Page 20 of Mistletoe and Mayhem
“Oh, believe me, he’s not cold.”
“Shut up,” Isaac smirked. “Like you’re any better.”
Avery just shrugged, unconcerned. Tony realized his blunder and felt his cheeks warm. Maybe he should have guessed. They were all mated. Isaac wasn’t the only one who ended up mussed up at the office.
“So where are we going for lunch today?” Avery asked, changing the subject.
They met twice a week to get lunch together, which Tony truly enjoyed. He’d missed having friends after he got out of the military. Since Avery and Isaac knew about his injury, they never suggested anything he couldn’t get to on his own either.
“There’s that new Italian place one street over,” Isaac suggested. “My warming spell will last that long so we won’t have to freeze getting there.”
Tony beamed at him. He didn’t mind the cold, but the winter weather didn’t do great things for his injury. Being friends with a mage came with perks. Since Isaac hated the cold, he always used a spell to keep himself warm walking outside, and he was kind enough to share the warmth with his friends when they all went together.
Isaac chuckled at Tony’s enthusiasm, waving them toward the door. “Come on. I’m starving.”
“I’ll bet,” Avery teased and got a poke in the side from Isaac in response. He laughed and danced away. Tony watched it all with a smile. Maybe his family wouldn’t call, but at least he had his friends. And his mates.
They took the elevator up to the top floor, then the gold elevator down to the lobby floor like he always did. It was a little weird, but the elevator rides stopping along the way could take a while. The express elevator was better for his injury. Avery and Isaac never complained, chatting about Avery’s newest book he was working on.
“What do you think, Tony? Werewolf romance or demon romance?”
He was surprised they were asking his opinion. He had just been happy to listen in. “Oh, um… I’m not sure. Werewolf?”
Isaac pointed at him, his expression vindicated. “See? It’s the knot thing. It’s fucking hot.”
“What’s a knot?” he asked, because he doubted it was anything about a tangled string.
Snorting, Isaac patted his shoulder. “Ask your mate. I bet Taron could shapeshift into something with a knot.”
That was a curious thought. He’d seen Taron change small parts of himself, but he never fully changed into something else, especially while they were in bed. He would bet good money that Taron would be into the idea. It was Zephyr who might complain. He was content with how things were, and he’d told Tony more than once how much he loved Taron’s chosen form. He was beautiful, they both thought so.
They walked with Avery and Isaac flanking him the entire way to the restaurant. It helped prevent him from getting jostled around, which made the trip easy and pain-free. He sent a text to the group chat he had with Taron and Zephyr, letting them know they arrived safely, and tucked it away again, following the hostess to a booth. Avery shook his head.
“Oh, we’d prefer a table, if that’s alright. We’re happy to wait.”
The hostess tengu cocked her head, taking in their group a little more closely before nodding. “I can do that. This way.”
The move was purely for Tony’s sake, he got stiff in booths, and he appreciated Avery’s immediate redirection to ensure his comfort. He sat at their new table, sighing a little. The chairs here were comfortable. That was a definite plus.
After making their orders, Avery turned his attention to Tony, asking, “What’s your favorite holiday tradition? Ozen andI are integrating more human traditions and it’s been a while since I’ve celebrated. Not since my parents died. I’m worried I’m forgetting something.”
The ache in his chest grew a little. Christmas with his family was his favorite time of year growing up. No one complained about him or made snide comments. Everyone joined in on cooking a big meal, shared stories, and were just together and happy.
Clearing his throat around the lump forming, he asked, “What do you have so far?”
“Baking and decorating cookies, putting up a tree, presents…” He ticked off each item on his fingers, his eyes staring off into space as he tried to remember it all. “My parents used to go caroling, but I won’t be doing that. I can’t hold a tune.”
Isaac snorted. “Neither can I.”
Tony considered him thoughtfully. “Do mages go caroling?”
Shaking his head, Isaac took a sip of his water before answering. “Nope. There are some similarities in traditions, like we share a meal and do the gift exchange thing, but our presents have to be handmade. I’m not sure that’s true for all mages, but it is in my clan.”
Tony nodded. “That’s a nice idea. My family’s gifts were always acts of service. I detailed my mom’s car one year. She really appreciated that.”
“That’s sweet,” Avery commented. “Is that a tradition you still do?”
The thought of trying to get away with doing things for Taron and Zephyr without them hovering like mother hens was kind of funny. He chuckled, shaking his head at the thought. “No. My mates have a hard enough time letting me cook on my own once a week. I don’t think they’d like it as much as my parents did.”
