Page 28 of The Shapeshifter’s Secretary (Charmed Away Temp Agency #3)

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

In the end, despite his many protests, Tony found himself being moved into Taron’s spare bedroom. He understood their arguments, the place he was living really wasn’t suitable for someone like him, but it still made him feel like a burden. Taron and Zephyr both were quick to reassure him any time the uncertainty showed up on his face and since they were both working so hard to take care of him, he felt like it was rude to make it harder on them.

He watched them both from the little sitting area by the wall of windows in his room. He had an amazing view of the city, a walk-in closet, and an ensuite bathroom that Taron was already making calls to get safety bars installed into. The shower had a bench already, which was nice. No ugly chair he had to put in whenever he wanted a shower. The tub was sunken into the floor, so it’d be easier for him to get into, but a railing would be helpful there, too. It felt like a little too much trouble for him, but Taron had already wandered away, talking to maintenance on the phone about how soon they could have it installed.

“How are you feeling?” Zephyr asked. He’d been putting Tony’s clothes away in the closet and must have finished already. Tony didn’t own a lot of clothes. When you spend the first portion of your adulthood in uniform, buying new clothes isn’t really a high priority.

“A little overwhelmed,” he admitted quietly.

Zephyr’s smile was understanding, and he dragged the other chair to Tony’s side instead of across from him so he could wrap his arm around his shoulder supportively.

“I know we’re being a little demanding. I appreciate you humoring us. It’s one of the things we fought about a lot when we were younger. We both wanted to take care of the other but would get annoyed when we were the ones being babied.”

Chewing on his lip, Tony couldn’t help but ask, “How long were you together?”

Zephyr’s gaze drifted upward as he thought about it. “Five years? We were friends before that. Really good friends.” He sighed. “Friendships are ruined when sex gets involved.”

Tony wouldn’t know. He didn’t date much. Not from lack of trying, but his job kept him busy a lot and out of the country more, so it just wasn’t feasible for him to keep a relationship going long-term. Long-distance relationships were too hard to sustain. And no one was interested after he got hurt. Until now, anyway.

Zephyr’s fingers drifted through the hair at his temple, and he leaned into the touch automatically. He was more than a little grateful that Taron and Zephyr seemed happy to give him all the affection he wanted. He felt a little needy sometimes, but they initiated the affection, and he was happy to soak it in.

“It should be criminal to be so cute,” Zephyr murmured.

Tony felt his cheeks burn, but he didn’t have a chance to protest before Zephyr dipped his head and brushed his lips against Tony’s. It was soft and sweet, with no demand for more. Tony sighed happily, leaning as much as he comfortably could into the kiss.

“Okay, all set. Maintenance will stop by tomorrow while we’re working and–”

Tony jerked away automatically, feeling guilty when Taron walked back in. Then he felt bad for pushing Zephyr away like that, too. He grimaced, rubbing the back of his neck. This whole poly thing was harder than he thought.

A soft hand settled on his shoulder and when he looked up, Taron was smiling down at him. “Relax, a thaisce. You’re allowed to kiss your boyfriend. Just so long as you keep track and give me the exact same amount when it's my turn.”

Tony’s eyes widened in horror. There was no way he could do that. Taron cracked up, sidestepping Zephyr’s swipe to hit him.

“I’m kidding! I’m not that insane,” he laughed.

Tony’s shoulders relaxed. He studied Taron’s face to make sure he wasn’t holding back, but the shapeshifter’s familiar room-brightening smile was in place, and he perched his perky butt on the arm of Tony’s chair without complaining about them kissing without him.

“Though, now that we’re talking about it, maybe we should hash things out a little.”

“Like how?” Tony asked, his brow furrowed.

Taron lifted a shoulder. “It’s always good to establish boundaries. For instance, I’d like to take you out on dates alone from time to time. I’m kind of needy and want your full attention. I’m sure the thunderchicken feels the same.”

Zephyr jerked his head back. “The what?”

Oh god. Tony had been working hard to keep that particular term away from any of the thunderbirds throughout the week. He let his guard down since they weren’t at work. He should’ve known better.

“It’s great, isn’t it? That’s what I call our project together. Project Thunderchicken.” He put his hands up and spread them dramatically to emphasize the terrible name. Tony’s head dropped forward in exasperation.

“You better be joking,” Zephyr growled.

“Why would I joke about something like that? You’re just jealous that you couldn’t come up with it,” Taron shot back.

This was the part he didn’t like. He enjoyed spending time with the two of them, and when they got along, it was amazing, but when they fought like this with him in the middle, he hated it. Lifting his head, he forced himself to speak over them.

“Can… Can my rule be that you can’t fight with each other?” he murmured.

They both fell silent, and he dropped his gaze to his hands automatically. He felt like maybe he was asking too much. They obviously didn’t like each other. They were exes for a reason. Maybe being around each other was too hard.

Zephyr’s hand covered his, and Taron leaned his forehead against Tony’s temple, both of them wrapping themselves around him.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. We won’t let it happen again,” Zephyr promised.

“At least not around you,” Taron tacked on. He must’ve gotten a dirty look from Zephyr because he started defending himself immediately. “What? Unlike some people, I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”

Zephyr didn’t reply. Whether that was because of his promise not to fight with Taron or he didn’t have anything to say, he wasn’t sure. He wasn’t about to ask.

