#ttam

"If you want to stop things here," she said carefully, "and call off the reunification process to maintain Pales' sovereignty, I'll support you in that." The tired affection in his eyes made her throat ache. He kissed her knuckles again and pulled her against him more firmly, sighing as he did. "This is doesn't leave the car, Speaker Sazon," he told Manus, his breath warm her hairline as he spoke. "My lips are sealed, Your Grace," Manus said sincerely. "The thought of breaking negotiations…" He pressed his lips to her temple. "It's tempting. But while your offer of support means the world to me, beautiful, we'd just be kicking the problem down the road to our children. And in the meantime—" "In the meantime, Lespia has a chip on its shoulder from Pales cutting ties in favor of Rizia, and they have membership in the ATO now," Manus cut in quietly. Axel nodded. "And Valgsland just across the channel with its membership in United Contana. I hate to say it, but the writing has been on the wall for years now. Rizia is our best bet if we want to avoid the superpowers staging a revolution in Pales." His lips curved into a smile where they met her skin, and he added, "Besides, it would be a shame for all our hard work preparing our negotiating team to go to waste." "Then…" "It struck me," he said, and broke off to kiss her temple again. "It struck me just how much had to happen for today to be possible. For it to be me and not my brother, for Greater Pales to be returned, for so much of Pales to have been taken to begin with—" Vina squeezed Manus' hand, releasing it at his firm squeeze back. She turned to fully embrace her husband, a thread of anxiety unknotting in her chest as his arms wrapped around her without hesitation. "What can I do for you, love?" she breathed in his ear. "Tell me, please." "Just let me hold you tonight." His answer was just as quiet. He inhaled slowly, letting it out in a carefully measured exhale, and added, almost inaudibly, "Just…hold me tonight." "Always." She kissed the soft skin by his ear as his arms tightened around her. "Always, my Axel." Her husband held her close for a long moment, breathing slowly, then kissed her cheek and relaxed his embrace. He shot Manus an apologetic glance as she sat back against the seat. "I thought I'd be in a better mood for this when we asked you to join us," he told him with a faint smile. "No, I understand." Manus shook his head. "Something this monumental isn't ever easy, even if it is worth celebrating." The corners of Axel's smile deepened, and he tipped his head in agreement. "Exactly." "And—" Manus slipped his arm behind Vina, reaching out to clasp Axel's shoulder. "And I'd support Vina saying yes again, for what it's worth. Without hesitation." Axel looked back at him for several wordless seconds before laughing quietly, his eyes warm. "I'd agree to our arrangement again. For what that's worth."