Page 39 of The Shapeshifter’s Secretary (Charmed Away Temp Agency #3)

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

The nurse came back with a potion and Doctor Chapman. He didn’t need to touch like she did, instead using his magic to study Tony’s pain levels. He nodded once, seemingly satisfied with what he saw before looking at Tony properly.

“I know it doesn’t feel like it right now, but we did a lot of good today. There was more scar tissue than we expected, and I know it wasn’t pleasant for you to endure it, but you did well. I had planned on letting you recover at home, but after everything we did, I think I’m going to keep you here for a few nights instead, just as a precaution. Magic isn’t as barbaric as human surgery, but we did need to cut through a lot. I’ll feel better having you monitored.”

Swallowing hard around a dry throat, he forced himself to speak. “Thank you.”

Doctor Chapman’s smile was soft and kind. “You’re welcome, Tony. We’ve still got a lot to do to get you moving more easily, but you’ve got a strong constitution. I think you can handle it. And you’ve got a wonderful team to help you. Nurse, along with the pain potion, I’ll have a few more potions made up for him to encourage his healing. He will take them every few hours tonight, and I’ll reassess in the morning. I’ll also send something along for Taron.” He narrowed his eyes on the sleeping figure on Tony’s chest, then shook his head. “He used a lot of magic and may need a boost. If his mother finds out I let him overextend himself like this, she’ll never let me hear the end of it.” He winced, like he’d experienced Taron’s mom’s wrath before.

The nurse nodded. “Absolutely, Doctor.”

He left with a wave, and Avery and Ozen followed shortly after, promising to visit in the morning.

Tony looked up at Zephyr. “What time is it?”

Pulling out his phone, he frowned. “A little after midnight. You’ve been out for a while.”

Considering he went in for his procedure after lunch, yeah. And he still felt tired. With Zephyr’s help, he took the potions, which were a lot more pleasant to get down than human medicines. Then Zephyr helped move Taron long enough for Tony to get more comfortable. He didn’t seem put out for having to help Taron, which was a good sign, but Tony still felt like he was forcing them to be around each other. He couldn’t make himself ask Zephyr to leave, though. He needed them both here.

He fought back another wave of tears, keeping his gaze locked on the blanket on his lap. Even in a magic hospital, the blankets were thin and blue and kind of ugly. Was there a reason they didn't have anything better in hospitals?

“Tony.” Zephyr’s voice was calm, but firm, drawing his focus. When he looked over at his boyfriend, Zephyr raised his eyebrows significantly. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

His gaze flicked over to Taron again, and he let out a shuddering breath. Based on Zephyr’s tone, he wasn’t going to let this go. Tony had to tell the truth.

“I don’t… I don’t want to be the reason you’re both unhappy.”

Zephyr frowned, moving the chair closer so he could hold his hand again. “What makes you think we’re unhappy? You make me unbelievably happy, baby, just by being you.”

His chin wobbled, and his voice cracked when he said, “You can’t stand to be around each other. You only do it because of me. I don’t–” He swallowed hard around the spiky ball in his throat. “I can’t choose, but… I can’t keep making you be around each other, either.”

Zephyr drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “I’m not–”

“That’s my fault,” Taron said.

Tony hadn’t even noticed Taron was awake. He’d been too busy fighting back tears. He looked exhausted, and his normally immaculate hair was disheveled, but his eyes were wide awake and apologetic.

“I’m sorry, Tony. I was avoiding a conversation I wasn’t ready to have. It scared me too much. I thought… I thought I’d end up losing both of you. So I ran away. That was in no way your fault, I promise. It was mine.”

Zephyr shook his head. “I share the blame in that. I shouldn’t have kissed you without your permission.”

Tony’s eyes bugged out, and he gaped at them both. “What? When?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Taron said, his frown deepening. “We both reacted poorly and caused you pain. I’m sorry for that, a thaisce. I can’t promise I’ll be better in the future, but I can promise I’ll try.”

Tony shot a questioning look at Zephyr. He felt like he was missing a lot of the story and, while he believed Taron, he still wanted to know what happened.

