19. Chapter Nineteen #2
“You did not just say all that and, by the way, you sound like a twelve-year-old on the cusp of hitting puberty,” Dante said with the lift of one dark brow aimed at his light-colored, wavy-haired husband.
Bronx rolled his eyes at Ashton and then asked, “Who the hell said we were boning ?”
“Are you actually going to sit there and deny the two of you are boning?” Dante asked.
A few quick seconds ticked by before Bronx finally smirked at Dante. “We’re not boning ,” Bronx calmly said. “And Jesus, you both sound like demented teenagers.”
“Ahh, so there’s some other nasty shit going on between you,” Ashton commented. “I knew it!”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Dante said and elbowed Ashton in the ribs. “They’ve probably been sucking each other dry for months.”
“That wouldn’t explain all the bruises, though,” Ashton said.
“But it could explain the loss of hearing,” Dante added.
“How so?” Ashton asked.
“Remember when parents used to tell their kids they’d go blind if they tugged on the trouser trout too many times? Well, maybe Tony blew Bronx so often he went deaf?”
“Hmm, there could be some truth to that,” Ashton said while tapping his index finger against his whiskered chin.
“Are you two lunatics done analyzing my injuries?” Bronx questioned.
“Yeah, yeah. We’re done,” Dante said. “We can discuss that topic later on in the privacy of our hotel room.”
“I hope you’ve got the entire maintenance staff on call at the hotel,” Bronx scoffed.
“You’re a funny guy, Bronxy,” Dante chided.
“Okay, let’s make another attempt to turn the conversation off of me,” Bronx suggested. “Tell me what happened in Wheland’s playroom.”
“It was his fault,” Dante and Ashton both said at the same time while pointing to the other.
“Shocking,” Bronx said. “Your answer tells me all I need to know.”
“Fantastic!” Ashton cheered. “That means we can get right back to discussing when you think you will be boning Tony. Any ETA on that because that’s what we really want to know.”
“What’s with you and the word boning?” Bronx asked.
“I like the way it rolls off my tongue,” Ashton said with a fancy wave of his hands.
“My balls roll nicely off your tongue,” Dante stage-whispered.
“Give me strength,” Bronx said and rubbed at his forehead. “This makes me wish they hadn’t fixed my hearing loss after all.”
“All joking aside, that was some serious shit you went through,” Dante said. “What’s the long-term prognosis? Dagger told us you’re going to make a full recovery. Is that true?”
“My recovery is slowly coming along but it’s going to be a process which will test my patience at a whole new level.
The doctors are optimistic I’ll get back almost all of my motor skills.
My hearing is coming back quickly but I’m still really dizzy,” Bronx said.
“I feel lucky I survived the ordeal and Tony was incredible. He kept me calm and comfortable and was so damn quick to get LifeFlight to land right there on the highway near the bus. I only wish I’d been conscious enough to see the helicopter drop down on the road.
It was by far the some of the scariest moments of my life but I have no doubts it was Tony’s fast response to the situation that saved my life. ”
Ashton squeezed Bronx’s thigh. “You had us scared out of our minds,” he admitted. “Even the guys in Ivory Tower were calling every five minutes to ask for updates on your condition. We were only getting bits and pieces of what was going on and for a while it didn’t sound good.”
“It’s true,” Dante said. “Our hearts were in our throats and we were frantic we couldn’t get our asses out here sooner.”
“Well, thanks for the warm thoughts,” Bronx said. “Means a lot to know you were thinking of me.”
“I’m not sure if you’ve heard yet but the Vegas shows were put on hold for the short term,” Dante announced.
“Dagger said he’s trying to get Lincoln to cover for me until I can get back to it,” Bronx said. “Believe me, I feel bad I caused this to happen. I wish I could go back in time and stop my head from hitting that damn kitchen table pole.”
“It was an accident and we don’t always have control over accidents happening,” Dante said.
“All you need to focus on is healing. That’s it,” Ashton said.
“Is Tony going to help you with your recovery?” Dante asked.
“That’s the plan,” Bronx replied. “He’s going to move into my place to be there on a daily basis for me.”
“I’m glad and it sounds like you’re going to need the help,” Ashton agreed. “Having him with you will also give you time to strengthen the relationship you’re building.”
“That’s true,” Dante said. “When you find the right one, you know it, but sometimes it isn’t obvious at first. It wasn’t clear for us in the beginning. It was more of a case of being too thick-headed to see what was right in front of our fucking faces.”
“It took all that time sequestered under lock and key at a therapy clinic in close proximity, before we had our ah-ha moment and realized how much we did care for the other,” Ashton said.
“It was a real come to Jesus moment,” Dante added. “I regret we wasted so much time being assholes to each other. It was time we could have spent fucking instead of tossing around insults.”
“All in the past, babe,” Ashton said and leaned in to press a soft kiss to Dante’s lips. “We’re making up for lost time now and that’s all that matters.”
Ashton and Dante ended their visit a short time later and it left Bronx alone with his thoughts.
He hoped like hell that he and Tony could build something special together.
At this early stage it sure felt like it was possible but who really knew?
But Bronx was committed to trying because his gut told him Tony was worth the effort.
It wasn’t long after his bandmates left that Tony returned to the room. Bronx sighed with gratitude at the sight of him. “Shit, am I happy to see you,” Bronx said and sat up in his chair to take the kiss Tony was offering.
“Did something happen while I was out?” Tony asked.
“It’s like everyone decided to visit at once,” Bronx explained. “One after the other and the first two conversations were tense in the beginning but eased up a bit toward the end. The parade of people ended with Dante and Ashton.”
“Damn, now I’m sorry I left you alone for such a long time,” Tony soothed. “I’m guessing Fizzbo and Dagger came first?”
“Fizzbo walked in first followed by Dagger a few minutes later, and then the other two stooges arrived after trashing another bathroom, but it was fine. We definitely needed to clear the air and now everything is cool,” Bronx said.
“How pissed off was Dagger?”
“Scale from one to ten? I’d say he was an eight when we started talking but he ended up at a four, then he had to leave to go hunt down Dante and Ashton.”
“I heard the announcement,” Tony said and shook his head.
“What is it with them and bathrooms? Then again, I suppose it’s better than them constantly fighting.
” He lifted one brow and smirked at Bronx because, yes, their situation was eerily familiar to Bronx and Tony always being at odds. The irony here couldn’t be missed.
“I’d be happy to wreck a bathroom with you if I knew it wouldn’t make me dizzy enough to fall over,” Bronx teased with a glint in his eyes.
Tony leaned in closer to Bronx’s face and rested his hands on the arms of his chair. “You want to get messy with me in a bathroom?”
“I would very much love to do that but maybe we could start sprawled across a nice, comfortable bed first,” Bronx suggested and Tony laughed loudly.
“That sounds pretty vanilla for a rockstar like you,” Tony teased.
“Oh, I’ve got rockstar moves that will curl your toes,” Bronx grinned mischievously. “Just you wait.”
Tony nipped at Bronx’s bottom lip. “I’m counting on it.”