Chapter 6
Six
Peri had intended to ask Hugo to join him for lunch, hoping maybe if he asked, the demon might take a break and eat with him, but he supposed a lunch with Hugo’s friends was just as good.
He liked Taron. The tall man with pretty brown skin and laugh lines around his eyes had a welcoming energy and was very friendly with everyone he met.
He greeted the hostess who seated them like they were buddies and beamed at the waiter who brought them water to drink. He was Peri’s kind of people.
Peri’s eyes strayed once again to the demon sitting beside him.
He still looked grumpy, like going out to eat with his friends was the last place he wanted to be.
It fueled something in Peri that made him want to find some way to make the demon smile.
If he could get Kuzmila to like him, surely he could get the handsome demon to like him as well.
Like he could feel Peri’s stare, Hugo’s gaze shifted from his menu to Peri, suspicion and distrust clearly written all over his face. “Problem?”
Peri made a noise of disagreement, shaking his head rapidly. He felt the tips of his ears turn red and hid behind his menu for a little while, silently chiding himself for staring. Making Hugo uncomfortable wasn’t going to get him to like him.
“So, Hugo. What was so important that you missed my birthday party?” Taron demanded, drawing everyone’s focus.
Everyone except Hugo, who didn't even look up from his menu when he responded. “Work. You know, that thing everyone else does but you?”
Taron mock gasped and put a hand on his chest. “Excuse me? Who do you think came up with half the projects your team is working on?”
“Did you really?” Peri asked curiously. During his training, a few of the researchers showed him some of what they were working on, mostly to warn him which experiments were safe to get near and which to only approach when he had a magical barrier in place.
Most of the experiments were really interesting.
Tony, one of Taron’s mates, looked proud when he explained, “Taron is the co-founder of the company but where he really thrives is as the ideas man. He’s got enough of an understanding of the science to know if something is possible, and he helps figure out the kinks as the project moves along.”
Taron shot his mate a bright smile, leaning to nudge his shoulder.
“That’s amazing,” Peri gushed. “You’re like an inventor.”
Hugo scoffed in disagreement. “No. He’s like a menace who occasionally has a good idea. The people working in the research department are the inventors.”
“You know, I’d be offended, but I know deep down inside what a snuggly marshmallow you truly are. You can gnash your teeth all you want, I’m still going to love you,” Taron cooed, batting his eyelashes at Hugo.
Peri tried not to laugh, he really did, but it was obvious that Taron was teasing, and while Hugo gave Taron a dirty look for the comment, he didn't start a fight. He just ignored him, lifting his menu high enough to block Taron’s view of him.
“Aw, is my Hugo being shy?” Taron teased. “You know I can–” His voice cut off in a yelp, and he jerked his seat back far enough to rub his shin. “Rude!”
“You asked for that, T,” Zephyr said blandly, like he was used to his mate causing trouble and was unfazed by it. Tony at least patted Taron’s shoulder reassuringly and rubbed his back when Taron leaned against him to whine about the cruelty of his friends and lover.
“Have you all decided what you want?” the waiter asked as they appeared beside the table, making Peri jump in surprise.
He’d been so distracted by Taron and Hugo’s interactions, he’d forgotten entirely that he hadn’t picked something to eat yet.
Glancing down at it, he scrambled to figure out what to get, blurting out the first thing his eyes landed on when the waiter turned to him expectantly.
It was only after the waiter wrote it down that Peri noticed the five chili peppers directly after the dish's name. Oh no… He couldn’t handle spicy food in the slightest.
He opened his mouth to ask to change his order, but just as quickly as the waiter appeared, he was gone again, the menus disappearing right along with him.
Well… maybe it was for the best. He felt like he was old enough now that he should be more used to spicy foods. And he had a glass of water. He could use that to ease the spice a little, right?
He fidgeted nervously in his seat, stomach flipping when the waiter came back with steaming dishes a little while later. Peri could smell the spiciness before the bowl of noodles was even set in front of him, and his delicate insides sent up a protest before he even took his first bite.
The rest of the table was oblivious to his turmoil, Taron offering a bite of his dish to Tony, holding it out like a parent would to a toddler.
Tony smiled indulgently and took the bite before pushing his plate toward the middle so his other mate could try it.
Hugo watched them with a scowl, though Peri couldn’t even begin to guess why.
What was wrong with sharing food with your partners? Feeding people was his love language.
