Chapter Text
The air inside the quiet baby boutique grew impossibly heavy as Taki’s desperate plea faded into the soft lavender-scented silence. Euijoo kept his grip tight on Nicholas’s arm, his eyes wide and pleading, silent tears tracking down his pale cheeks.
Nicholas stood perfectly still. For a guy who had grown up in the cutthroat boardroom culture of the Wang empire, he was used to holding all the cards. But looking at Taki—shaking, cornered against a display of tiny clothes, and fiercely shielding a three-month bump underneath a cheap sweater—Nicholas felt the cold weight of reality crash down on him.
This wasn’t a corporate game. This was a fragile kid holding the next generation of Kyoto’s most powerful dynasty.
"Nicholas, please," Euijoo whispered, his voice trembling so hard it cut straight through Nicholas’s protective alpha instincts. "If you ever loved me, if you care about what happens to us... please don't say anything to Maki."
Nicholas let out a long, ragged breath, the hard edge in his posture finally cracking. He gently reached down, covering Euijoo’s hand with his own before looking back at Taki.
"Get your things," Nicholas said, his tone low but no longer cold. "We aren't talking about this in a public shop. My car is outside. Move."
Ten minutes later, the three of them were sitting in the back of Nicholas's sleek black sedan, the tinted windows cutting off the rest of the world. The interior smelled faintly of rich leather and Nicholas's subtle, expensive alpha scent. Taki sat pressed against the passenger door, his knees pulled toward his chest, looking like he wanted to dissolve into the leather seats.
Nicholas turned around from the front seat, resting his arm on the console to look at them.
"I'm not going to tell him," Nicholas said plainly.
Taki’s head snapped up, a breathless, disbelieving gasp escaping his lips. "You... you aren't?"
"No," Nicholas muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "If I tell Maki right now, his parents will find out within forty-eight hours. The Hirota elders make my family look like saints. They’d force an immediate custody contract, lock you away in a private estate until the birth, and then wipe your name from the registry. I’ve seen them do it to a rival family's omega five years ago. It’s brutal."
Euijoo let out a massive sob of pure relief, leaning his forehead against Nicholas’s shoulder. "Thank you. Thank you, Nicho."
"But," Nicholas cut in sharply, his dark eyes locking onto Taki with absolute seriousness. "You are completely delusional if you think you can just 'disappear' after this semester on a convenience store budget, Taki. You have post-trauma epilepsy. You're malnourished. You need specialized prenatal care, private doctors who won't report a Hirota-scented pup to the registry, and a safe place to live outside of Kyoto."
Taki looked down at his lap, his fingers twisting into the hem of his sweater. "I can figure it out. My mom and I—"
"Your mom works two retail jobs just to pay your current medical bills," Nicholas interrupted, not cruel, but brutally honest. "You can't do this alone. So, here's what’s going to happen. I am opening a private, unlinked bank account under Euijoo’s name. Every month, I'm transferring enough funds to cover high-grade prenatal vitamins, private clinic visits outside the city, and whatever food you need to actually put some weight on."
Taki’s eyes widened in sheer panic. "No! I can't accept money from a Wang. If Maki ever finds a paper trail—"
"There won't be a trail. I know how to move money better than anyone on that campus," Nicholas said, a brief, arrogant flash of the Wang heir coming through before his expression turned grave again. "Consider it a loan if your pride is that bruised. But you are carrying my best friend’s kid. I’m not letting a Hirota heir grow up sick because you're too stubborn to take a handout."
Taki swallowed the massive lump in his throat. He looked at Euijoo, who was nodding through his tears, silently begging him to accept the lifeline. For the sake of the tiny spark inside him, Taki knew he couldn't let his pride win.
"Okay," Taki whispered, a fresh tear slipping down his cheek. "Okay. Thank you, Nicholas."
"Good," Nicholas said, turning back around to face the steering wheel. "But we have a bigger problem. Maki is already losing his mind over your scent change. I can lie to his face, but your inner omega is starting to nest, Taki. If he gets too close to you again, his alpha is going to figure it out, regardless of what lies you tell him. You need to keep your distance. Absolutely no exceptions."
Taki nodded weakly, clutching his stomach tight. He knew Nicholas was right. The secret was safe for now, backed by the immense wealth and protection of a secret ally—but they were playing a dangerous game against Maki's awakening instincts.