Peter took a deep breath, his wide shoulders rising and falling slowly, his massive chest pushing at the buttons of his shirt when his chest was fully expanded.
“He’s just trying to get a reaction. If you just ignored him he wouldn’t bother you.”
Chad tilted his head and wondered how Peter could have such a hard time with this. “You do realize that that’s what people say to kids that are being bullied, right?”
Peter took another fortifying breath, like he was trying to stay calm in the face of Chad’s irrationality, and Chad snapped.
“Just fuck you, Peter,” he said, turning on his heel and stomping out of the dining room.
When he turned the corner in the hallway, Chad was so angry he was shaking. He walked into the guest room and slammed the door shut, locking it behind him. The lock wouldn’t stop Peter if he really wanted inside, but it sent a message.
Sitting down on the bed, Chad grabbed the remote to the TV on the wall and turned the TV on. He sat with his elbows on his knees, head bent low, and wondered why Peter had to be such an asshole when it came to Aiden.
And it was just with Aiden. In every other aspect of their life Peter was great. He tried his best to make Chad happy, he didn’t push him into anything he didn’t want, and he was respectful of the fact that Chad was an alpha too with his own instincts to contend with. It was only when it came to Aiden that he turned into a raging dick.
Chad sat where he was for about half an hour, paying no attention to the TV, looking up only when Peter knocked on the door.
“Chad, please don’t be unreasonable,” Peter said, sounding like he was trying very hard to be patient.
“Have you changed your mind about Aiden?” Chad asked.
“No,” Peter said.
“Then fuck off!” Chad growled.
Peter responded by slamming his fist on the door and growled in a low threatening voice. “You will show merespect.”
Chad jumped off his feet and unlocked the door, tearing it open with a growl of his own.
“It’s a little hard with you being such a massive dick,” he spit out.
Peter just stared at him, his jaw clenched and his eyes angry, and Chad took an unconscious step back. Peter followed him into the room.
“Watch it,” Peter said, reaching up and cupping his hand around the back of Chad’s neck. Chad went limp under the tight grip, Peter’s dominance overwhelming him. Sometimes it was easy to forget just how intimidating Peter actually was, but in times like this it was oh so easy to remember.
Time to change tactics.
“You’re making me sad,” Chad said, lowering his head and looking at Peter’s shoes. He would never win against Peter by being aggressive. He had to appeal to Peter’s own instinct to provide and care for him.
Peter’s grip on his neck loosened.
“I’m not trying to make you sad,” he said, sounding frustrated. “I’m trying to keep you safe.”
“You’re dismissive about my feelings,” Chad continued, laying it on a little thick. “And you act like me being upset is an inconvenience.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Peter dropped his grip on Chad’s neck entirely and stepped back. He crossed his arms defensively.
“If you cared you wouldn’t have hired Aiden.”
“I trust Aiden to keep you safe. That’s more important to me right now than whether or not you like him.” Peter rubbed his eyes. “But I’ll tell him to stop teasing you and act like a professional.”
Chad sat down on the bed. Like he hadn’t heard that before.
“Fine,” he said, realizing that Peter wasn’t going to budge.
“So you’ll come back and finish dinner?”
Chad shook his head, still looking down. “I’m still mad at you. I think I’ll just go to bed.”
