Chapter 72: Two Days

Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Two Days

"Why?"

Nero leaned back against the edge of his desk, adjusting the open collar of his black formal jacket while considering how much of his schedule Sebastian actually needed to hear.

"Southern Command has developed an unfortunate inability to account for several aircraft, and apparently the commanders require my personal presence to explain why their equipment inventories disagree with the deployment reports."

Sebastian stared at him through the screen.

"Several aircraft?"

"Yes."

"Military aircraft."

"Unfortunately, civilian aircraft would have been considerably less interesting."

Sebastian glanced toward the ceiling, apparently reconsidering whether he wanted to hear anything else about Nero’s afternoon.

"And the day after?"

"The investigation into Melrose’s enhancers may require additional testimony, depending on what House Mynatt presents this afternoon. I also have two council sessions that Idris has already postponed twice."

Sebastian looked back at him.

"So you need to stay in Altera."

"I need to attend the meetings."

"That is what I said."

"I can return to the villa after today’s meeting and fly back tomorrow morning."

Sebastian slowly lowered the tissue he had been using to clean the water from his bedside table.

"Nero."

The warning in his voice made Nero’s mouth twitch.

"What?"

"You are not spending three hours flying back and forth so you can stay here for another four before returning to Altera."

"Four wonderful hours."

"During which you will probably refuse to sleep because you want to spend every second watching me breathe."

Nero considered that accusation.

"I would also like to hold you."

Sebastian closed his eyes.

The bastard was impossible.

He should have found the admission irritating, particularly after spending years complaining about Nero’s possessiveness, but apparently his own emotional judgment had deteriorated alongside his secondary gender.

He missed Nero.

He missed having someone sit beside him while he read, steal his attention whenever he became too absorbed in something, and insist on holding him as though Sebastian might disappear if given sufficient space.

That did not mean he intended to encourage another seventy-hour period of sleep deprivation.

"Stay in Altera tonight," Sebastian said.

Nero’s expression flattened.

"No."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"I said no."

"I heard you. I was giving you an opportunity to reconsider."

Nero smiled faintly.

"That sounds familiar."

Sebastian shifted against the pillows, pulling the blanket over his legs before settling the phone against the bedside stand so he could look at Nero without holding it.

"I am stable, love."

Nero stopped moving.

Sebastian noticed the reaction immediately.

There it was again.

Apparently calling Nero love remained the single most effective way to interrupt whatever unreasonable argument he had been preparing.

Sebastian smiled.

"Roberta has an entire research center monitoring me, Claude is here, and Duncan has enough personnel stationed around Villa Petrana to defend a small country. You do not need to fly back because I am watching television alone."

Nero recovered.

"I am aware of the security arrangements. I approved them."

"Then you know I am safe."

"That does not mean I enjoy being away from you."

The answer came without hesitation, and Sebastian felt something warm settle beneath his ribs.

Nero was sitting in his palace office, surrounded by responsibilities he could not reasonably abandon, yet he looked genuinely offended by the prospect of spending a night without Sebastian.

For a moment, Sebastian considered letting him return.

Then he remembered the three days Nero had spent unconscious.

Absolutely not.

"You cannot keep wearing yourself down just to spend a few hours with me."

"I am not wearing myself down."

"You said that last time."

"That was different."

"You were awake for more than seventy hours."

"I have slept since then."

"Congratulations. Try making it a recurring activity."

Nero’s eyes narrowed.

Sebastian smiled pleasantly.

"You are being very difficult, my moon."

"I learned from an expert."

Nero huffed a quiet laugh, but his expression remained stubborn.

Sebastian knew that look.

He had seen Nero negotiate entire diplomatic agreements while wearing it, patiently rearranging every available argument until the other party discovered that surrender was somehow the most attractive option.

Unfortunately for Nero, Sebastian had spent years dealing with the same strategy.

"You have two choices," Sebastian said.

Nero’s eyebrows lifted.

"Do I?"

"You stay in Altera, finish your meetings, eat properly, and sleep in an actual bed, or I call Idris and tell him to schedule enough work that you physically cannot leave the palace."

Nero stared at him.

"That is a remarkably cruel threat."

"I thought you would appreciate the creativity."

"Idris would enjoy it far too much."

"Then behave."

Nero glanced toward the windows behind his desk, jaw tightening as he considered the prospect of an evening in a palace that apparently contained everything except the one person he wanted beside him.

Sebastian watched him quietly.

There was no genuine medical necessity for Nero to return now.

The physical distance between them had become inconvenient rather than dangerous, and Sebastian refused to let Nero exhaust himself simply because his enigma instincts considered a few hours apart an intolerable development.

"I want you here too," Sebastian admitted.

Nero turned back immediately.

Sebastian sighed.

"But I would rather have you healthy and mildly offended in Altera than unconscious beside me for another three days."

Nero’s expression softened.

"You were worried."

"Of course I was."

The answer came so naturally that Sebastian did not realize what he had said until Nero’s smile widened.

Oh, hell.

He had given the bastard another piece of ammunition.

Sebastian pointed at the screen.

"Do not turn this into another negotiation."

"I was merely appreciating your concern."

"Appreciate it while staying in Altera."

Nero laughed.

For several seconds, his gaze remained fixed on Sebastian, his expression warmer than anything he had worn during the earlier discussion.

Then he sighed with the profound suffering of a man surrendering something extraordinarily valuable.

"Tonight."

"And tomorrow."

"That depends on when the meetings finish."

Sebastian considered the answer.

It was not complete surrender.

But Nero had never been particularly good at that.

"Fine. If you finish early, we can discuss it."

Nero smiled.

Sebastian immediately added, "Discuss, not automatically prepare the aircraft."

"You are becoming very specific."

"Experience."

Nero glanced at the clock.

"Idris will be bringing another meeting shortly."

"Then eat something before the meeting."

Nero’s expression changed.

Sebastian recognized the delight before the bastard even opened his mouth.

"You are worried about me again."

"I am concerned that your secretary will have to deal with you becoming even more unbearable because you skipped lunch."

"That sounds like affection."

"That sounds like a warning."

Nero laughed, the last traces of frustration disappearing from his face.

Sebastian reached for the remote, already preparing to return to his series.

"And Nero?"

"Yes, my moon?"

"Call me when you finish. I want to know you actually went to bed."

Nero’s smile softened.

"You could stay on the call while I sleep."

Sebastian stared at him.

Then he laughed.

"You are seven foot five, twenty-five years old, and the Crown Prince of Saha."

"All excellent qualities."

"And apparently you require supervision to sleep."

"Only when my fiancé is several hundred kilometers away."

Sebastian shook his head, still smiling.

"Goodbye, love."

He ended the call before Nero could recover enough to argue.

For several seconds, Sebastian sat looking at the darkened screen, his smile lingering as he imagined the expression Nero was probably wearing in Altera.

Then he retrieved the bowl of chickpeas and resumed his series.

He had barely made it through the opening credits when his phone vibrated again.

A message from Nero.

I am going to miss you tonight.

Sebastian’s expression softened.

He typed a response.

Then finish your work and come back to me.

This time, Nero answered almost immediately.

I will, my moon.