Chapter 89: Outside

Chapter 89: Chapter 89: Outside

Six months after arriving at Villa Petrana, Sebastian was finally allowed beyond its grounds without a physician looking as though he had personally declared war on modern medicine.

Claude delivered the decision with considerably less ceremony than Sebastian believed it deserved.

"You can leave the property for short periods now," he said, scrolling through the latest receptor analysis on his tablet. "No strenuous activity, no long walks, and you remain within reasonable distance of the villa until we see how your body handles the additional stimulation."

Roberta, standing beside the examination counter with her arms folded over a pale gray blouse, added, "And if you feel tired, dizzy, or overheated, or notice any pheromonal fluctuation, you return immediately."

Sebastian looked between them.

"That sounds suspiciously like freedom."

"It is supervised freedom," Claude corrected.

Nero, who had been leaning against the wall near the windows, straightened immediately.

"How far?"

Roberta looked at him.

"Do not interpret this creatively."

"I asked a geographical question."

"You never ask geographical questions innocently."

Sebastian covered his mouth to hide a smile.

Nero ignored him.

"Ten kilometers?"

"Five."

"Eight."

"This is not a negotiation."

"Seven."

"Nero."

"Six."

Roberta closed her eyes.

Sebastian finally laughed.

"Five is fine."

Nero turned toward him with the expression of a man personally betrayed by moderation.

Sebastian pointed at him.

"You have spent six months threatening everyone who suggested I walk farther than a corridor. Do not suddenly become adventurous because the doctors gave you a number."

"I have always been adventurous."

"That is exactly the problem."

By early afternoon, Sebastian discovered that Nero had apparently prepared for this possibility days ago.

The armored car waiting beyond the villa entrance had already been stocked with water, medication, a light jacket Sebastian had not requested, and enough emergency equipment to survive a small regional disaster.

Sebastian paused beside the open door.

"You knew they were going to clear me."

"I suspected."

"You prepared the car."

"I prepare everything."

"You also packed food."

Nero glanced toward the basket secured behind the rear seats.

"You become unpleasant when hungry."

"I am unpleasant because of you."

"That too."

Sebastian climbed inside before Nero could add anything worse.

The drive was short.

Villa Petrana sat above the southern coastline, separated from the sea by low hills covered in pale spring grass, dark cypress, and stretches of wildflowers that had begun appearing between the stone terraces as the weather warmed. Sebastian had seen pieces of the landscape from the villa windows over the previous months, but glass flattened everything.

Outside, the world felt larger.

The road curved gradually downhill, revealing flashes of blue between the trees until the coastline finally opened in front of them.

Sebastian stopped speaking.

The sea stretched beneath the late-spring sun, intensely blue where the water deepened beyond the cliffs and almost transparent near the pale stone shoreline. The wind had strengthened near the coast, carrying salt through the half-open windows and pushing small whitecaps toward a narrow cove below.

Nero noticed Sebastian’s silence.

"Worth leaving the medical wing?"

Sebastian looked at him.

"Barely."

"Cruel."

"You’ll recover."

The car stopped beside an overlook built into the cliff, where a stone path curved toward a lower terrace protected by a waist-high wall. Hale had already stationed security discreetly along the perimeter, far enough away that Sebastian could almost pretend this was a normal outing rather than a royal excursion organized around a medically unstable almost-omega and the most paranoid crown prince in Saha.

Nero offered his hand when Sebastian stepped out.

Sebastian looked at it.

"I can walk."

"I know."

Sebastian took it anyway.

Nero’s fingers closed immediately around his.

The path was easy, paved in pale stone and softened at the edges by flowering rosemary and low coastal shrubs. Sebastian walked slowly, more because he knew Nero was monitoring every change in his breathing than because he actually needed to, and within several minutes they reached the terrace overlooking the water.

The view was even better from there.

Sebastian rested his forearms against the warm stone wall while Nero stood beside him, white-blond hair lifting in the wind where it had escaped the loose tie at his nape.

"It’s beautiful," Sebastian admitted.

Nero turned toward him.

"I know."

Sebastian glanced sideways.

"You were supposed to look at the sea."

"I was."

"You were looking at me."

"I have priorities."

There was no embarrassment in the answer.

There never was.

Sebastian smiled and returned his attention to the horizon.

For several minutes they simply stayed there, listening to waves break against the rocks below while seabirds circled farther along the cliff.

Then Nero spoke.

"My birthday is soon."

Sebastian slowly looked at him.

There was something in his tone.

Something shameless.

"You have a birthday every year."

"Yes, and I consider that a significant achievement."

"What do you want?"

Nero’s expression brightened.

Sebastian immediately regretted asking.

"You."

"You already have me."

"I enjoy redundancy."

"Nero."

The prince leaned one hip against the wall, studying him with open satisfaction.

"I would like a gift."

"You are the Crown Prince of the richest kingdom on the planet. What exactly am I supposed to buy you?"

"I didn’t say buy."

Sebastian narrowed his eyes.

"That made it worse."

Nero smiled.

"I want an entire day."

"With me?"

"Obviously."

"You already spend every day attached to me."

"Not recreationally."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow.

"You sleep wrapped around me like invasive vegetation."

"That is medical necessity."

"That is what you tell Roberta."

"It has worked so far."

Sebastian shook his head.

"What do you want to do with this birthday day?"

"I haven’t decided."

"That sounds suspicious."

"I am allowing inspiration."

"You never allow inspiration. You schedule it."

Nero laughed, then reached out to straighten the collar of Sebastian’s light jacket where the wind had folded it inward.

"I want you to choose something."

Sebastian blinked.

"For your birthday?"

"Yes."

"That is very trusting."

"I have survived your taste in entertainment."

"You watched one bad documentary."

"It was three hours long."

"It was historically important."

"It contained seventeen minutes about municipal drainage."

Sebastian smiled.

"You remember."

"I remember everything unfortunate that happens to me."

The wind shifted, carrying Nero’s pheromones toward him in a faint trace of smoke and warmth.

Sebastian looked back at the sea.

Six months earlier, he had arrived at Villa Petrana barely stable enough to stand for long periods without medical supervision, furious at his own body and uncertain whether he would survive the transition at all.

Now he was standing beside the sea with Nero asking shamelessly for birthday presents.

The absurd normality of it settled warmly beneath his ribs.

"Fine," Sebastian said.

Nero’s attention sharpened.

"You get a day."

"With conditions?"

"Of course."

"Cruel again."

"No dangerous activities, no political events disguised as dates, and no surprise wedding."

Nero looked offended.

"I would never surprise you with a wedding."

"You attempted to surprise me with wedding rings."

"That was jewelry."

Sebastian gave him a look.

Nero smiled beautifully.

"And," Sebastian continued, "you don’t get to decide what I choose."

"That seems unreasonable."

"It is literally the gift you asked for."

Nero considered that before inclining his head.

"Accepted."

Sebastian looked suspicious.

"That was too easy."

"I am capable of compromise."

"You bought approximately forty collars after I agreed to two."

"Those subjects are unrelated."

Sebastian laughed and turned back toward the water.

Nero moved closer until their shoulders touched.

After a moment, Sebastian felt fingers thread through his.

He let them.

"Happy early birthday," he murmured.

Nero squeezed his hand.

"It is already excellent."

Sebastian looked at him.

"You haven’t even received the gift."

Nero’s violet eyes softened.

"I’m looking at it."