It only took a second for Ambrus’s gaze to flick over and when it did, all three of them froze. Petros turned around and made a noise in the back of their throat. Both of them wore matching expressions of exhaustion, bags under their eyes and hair matted on their heads

“Areti,” Petros gasped, their body deflating with relief. “You’re alright.”

Where Petros was gentle, Ambrus was enraged. “Where were you? You shouldn’t be out of bed!”

A hand landed on his uninjured arm and it took Areti a moment to realise that Ambrus had moved. “I went for a walk. I was given permission,” he answered, jolting away from the warmth Ambrus’s hand provided. He had believed his anger had faded, but of course, it hadn’t. 

“You’ve been out for days, Areti,” Ambrus whispered, his anger disappearing in less than a second. Petros came up behind him and the way their hand settled on his back made something sour land in Areti’s stomach. “We weren’t sure if you would… if you would make it.”

Reassuring them came easier than he had thought it would. “I’m fine, as you can see. I just need rest,” he said and after a second of awkward silence, took a deep breath. “You said you wanted to tell me something when I woke up.”

“How did you… Could you hear us?” Ambrus asked, jolting back into Petros’s chest. 

“Sometimes. It’s how I knew I wasn’t dead,” he replied and winced. It was too honest, far too honest. “I would like to have this conversation sooner rather than later, so that I can rest.”

He wished he could have strode into his room with ease, but he wobbled as he got to the doorframe, legs heavy and eyes drooping. He was so tired and probably should have allowed the conversation to wait, but at the same time he wanted to get it over and done with. Find out what Ambrus and Petros were hiding from him and then push them both from his life. He needed closure, especially after almost dying. 

Collapsing on the bed with a sigh, Areti waited in tense silence for his two companions to shuffle in and close the door. Wherever the doctor had gone, she didn’t seem bothered by anything that was going on. He would need more medication from her soon; his arm was starting to sting. 

“Well?” he said, willing himself to calm down, to be more polite, as hard as it was. “What did you want to tell me?”

Ambrus and Petros shared a nervous look, one that held a conversation that would have usually been minutes long. Areti hadn’t realised just how in tune the pair of them were. If he hadn’t collapsed, what would their reunion have been like?

“It’s… It’s what I was trying to explain when we were on the road,” Ambrus said and sat down in a creaky chair next to the bed, Petros’s hand on his shoulder. “Petros told me what they wrote in their last letter and we’ve both realised that we should have communicated what we wanted a lot better than we did.”

Areti raised an eyebrow, trying not to show how much his hands were shaking. He bunched them in the blankets pooled around him, unable to say a word. Petros wouldn’t even meet his eyes, staring down at the floor with flushed cheeks. It was impossible to tell what either of them were thinking and yet, a pinprick of hope bloomed in Areti’s chest. 

“Petros had told me of you more than once before we met,” Ambrus said, hands wringing together in his lap. “They told me of their feelings for you and I encouraged them to pursue them, but they’ve never been the best at telling anyone such things. Which is why I’m the one telling you now.”

The laughter that bubbled out of Areti’s mouth was near-hysterical. “What?”

A single hand up from Petros stopped any other words from being spilled. “Areti, please, let us explain,” they said but still didn’t look at him. “Whatever Ambrus says is the truth.”

“And what we’re trying to tell you is that, admittedly, it took a while after I met you, but I grew to understand why Petros feels the way they do about you. Eventually, I also gained the same feelings,” Ambrus explained. He looked like he wanted to reach out as he always did, but held himself back. 

“Then why-” Areti started, stopping himself a second later. Nothing was making sense, but from the looks on Ambrus and Petros’s faces there was still a lot more to be said. 

“It was my idea to make you our messenger,” Ambrus said, biting down hard on his lip. “It took some convincing on my part to get Petros to agree, but the majority of their letters were them moping about how they couldn’t have you.” Petros flushed and looked away at that, much to Areti’s increasing confusion. “And I also wanted you. Want you. It’s… frowned upon, what we both want and so I believed it would be safer if we made up this farce.