Hesitantly, he twisted some noodles onto his fork and brought them to his lips.
It was barely enough to be considered a bite, but the spice assaulted his nose anyway, and the moment he put the noodles in his mouth, he regretted it.
Tears filled his eyes as his mouth began to burn, and the urge to immediately spit it out made him cover his mouth with his hand.
Sweat broke out instantly on his skin, and he felt a flush overtake him.
He forced himself to swallow the bite, which felt like swallowing fire, and grabbed his glass of water, taking a large gulp.
He choked when the water only made the burning worse, coughing and spluttering.
“Are you okay?” Tony asked, worried.
Peri waved him away, but no amount of water was making a difference. Why did his lips burn? He didn’t think the food even touched his lips.
“Water isn’t going to help. Here, eat this,” Hugo demanded, shoving a piece of bread at his face.
Peri took it without question, taking a bite as soon as he could without choking again.
Hugo had slathered it with butter, and the combination seemed to soothe the burning feeling on Peri’s tongue so much better than the water had.
Hugo immediately handed him another once that piece was gone, watching with a stern expression as Peri nibbled on the second piece of bread and swallowed hard.
“Thank you… I… I didn’t realize it would be that spicy.”
Hugo’s eyes narrowed, studying him for a long moment. “You didn’t realize it would be spicy? It had a warning next to it on the menu.”
It had? Peri hadn’t noticed that. He looked down at his bowl again with a little more apprehension. He hated the idea of wasting food, but he didn’t think he’d survive another bite.
Without another word, Hugo reached over, snagging Peri’s bowl and replacing it with his own. The lighter broth was encouraging, and the smell was significantly more appealing. Still, Peri felt bad.
“You don’t have to–” He cut himself off, his mouth falling open when Hugo took a large bite of the noodles Peri had ordered without even flinching.
Even Taron looked impressed, eyes dropping to the bowl, then back to Hugo. “Now I want to try it. Is it really that spicy?”
Hugo lifted a shoulder casually, taking another bite. When he noticed Peri staring at him, he jerked his chin at the bowl he’d gifted him with a significant look. “Eat. It’ll help.”
While Taron tried to pester Hugo into letting him try the spicy noodles, Peri took a small bite of the dish Hugo had ordered.
Notes of ginger, beef, and onions danced in his mouth, not a hint of painful spices to be found.
Instead, the broth was milder while still flavorful.
Peri let out a happy sigh, taking another bite with more enthusiasm.
Tony, who had been watching the play of events, tipped his head, his expression still holding a hint of worry. “Better?”
“Much,” Peri answered with a smile after swallowing his bite.
“This is really good.” He turned to Hugo, who was now guarding his bowl and glaring at Taron while the man practically leaned across the table to get a bite of Hugo’s dish.
It was only Taron’s other mate, Zephyr, who kept him from making a mess, holding Taron back with a fistful of his jacket and a smirk.
“Thank you. I didn’t realize what I was ordering.
This is much better,” he said, drawing Hugo’s attention.
Unintentionally, he distracted the demon long enough for Taron to twist his fork in the noodles, stealing a bite and popping it into his mouth with a grin.
Hugo’s glare melted into a smug smirk as Taron’s eyes widened in horror, and he swallowed hard, fanning his mouth and sucking down water a lot like Peri had.
Zephyr laughed out loud at his mate’s panic, patting Taron’s back when he coughed and spluttered. “I warned you not to try it. You can barely handle spicy foods.”
“Oh my gods! How can you eat that?”
Hugo just shrugged again, taking another large bite. He noticed Zephyr’s curious gaze and shoved the bowl toward the man with a sigh, allowing him to take his own bite while Tony tried to rescue Taron with bread like Hugo had for Peri.
The meal was chaotic thanks to Peri’s poor choice of meal, but no one seemed upset about it. Taron launched into a tirade when Zephyr barely cleared his throat from the spice, both of them adamantly refusing to let their fragile human mate have his own bite.
Hugo ate his noodles without even a hint that the spice bothered him, giving Peri’s bowl a pointed look when he was too distracted by the group to eat.
With a bright smile, Peri ate his noodles, enjoying the mild flavor so much more than the spice, and listened to the throuple banter with each other, with occasional biting but not cruel comments from Hugo.
They were a fun group, and he’d take the moment of pain from the spicy noodles just to have a lunch as fun as this one again.