Chapter 59: Panic makes mistakes

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Panic makes mistakes

Sebastian saw what Lucas had attempted before breakfast and immediately considered calling him.

Not to discuss it.

To retaliate.

The tablet rested across Sebastian’s thighs beneath the pale morning light filtering through the observation suite windows, the legal notice still open on the screen while his pulse monitor betrayed him with a gradual climb that made Claude look over from the diagnostic station.

"No."

Sebastian lifted his gaze. "I haven’t said anything."

"You don’t need to."

Claude crossed the room in a charcoal sweater and dark trousers, abandoning the stack of overnight reports on the counter before stopping beside the bed. Roberta remained several meters away near the wall displays, white coat open over a burgundy blouse, while she compared Sebastian’s morning receptor readings against the previous evening.

Claude glanced at the tablet.

"You’re not calling Lucas."

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed. "He attempted to transfer parental authority over a thirty-one-year-old man into another country."

"Thirty-one and currently medically unstable."

"I’m almost thirty-two."

"That makes this much better."

Sebastian pushed himself farther upright against the pillows.

Roberta finally looked over.

"Your blood pressure is already rising."

"I am calm."

The monitor gave a sharp tone.

Roberta raised one eyebrow.

Sebastian looked at the machine with genuine dislike.

"Traitor."

Claude took the tablet out of his reach before Sebastian could stop him.

"Your receptor activity finally settled overnight, your inflammatory markers are down, and we have gone almost twelve hours without your body inventing a new emergency. You are not starting a family war before breakfast."

Sebastian stretched out one hand.

"Give that back."

"No."

"Claude."

"Call the calmer parent."

Sebastian stared at him.

Then toward Roberta.

She had already returned to her scans.

"I agree with him."

Of course she did.

Ten minutes later, Sebastian called Trevor.

The connection opened onto the private study at Fitzgeralt, where Trevor sat behind a dark green desk with tall windows at his back. He wore a fitted black shirt beneath a deep green waistcoat, the sleeves rolled to his forearms, silver cufflinks abandoned beside a cup of coffee as though he had been awake long enough to stop caring about finishing his clothes properly.

Sebastian skipped every acceptable greeting.

"Get your husband under control."

Trevor’s mouth twitched.

"Good morning."

"He tried to acquire legal authority over me in Saha."

"I know."

That stopped Sebastian.

Trevor leaned back, one hand rubbing slowly over his jaw.

"I spent most of the morning discussing it with him."

"Discussing?"

Trevor looked toward something outside the screen.

"It became less civilized after the first ten minutes."

Sebastian’s irritation shifted.

Trevor and Lucas rarely fought. They had been together long enough that most disagreements ended with a few carefully chosen sentences and one of them reconsidering whatever stupidity had started the problem.

"What happened?"

"Panic."

The answer came without humor.

Trevor reached for his coffee but did not drink.

"He has dressed it up as legal responsibility, family authority, medical concern, and several arguments involving Fitzgeralt succession, but underneath all of it he is terrified."

Sebastian looked toward the windows beside his bed.

The rain had finally stopped. Droplets still covered the forest outside, catching weak sunlight whenever the clouds opened.

"He does not need legal authority to be frightened."

"No, and I told him that."

"He apparently disagreed."

"He thinks I’m being too calm."

That pulled the faintest smile from Sebastian.

"He would."

Trevor noticed it but let it pass.

"Sebastian, you scared him badly."

The smile disappeared.

Sebastian adjusted the blanket over his legs, fingertips catching briefly against one of the sensor wires running beneath his green shirt.

"I had reasons."

"I know you did."

"If Palatine had found out how close I was to berserk, I would have been removed from active authority immediately. They would have put me under observation and probably restricted my movements until someone decided whether I was dangerous."

Trevor’s expression tightened.

"And instead, you deteriorated until you were coughing blood in front of everyone."

Sebastian looked down.

That version sounded considerably worse.

Trevor continued more quietly.