Zephyr pressed his lips together tightly and sighed. “I noticed Taron seemed distracted the last time we were all together. I thought I was helping, but honestly, a part of me was being selfish. He was close enough for me to touch, and I couldn’t resist. I’ve missed him and he was right there. But he panicked because of my brashness and ran away. Every time I tried to corner him afterward to discuss it, he avoided me, which in turn forced him to avoid you. I shouldn’t have brought it up when we were all together. That wasn’t fair to you.”

“You… but… I thought you hated each other,” he murmured, looking between them with confusion. With the way they acted, he never even guessed they had feelings. It took him by surprise the first time they admitted they were together once before.

Taron wrinkled his nose. “I don’t think I’ve ever actually hated him. We’ve got a history, and I wasn’t ready to face it or what I wanted. But the more time I was forced to spend with him, the more I tried to resist the fact that I missed him.”

Tony jerked his gaze to Zephyr, holding his breath.

“I never stopped loving you,” Zephyr admitted, looking at Taron. “I joined the project because even though I knew you couldn’t stand me, I couldn’t resist an opportunity to spend time with you. To see if maybe you missed me as much as I missed you.”

They gave each other soft looks and hope burned bright in Tony’s chest. He was almost afraid to acknowledge it. It wasn’t as simple as missing each other. Something drove them apart in the first place.

“Why… Why did you break up? Back when you first got together. What happened?”

They both grimaced, but Zephyr spoke up to explain, “A lot of reasons drove us apart. Selfishness on both our parts. Lack of communication. We were both too young and too stubborn and neither wanted to compromise on what the best idea for the future was for us.”

Taron huffed, shaking his head. “That’s putting it lightly. We kept getting into screaming matches over who was right. The make-up sex was awesome, but it wasn’t healthy. Honestly…” He looked at Zephyr, his face pinched with regret. “I think it was a bad idea to add sex to our relationship, at least at that point. We were great friends, but things went downhill after our relationship changed. I don’t regret the time we spent together, but I mourned the loss of our friendship first and foremost.”

Zephyr nodded in agreement. “I think we were too young. As friends, we could’ve supported each other’s dreams without feeling like we were holding each other back. There was no compromise for what we wanted after we started dating. We both would’ve ended up unhappy, one because of their lost dream and the other for holding them back. It was for the best.”

“And now?” Tony asked with bated breath.

They looked at each other, and Tony could see the want there. He realized he’d seen it in little flashes since they started spending time together. He recognized the look now that he knew what it was. They probably didn’t even do it consciously before now.

“I’m… cautiously optimistic,” Taron said finally, reaching out to take Zephyr’s hand and squeeze it before turning back to face Tony again. “But no matter what happens with me and Zephyr, I need you to know I’m never going to be unhappy with you. Whether Zephyr and I stay friends or have something more in the future, it won’t change how I feel about you. Is ceol mo chroí thú, A ghrá. There is no one in the world more perfect for me than you.”

“The same goes for me,” Zephyr said. “With our history, it’s not as simple as saying Taron and I will restart things, and it will all be fine. There are issues we need to work through together. But my relationship with you is not a question. You’re my mate, Tony.”

His mouth fell open in surprise.

“Hey, that’s cheating. I wanted to tell him first,” Taron griped, though there was a smile on his face.

Zephyr shot him a smug look. “I won this round.”

Taron rolled his eyes, his smile full of affection. Tony wanted to focus on that, and on the hope that was steadily growing in his chest, but he couldn’t right now. He looked between them, confused and a little desperate.

“You… You’re my…”

“Mate,” Taron finished with a nod. “You’re mine too. I pretty much knew the day I met you that I wanted to keep you. I just didn't know why at the time. Matings are tricky and often a little chaotic. But once established, they’re unbreakable. No one will ever come between me and you, a thaisce. Not even the annoying thunderchicken who loves you.”

That got a growl out of Zephyr and they started bickering with each other again, but this time instead of hostility and annoyance, it was laced with affection and teasing. And they never let go of their hands.

