outright rude to him. Grudgingly, he took the treat offered, nodding politely. “Thank you.”
When the fairy didn’t move, only looked at him expectantly, Wash felt his face twitch against a scowl. He hated new people in the office. It was always awkward, and he never knew how long it would be before they made stupid comments that would piss him off. Though imagining the adorable fairy saying something cruel was nearly impossible. He was just so cute.
“I’m… going to get back to work,” he hedged, taking a step back. He’d never fully opened the door, not wanting to encourage visitors to enter his office, but it felt wrong to shut the door in Peri’s face.
A flash of disappointment crossed the little fairy’s face before he forced it away with a bright smile. “Okay. Let me know if you need anything. I’m around to help.” He flapped a hand toward the reception area. “Kian is going to train me a little on what to expect, but I promise I won’t make more work for you.”
Maybe not intentionally, but all temps and interns ended up causing trouble, despite their best intentions. He couldn’t entirely hold it against them; they were untrained, but it did make his life more difficult. He avoided asking for help sinceit usually meant he’d have to spend the same amount of time cleaning up the mess as he would have spent just doing the job himself in the first place.
Again, he kept that to himself, giving Peri a nod. “Thank you for the offer. And the… cupcake,” he added awkwardly. That still didn’t make any sense to him. Who showed up to a temp job with cupcakes?
He didn’t close the door until Peri returned to reception, not missing the few times the little fairy glanced over his shoulder at him as he walked back. Maybe it’d be sooner rather than later that Peri would bring up the obvious.
Grumpy at the thought, he stomped back to his desk and sat, putting the cupcake on the one spot in the corner not covered in notes or parts of experiments he was working on. He stared at it for a long while, considering throwing it out. His gut churned at the prospect. No doubt, Peri would ask if he enjoyed it, and lying to the adorable man felt wrong. And he’d never admit it, but he loved sweets.
Carefully peeling the light blue wrapper, he took a large bite of the treat and nearly choked on a groan. “Oh, gods…”
It had the perfect balance of frosting to cake, not so overwhelmingly sweet that it made his teeth hurt, and the cake itself was moist with a surprise cream-filled center. He took his time savoring the confection, but he was still disappointed when the treat was gone. His gaze flicked to the door, and he considered asking for another, but decided against it. He still heard the taunts when he was a child, the last time someone saw him indulging in sweets. Being called a Keebler demon nearly put him off sweets forever.