"Lucas has lived enough lifetimes to know how quickly lack of control becomes catastrophe. Then his son hid an approaching berserk episode from everyone, nearly died, and is now being transformed into a secondary gender none of us expected."

Trevor rested his forearms on the desk.

"That does not mean Lucas understands what your life will look like afterward."

Sebastian exhaled slowly.

"I understand why he is afraid."

"I thought you would."

"I still want him to stop."

"So do I."

Trevor’s mouth tightened briefly.

"He also does not trust Nero."

Sebastian huffed.

"That has been obvious for years."

"Nero inherited some of the least comforting traits available from both Dax and Christopher."

"That is diplomatically phrased."

"He is extremely intelligent, difficult to restrain, possessive, powerful enough that ordinary safeguards mean very little, and has spent at least seven years being obsessed with you."

Sebastian looked at the screen.

"That was considerably less diplomatic."

Trevor gave him a dry smile.

"I married Lucas. Subtlety stopped being useful decades ago."

Sebastian’s mouth curved despite himself.

This time Trevor caught it.

He studied Sebastian for several seconds.

"You smiled."

"So?"

"While we were talking about Nero."

Sebastian closed his eyes briefly.

Wonderful.

Apparently everyone in his family had become observant at exactly the wrong time.

"I’m accepting him."

Trevor went completely still.

Sebastian opened his eyes again.

"With conditions."

Trevor remained quiet long enough that Sebastian started regretting the announcement.

Finally, he leaned back.

"What conditions?"

"No mark unless I ask for it."

Immediate approval crossed Trevor’s face.

"Good."

"And we negotiated the collar."

A pause.

"You negotiated a collar."

"Nero considers everything negotiable."

"I assume he tried to make jewelry sound like international policy."

Sebastian looked away.

Trevor laughed quietly.

"That accurate?"

"Unfortunately."

The amusement eased some of the tightness in Sebastian’s chest.

He shifted lower against the pillows, letting his head rest back while the monitor beside him settled into a slower rhythm.

"I chose this."

Trevor’s laughter faded.

Sebastian looked toward him again.

"I know what Nero is. I know how far his obsession can go, and I’m not pretending that wanting him somehow makes every part of that healthy."

Trevor listened without interrupting.

"But I spent years deciding everything based on what might happen if I stayed close to him. Every vision, every warning, every possible disaster became another reason to keep him at a distance."

His fingers tightened lightly in the blanket.

"And I still ended up nearly dying in his arms."

Trevor’s expression softened.

Sebastian swallowed.

"I think I need to find out what happens if I stop running."

For several seconds, only the low hum of the medical equipment filled the room.

Then Trevor nodded.

"That is your decision."

The relief Sebastian felt was immediate enough to annoy him.

"Tell Lucas."

"I already have."

"Tell him again."

"I intend to."

"And if he tries transferring authority over me one more time, I will personally authorize Sahan Legal to reject him through every official channel available."

Trevor smiled.

"There you are."

Sebastian ignored that.

"When can we see you?" Trevor asked.

Sebastian glanced toward Roberta.

She was still reading the displays but clearly listening.

"When they are confident I’m stable enough that I’m not a danger to anyone except Nero."

Trevor frowned.

"That wording is concerning."

"Nero can stabilize me."

"That is not the part I found concerning."

"He’ll survive."

Roberta looked over sharply.

Sebastian sighed.

"Probably."

Trevor laughed under his breath.

Sebastian’s expression softened.

"I’m improving. Once they clear me and I’m safe to be around without Nero maintaining constant support, I’ll see you both."

Trevor nodded.

"I’ll handle Lucas."

"Thank you."

"And Sebastian?"

"Yes?"

"If you chose Nero, make sure he understands that being chosen does not mean being given control over everything."

Sebastian glanced toward the door.

A faint smile returned.

"He’s learning."

Slowly. Painfully. But learning.

The call ended a moment later.

Sebastian set the tablet aside and leaned back into the pillows.

His decision still frightened him.