“Yes, it was partially so I could have some connection to Petros. You can’t blame either of us for that. But it was also so we could get closer to you in the only way we believed we could. We never meant to make you feel like we were using you, Areti, because we weren’t.”

“I was always kissing you for you,” Petros muttered, finally glancing back up at him, but only for a second. 

Areti choked and dropped his head into his hands, trying to make sense of the emotions raging through him. “Then why didn’t you ever say anything? Either of you?” he demanded, glaring at them both. “You made me feel like all I was good for was my body and what it could do for the two of you. And now you’re telling me it’s because you feel some sort of affection for me?”

“Areti-"

“No! This whole time. This whole time! I have had feelings for you both almost since the moment I met you. Surely you realise the mistakes you have made here?” he growled, glaring up at them and dropping his hands to grasp at the end of his chiton. 

Petros was before him in an instant, dropping to their knees in front of his bed, but not touching him. “Of course, we have. Why do you think we’re here?” they asked and hesitantly placed a single hand on Areti’s knee. “I should have said something last time I saw you, but I couldn’t. For that, for everything, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“We both are. Areti, we fell for you long ago and we’re sorry we didn’t make that as clear as we should have-”

He wanted to hear them out, but there was something Areti needed to know before anything else was said. “If I hadn’t almost died, would you be telling me this?”

The silence only lasted a second, but it was thick and heavy. “Of course, we would have,” Ambrus said, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “I kept trying to tell you on the road, remember? Now I know exactly what’s going on, I think I understand a little more. You deserve to know the truth.

“We may not know how something like this would work, but we would very much like to have you with us, as an equal member of our relationship now that Petros and I are together again. I know we made mistakes, but we adore you and want to do better, Areti. Will you let us?”

Lips parted, Areti stared at them, unable to find the right words to say. A relationship between the three of them had been something that had plagued his dreams for months, but he had thought it impossible that both of them would feel the same way. His anger boiled away in the background, shoving away any attempt at forgiveness.

Ambrus and Petros looked so earnest, as if there was nothing they wanted more than him. Every moment with them came back in a rush, every soft touch and gentle smile, every word of excitement about seeing him. In the new light he had been given, he couldn’t help but believe that they were telling the truth. 

He was so tired and the pain was slowly coming back to him, but happiness was slowly pushing past the anger, washing over him in a slow and calming way that left him feeling like he was floating. “I think… I would be willing to try,” he said and held up a hand at the excited look on Ambrsus’s face. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m still so angry at the both of you, but I want to move past it, I want to believe you.”

Petros’s hand on his knee squeezed tighter. “You can trust us, I promise,” they said, so much adoration in their eyes that it left Areti momentarily winded. 

“I hope so,” he whispered and gingerly reached out to cup Petros’s face. From the chair, Ambrus smiled at him, the epitome of relief. “Can I kiss you?”

The answer to his question came as the soft press of lips against his own, a feeling he had missed after his outburst and anger. He melted into it, clutching Petros closer until they were situated completely between his knees. They made a soft noise against him and wrapped their arms around his waist. 

A hand on his shoulder made him pull away, breathless, to look up at Ambrus. Petros dropped their head against his other shoulder, wary of his wound, and nuzzled at his neck. It gave Ambrus the opening he needed and all Areti could do was tilt his head up and let Ambrus kiss him. 

Having them both so close made his heart race. He grabbed them as best he could, losing himself in the feeling of Ambrus’s lips against his own and Petros’s breath hot on his neck. But it didn’t last for long. Petros shifted slightly and Areti’s arm screamed with pain. He cried out against Ambrus’s mouth and in an instant both of them ripped away from him. 

“Get the doctor,” Ambrus said, pushing Petros away gently until they stumbled through the door. 

Areti clutched at his shoulder. “Sorry,” he whispered, not meeting Ambrus’s searching gaze. He wasn’t sure what he was apologising for, his outburst, his inability to listen, his injury, everything. 

Chuckling, Ambrus guided him back until he lay against the lumpy bed. “You’re alright, don’t worry,” he said, rubbing his cheek with a thumb. Petros stumbled back into the room, followed closely by the doctor, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Rest, Areti, we’ll be right here.”