* * *

It took a few days before he was allowed to go home. Neither Zephyr nor Taron left his side the entire time. They never complained about the uncomfortable chairs or lack of decent sleep. Both of them got up whenever the nurses came in to give Tony more potion and helped him to the bathroom. And when he was finally allowed to go back to work, they hovered by his side until he couldn’t help but laugh.

“I’m okay,” he promised them. “Doctor Chapman said so.”

Taron waved away that argument, making a face at him. “He also said you’ll still have pain for at least a couple more treatments. Are you sure you don’t want to stay home this week? I can work remotely. I don’t need to–”

“Yes, you do,” Tony argued. “You are just as much a part of the research team as the rest of them. You need to be there. Besides, I’ll just be sitting in a chair taking notes. You’ll both be there with me. I’ll be fine.”

Zephyr was the first to cave. He did his best not to hover too much and let Tony do things on his own. He didn't look happy about it, though.

“You won’t leave our sight, right? And you’ll let Taron help you if there’s any danger and you need to be moved.”

Since running was on the ‘absolutely not’ list that Doctor Chapman gave him, he relented on that one. He didn’t relish the thought of being rescued like a damsel, but he didn't hate the idea of his rescuer being Taron. Now that he knew Taron could shift his body easily and make himself big enough that he didn’t hurt Tony while moving him, he kind of liked being cuddled in his arms.

“Fine. Can we go now? We’re going to be late and that’ll make me look bad as the Taron Tamer.”

Zephyr chuckled as Taron whipped around, his eyes wide and incredulous. Then he grinned. “I kind of like that. Are you gonna spank me if I’m bad?”

Tony shook his head, which made Taron pout. He bit back a laugh. “It’s not a punishment if I do it. I’ll make Zephyr spank you.”

They were getting along better, and Tony didn’t miss the flash of heat in Taron’s expression before he started complaining. They agreed to take baby steps in their relationship, focusing on communication and healing first. They both agreed that sex between them wouldn’t happen until they put the past to bed, but they teased plenty, and Tony knew it was only a matter of time before they gave in. In the meantime, he wasn’t going to complain about being sandwiched between them.

Arriving relatively on time, Tony shooed his boyfriends to go ahead of him in the parking lot, taking his time to join them. He still used a cane to walk and probably always would, but each session with Doctor Chapman made him a little better. Things didn’t pull as much as they had. Doctor Chapman said his body would try to heal in funny ways, which was why he would have to go back consistently, but it wouldn’t be so painful after they got through the worst of the scar tissue. Besides, he really liked the cane Zephyr gave him. It was pretty.

“Tony!”

Avery’s voice caught his attention, and he turned to look over his shoulder. Mr. Hawksley was holding the door to his fancy car for his mate, who waved enthusiastically as he hopped out. Tony turned around fully to greet them, chuckling when Avery ignored his handshake in favor of a hug.

“You look like you’re doing better. How do you feel?” Avery asked, smiling up at him.

He nodded slowly. “A little better every day. Thanks again for coming with me. It meant a lot.”

“It was no problem,” Avery said seriously. “If you ever need a buddy, I’m happy to go with you.”

Looking towards the experiment circle where Zephyr was just pushing off to fly, Tony smiled to himself. “I think my mates have it covered, but I’ll let you know if they’re busy.”

“Mates?” Avery asked, his eyes wide with excitement.

Tony smiled at him. “Yeah. They told me after I woke up. I didn't know humans could have mates, much less two.”

Mr. Hawksley put his arm around Avery’s waist, nodding sagely. “I wasn’t aware of it either when this beautiful man first showed up in my life. Fate magic works in strange ways.”

Tony wholeheartedly agreed with that. He led the way to the safer area where his chair waited for him, Avery peppering him with questions the whole way. He was happy to talk about his mates, and since Mr. Hawksley was talking to Taron, he didn't have any notes to take for the time being, so he just enjoyed watching Zephyr fly while talking to Avery. His mate was gorgeous, and Zephyr said once they were officially bonded, he could actually touch him in his shifted form. Tony couldn’t wait.