A goblin next to them scoffed while handing Peri his lunch order. “Speak for yourself. He’s an ass.”
The kitsune shook his head. “He’s not, really. I mean, would a true jerk spend their whole life creating inventions to make marginalized supes more comfortable? I’ve never seen him working on a product that could help him in any way. It’s always for someone else. Did you hear he made a new prosthetic for Tony? I mean, come on.”
The goblin pursed his lips, grumbling his acquiescence. “Fine. He does good things for people. But he’s still an ass to work with. I swear he forgets that some of us have lives outside of the office.”
“He needs to get a life himself before he risks burning out again,” the werewolf agreed.
Alarmed, Peri asked, “Again?”
All three nodded, their expressions screwed up in remembrance. “He worked so hard, he got sleeprot and had to be taken home by the office healer to rest. He was out for a week. We started reporting it to the higher-ups since then, wheneverwe notice him starting to look a little run-down. His inventions make up at least a third of the company’s prestige. I shudder to think what would happen if he had to quit,” the werewolf added.
That was alarming. All supes could get sleeprot, and it wasn’t pleasant in the slightest. If it was ignored, sleeprot could cause a supe to fall into a magical sleep for years and waking that person back up was incredibly difficult. It wasn’t something he ever wanted to experience, which was why he made sure to get the full ten hours a fairy needed.
“I think I’ll go ask him if he wants me to pick him up lunch,” Peri said, mostly to himself. If Mr. Washburne was as bad as they said, he’d need someone taking care of him. Peri would happily volunteer to be that person.
They waved him off, and once Peri was sure he had everyone else’s orders who needed to give it, he skipped off to Wash’s office, nearly colliding with him as he came out just as Peri raised his hand to knock.
The demon let out an irritated snarl that cut off just as quickly as it came out, his voice terse as he gritted out, “Sorry.”
“No, it’s my fault,” Peri reassured him. “I was just wondering if you wanted me to pick you up anything from the cafeteria.” He waved the papers in his hand with a smile. “I’m going down there to pick up lunch for a few others, so I’ll be happy to pick you up something as well.”
The demon looked confused by the offer, his brow furrowed tightly. “Uh, no… Thank you. I’m late for a meeting.”
“At lunch time?” Peri asked with a frown, then brightened. “Oh! Is it a lunch meeting?”
Mr. Washburne’s face screwed up. “What? No. Just a meeting. I’m sorry, I need to get going. Excuse me.”
He edged around Peri, careful not to brush him as he pulled his door closed and locked it before heading for the elevators. He detoured when he saw the line, taking the stairs instead, andPeri felt his concern for the demon grow as the door clattered shut behind him. He was going to expend a lot of energy using the stairs, especially if he wasn’t eating. Maybe Peri could pick him up something anyway. He could bring it to the reception desk, and Dakota could give it to him when he came back. Peri would rather give it to him himself but with how busy he was all morning, he hadn’t even seen the demon coming or going. He wasn’t sure if that was because Mr. Washburne had spent the entire morning in his office, or if he was moving around just as much as Peri had been, and they’d just missed each other.
He was still contemplating his options when he managed to catch an elevator that wasn’t too crowded and went downstairs to the cafeteria. It was massive, bigger than any Peri had ever seen, with a large room filled with tables for people to sit and enjoy their meals, while through another set of turnstiles was the kitchens with different areas for whatever meals people wanted. There was so much variety, and it was really nice that not only did they have the higher counters for flying supes, they also had to-go boxes so Peri wasn’t balancing trays or trying to spell them without dropping one. He even got offered a hand from an orc in a security uniform, who seemed happy to help him carry everything.
In the end, he picked up a small lunch for Mr. Washburne, leaving it with Dakota at the reception desk before he handed out the rest of the meals. He wasn’t sure Mr. Washburne would take it, but Peri was determined to help him. If only because it meant he’d get to see the demon a little more often. Maybe with enough time, Peri could figure out what about the demon made him so fascinating.
Wash was distracted.All his attempts to ignore the temp in the office went up against the fairy’s avid enthusiasm and refusal to let Wash tell him no. The little fairy had spent the last few days bringing him lunch and sweet treats, he’d offered almost daily to help him in any way he could, and even if they just passed in the hallway or on the research floor, he’d smile brightly and wave. It was distracting! He found his attention swinging to the hallway whenever he heard voices approaching his door. They always stopped just short, probably visiting Vilyra next door. She was much more social than he was. The fact that he was disappointed was starting to bother him. Why couldn’t he get his mind off the little fairy? He’d specifically said he didn’t need any help. There was no reason to–
A knock at the door he’d come to recognize as belonging to Peri had him jumping out of his seat in a rush to answer it. He barely stopped himself from ripping the door open, silently berating himself for acting like a fool. A pretty face was no reason to get so worked up.
It didn’t stop the delight in his chest when he opened the door to find Peri waiting there with a shy smile on his face. “I, um… I was wondering–”
“Hugo!” Taron’s voice cut through the noise of the research floor, and Wash felt his shoulders go up with his irritation, bracing himself for what was to come. Sure enough, Taron threw an arm around his shoulders, tugging him in for a side hug and beaming at him. “It’s time for lunch, my friend. Join us.”
His mates were waiting near the elevator, Zephyr with an amused look on his face, while Tony smiled hopefully.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Peri’s wings droop a little, but he hid his reaction with a smile. “Sorry, I’ll come back later. Have a nice lunch…”
Taron, being the social butterfly he was, turned his beaming smile onto Peri, thrusting his hand out in greeting. “You’re a new face! I’m Taron. Nice to meet you.”
Peri looked delighted at the shapeshifter’s easy introduction, shaking hands with a bright smile of his own. “Peri. Nice to meet you, too. I’m just a temp, but–”
“Pshaw,” Taron waved that comment away before Peri could even finish his sentence. “Temps are a delight in this company. You know, I’m pretty sure Charmed Away is secretly a matchmaking service. It's the only explanation I can come up with to explain why so many temps meet their mates while contracted to be here.” Taron’s gaze flicked between Peri and Wash, and Wash felt himself tense. He did not want Taron playing matchmaker.
“Why don’t you join us? Hugo here owes me a meal since he skipped my birthday dinner last week, and I’m always happy to meet new people. Do you like noodles? There’s this adorable noodle shop down the street that my mate has been dying to try. I want to go there.”
The little fairy was swept away by Taron’s charm before he could even open his mouth to answer, letting Taron lead him over to where his mates waited with a hand on his shoulder. Peri glanced at Wash, bemused, but didn’t argue. “I do like noodles. I like trying new things too. Happy belated birthday, by the way. Do you like cake? I can make you one as a present.”
It seemed Peri was just as social and happy to make new friends as Taron was. They chatted like old friends, discussing cake flavors and whether or not carrot cake counted as a cake since it was made of vegetables. Zephyr just shook his head with an indulgent smile, putting his hand on Tony’s lower back asthey waited for the elevator. With everyone distracted, it would have been a perfect time for Wash to slip away, but… he did say he’d get Taron a present. If buying him a meal was what he wanted, he could accommodate that. He was hungry after all. It had nothing at all to do with the adorable fairy smiling brightly at Taron and his mates as Taron finally got around to making introductions.
Despite the restaurant being only a few blocks away, Taron tried to insist on taking a car. Tony was disabled, and despite the new prosthetic Wash had designed himself and regular magical intervention to ease his pain, Taron still hovered. Then again, so did Zephyr. They both babied their human mate, and Tony soaked up the affection with a patient smile.