Chapter Text
Maki couldn't sleep. Nicholas’s words from the private lounge kept echoing in his mind, a relentless drumbeat that made his chest feel tight. You have no idea what you've done.
Even though Taki had laid out a perfectly logical explanation—the cheap clinic, the generic pills, the agonizing gastric side effects—Maki's inner alpha remained completely unsatisfied. Every time he closed his eyes, he remembered the terrifying frailty of Taki's body when he collapsed in the library. If Taki was telling the truth, then he was suffering purely because he was poor. He was tearing his stomach apart with garbage medicine just to keep his epilepsy under control.
By the next afternoon, Maki had reached his breaking point.
Using his family’s immense influence and premium medical accounts, he bypassed the standard healthcare channels completely. He imported a brand-new, cutting-edge anti-seizure medication—the absolute gold standard used by elite families. It had zero gastric side effects, zero nausea warnings, and cost more for a single month's supply than Taki likely made in a year at the convenience store.
"Take it," Maki said coldly.
Taki froze in the middle of the empty university stairwell, his hand resting on the handrail. He had been on his way to meet Euijoo when Maki had suddenly stepped out from the shadows of the landing, blocking his path.
Maki stood a step above him, looking down with his usual aristocratic detachment. But his scent—crushed mint and smoky vetiver—was pulsing thick and heavy in the enclosed concrete space, practically vibrating with an aggressive, protective need to provide. Maki reached into his leather bag and shoved a sleek, premium white box across the space, forcing it into Taki’s hands.
Taki looked down at the box. The brand name was stamped in silver foil. It was a famous, highly restricted neurological stabilizer.
"What is this?" Taki whispered, his throat tightening as a cold sweat broke out on his neck.
"It’s a top-tier anticonvulsant," Maki said smoothly, crossing his arms over his chest. "No generic fillers, no gastric distress. It stabilizes neural pathways perfectly without destroying your stomach. Toss that cheap trash you got from the free clinic into the garbage and take these instead."
Panic, cold and sharp, flooded straight through Taki's veins. He stared at the premium box in his hands as if it were a ticking bomb.
He couldn't take these. He absolutely couldn't take them. A powerful, high-grade neurological stabilizer like this would flood his system with intense chemical compounds that could easily harm or terminate a developing fetus. For a regular epileptic, it was a miracle drug. For a pregnant omega carrying a fragile two-month-old spark, it was poison.
"I can't take this, Maki," Taki said, his voice trembling as he tried to push the box back into Maki’s chest.
Maki didn't take it. His dark eyes narrowed, his jaw tightening as his mint scent turned bitter with sudden irritation. "Why the hell not? I went out of my way to secure the best medical care available. It fixes your nausea, Takayama. It stops you from throwing up in my bathroom and ruining your scent."
"I don't want your charity!" Taki shouted desperately, his voice cracking against the concrete walls. He needed to be loud, he needed to sound angry, or else the sheer terror in his eyes would give him away. "You think you can just throw your family’s money at everything and fix it? I told you, I am managing my health just fine! I don't need a wealthy alpha playing savior because he feels guilty about one stupid night!"
"It's not about guilt!" Maki roared, stepping down a stair, completely invading Taki's space. His dominant presence flared, heavy and suffocating, his eyes tracking the frantic beat of the pulse point on Taki’s neck. "You are running yourself into the ground! Your body is exhausted, you're pale, and you look like you're breaking apart. Just take the damn pills!"
"No!" Taki screamed, tears of absolute desperation finally blurring his vision. He gripped the box and slammed it flat against Maki’s chest, forcing the alpha to grab it. "I will never take them! I don't want your medicine, Maki! I don't want anything from you! Just leave me alone!"
Taki turned on his heel and bolted down the stairs, his oversized hoodie billowing around him. He didn't care that his knees were shaking, or that the sudden movement made his morning sickness flare up aggressively. He just needed to get away from the suffocating, protective trap of Maki’s mint scent.
Maki stood frozen on the stairs, his fingers clenching tightly around the expensive box of medicine. He watched Taki disappear around the landing, his chest heaving with a chaotic mix of fury and profound confusion.
Taki’s anger had felt entirely real. The bitter pride of a poor student refusing a rich boy's handouts—it perfectly aligned with the lie Taki had told in the penthouse. Maki let out a sharp, frustrated breath, his shoulders finally dropping as his alpha instincts begrudgingly accepted the rejection. He really just hates me, Maki thought bitterly, shoving the medicine back into his bag. He'd rather suffer through the side effects of cheap drugs than accept my help.
Maki believed the lie completely, entirely blinded by Taki's fierce desperation. But down at the bottom of the stairwell, hidden around the dark corner, Taki collapsed against the wall, clutching his stomach with both hands as he sobbed in silent relief.
The secret was safe for one more day, but the stakes were getting dangerously high.