“Any other rules?” Taron asked after a moment.

“You mentioned dates alone,” Zephyr said. “I’m fine with that as long as you agree not to sabotage the time I spend alone with him. No making him work late or showing up at the same place we are. If you get time alone, so do I.”

Taron grunted in tacit agreement. “Same goes for you, then.”

They hashed out the dating thing, with Zephyr being very clear about Taron not getting jealous when it wasn’t his turn and taking it out on him or Tony. Tony wished they could just all go out together, but he understood why they were making the rules like this. At least this way, he still had them both.

Speaking of which… “What about sex?”

He flushed deep red when he asked, but it felt important. The only time they’d gotten along was in bed together. Was it wrong that he didn’t want to give that up?

“Until he’s well enough to not experience pain during the act, I don’t think we should split time on that,” Zephyr said, speaking directly to Taron.

Taron agreed with a bob of his head. “True. He needs both of us to keep him from moving. So, all three of us or not at all?”

Hope swelled in Tony’s chest, and he looked hesitantly at both men. Because it was for him and keeping his pain under control, neither looked upset about the plan. And he really did love being squashed between them during the act. It felt more intimate.

Taron made a face suddenly. “Does that include kissing? Because that might be hard for me. He’s adorable and needs kisses.”

Surprised, Tony felt the tips of his ears burn, the flush spreading down his neck when Zephyr agreed.

“It’s obvious he needs more affection. I won’t complain about that as long as you aren’t an ass about it. You get to see him more than I do, so you can’t be selfish when it’s my turn.”

Tony had never had two men fight over him in his life. He didn’t hate it. It made him feel wanted, and after a year of being a pariah in his family and his social life, he needed that kind of attention.

* * *

When he’d suggested a polycule, Zephyr thought Taron would put up more of a fight. But ever since Tony found out about their relationship, Taron seemed almost panicked, like he was afraid Tony would pull away and leave them both. It was obvious how much he cared about the man. Zephyr cared about him, too. So he’d get along with the brat as long as it made Tony happy.

Was there a small part of him that hoped that the time spent together would warm Taron more to him, maybe return them to something like they used to have? Yes, but he couldn’t say that. He already felt like he was toeing the line of Taron’s limit. He couldn’t broach anything between them yet. Not while Taron was still so panicked about Tony.

The discussion on rules and boundaries lasted a while. Long enough for them to have to pause to order food. When he finally felt they understood the boundaries of the relationship, Zephyr let out a slow breath. He’d met a few people in poly relationships, enough to know that without proper communication, it wouldn’t work out. He wanted to do this right, for Tony’s sake.

The poor man looked exhausted after such a long day. They’d migrated to the couch in the living room for the discussion so everyone could be comfortable, and he felt Tony’s body sinking deeper into the cushions with each passing minute. He’d give Taron one thing, his furniture was definitely Tony-friendly. Very comfortable.

Tony’s head rested against his shoulder, and he relaxed completely, snoring lightly. Tipping his head to look, he smiled at his sleeping boyfriend. Tony held Taron’s hand, keeping both men close as he slept. Zephyr almost wished he could bring up their relationship sooner. It’d make Tony happier if they were a throuple instead of just focused on him.

“Shima looked well,” Taron commented. He was never one to sit quietly. Apparently even conversing with him was better than sitting in silence. Zephyr didn’t comment on that.

“She is.”

They fell quiet again. The awkwardness swelled. Since they broke up, they’d been combative with each other. Taron lashed out and pushed Zephyr’s buttons until he lost his temper. The only time they weren’t fighting was when they were caring for Tony. With him resting and the no fighting around Tony rule in place, they didn't know how to handle each other.

Zephyr decided to focus on Tony. They got along when discussing him and he wanted to use that as a stepping stone if he could. At least to get to a point where they could be civil. “You said you’re working on getting him better treatment. Is there anything I can do to help?”

Taron made a face. “Depends on how good you are at convincing him to switch careers.”

He must've seen Zephyr’s confusion on his face because he explained. “Doctor Chapman said Tony’s treatments to get him functioning more normally and comfortable will be a lifelong thing. He did the initial treatment for free because he is a good person and didn’t like seeing Tony suffer, but Tony’s got human insurance and it’s abysmal. I asked him to become my secretary permanently, so he’d be on Spellbound’s insurance plan and covered, but he thinks since he can’t do every aspect of the job, he doesn’t deserve it. I’ve tried offering an intern to help him and pointed out he’d be able to do more in the future, but he’s an honorable man. He won’t take a job he thinks he’s not best suited for.”

Zephyr pursed his lips, his brows drawn tightly together. “We can pay for it ourselves until he’s well enough?”

Taron shook his head. “I offered that, too. He said no. Come on, you saw how hard it was just to get him to come stay here, even with how awful his living conditions were before. He’s stubborn.”

His frown deepened. “I’m not sure I’d call it stubbornness. I’d say it’s more low self-esteem combined with a skewed idea of how he’s supposed to act. I think it’ll take both of us for him to realize he doesn’t have to do everything himself.”

“That’ll be fun,” Taron said with a chuckle.

Zephyr’s mouth twitched against a laugh. He knew without a doubt how they both planned on doing that. Tony was going to get spoiled within an inch of his life.