By Zephyria 
Fucking bastard.
He’d downed two cans of beer, but his insides were still churning. Entitlement, my ass? Where did he pick up words like that? As if he’d ever taken responsibility for anything…
Meow, Darling whimpered softly. Dane realized he was inadvertently leaking Pheromones and quickly reined in his scent. As the Pheromone scent faded, the cat seemed to relax again, resting its head on its paws and lying down.
Dane walked over to the cat tower, a beer can in one hand. The cat was practically his only source of comfort these days. He gently stroked Darling’s head as it lazed about, and the cat lifted its head and rolled over. Watching Darling lick his hand like a toy, rub its head against him, and tap him with its paws, Dane felt his mood lift.
A smile softened his lips, but just then, his cell phone rang. He checked the caller ID and quickly pressed the answer button.
ACT
5G 64%
Yeon-woo
XXX-XXX-XXXX
A voice immediately came through the speaker.
“Dane, did you get back okay? I went to the hospital, and they said you’d taken Darling. I wanted to call sooner, but I didn’t get a chance. I’m sorry for calling so late…”
“No, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”
Dane ran a hand through his hair and added, “Thanks for taking care of Darling all this time, Yeon-woo.”
“It’s nothing. Thank you for trusting me and entrusting me with precious Darling.”
Yeon-woo added in his usual gentle tone, “Please contact me anytime. I’d be happy to help in any way I can…”
“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind.”
This should never happen again.
Dane said a quick goodbye and hung up. When he thought about why he’d come all the way here in the first place, the cause was clear. In any case, the request had failed, so he had to think about that too. Issues like returning the payment he’d received.
“Health checkup fee…”
Dane muttered, standing blankly, then rubbed his forehead in annoyance. Damn it, why did the money he’d been saving to buy that damn cat tower have to be exactly the same amount?
No, even if I had that money, I still couldn’t get a health checkup.
Considering the waiting list, it would probably take years. Anyway, he just had to return the money, so he wasn’t really at a loss.
It’s me, not Darling, who’s going to feel disgusted every time I see that cat tower.
He came to a rational conclusion, as always. Of course, he didn’t feel good about it at all.
Desire Me if you can
Why did I do something so pathetic?
Grayson sank deep into the sofa, replaying the thought he’d been chewing over ever since he’d returned home.
Entitlement, huh? Do I even have such a thing? And even if I did, have I ever cared about such things?
Dane wasn’t wrong. It was his body, his choice. However, from Grayson’s perspective, if he had pointed out that it had happened without his consent, Dane would have agreed.
But a child?
If a child were conceived and Dane decided to give birth, would I be prepared to take responsibility? Why did I even bring up the word ‘entitlement’? What if Dane decided to give birth but didn’t want to raise it? Would I say I’d raise the child on my own, even then?
Why did the conversation even go that far?
Dane took the morning-after pill in front of Grayson. That made his intentions clear, and that should have been the end of the discussion. So why bring it up now? It’s no wonder Dane was taken aback.
…But.
Still, he couldn’t quite accept it. Why did Dane show such extreme aversion? If he rejected it to that extent, something must have happened in the past…
“Family…”
Grayson murmured the single word in his mouth. He wanted to know more about Dane. But he had no way to find out, and no reason to. What was that guy to him, anyway? What would he do even if he knew?
It’s not like we’re going to be together again.
-Why are you being so clingy, so pathetically? Didn’t you say you never sleep with someone more than once?
“Haa.”
A sigh escaped him involuntarily, and Grayson covered his face with one hand. He’d always said those words like it was nothing. He’d mocked and ridiculed countless Omegas who begged him to sleep with them just one more time. It had been a given in his life until now…
Do I just want to sleep with that man again?
Grayson frowned, lost in serious thought. And he didn’t find an answer until late into the night.
Desire Me if you can
Grayson, who had never felt fatigue even after partying all night and sleeping with several people, was experiencing it for the first time. When he looked in the mirror in the morning and saw a haggard-faced stranger, he reflexively looked behind him, then realized, Oh, that’s my face.
“…Haa.”
He rubbed his face with one hand and sighed deeply.
Going to work on a day like this.
Grayson was experiencing the woes of a working stiff for the first time. It was absurd that he had to go to work on a day when his condition was so terrible. Fortunately, Grayson was different from ordinary people. One phone call to the Station Chief, and he’d be told to take the day off. But after thinking about it for a moment, he gave up and headed to the shower. He didn’t want to run into Dane, but feeling a contradictory desire to see him, he prepared to leave, dawdling more than usual.
Desire Me if you can
Forcing his heavy body to move, Grayson went to work, only to find a strangely chaotic atmosphere in the station. He looked around at the employees gathered in groups of twos and threes, wondering what was going on, when Valentina spotted him and greeted him.
“Grayson, hi! …You look a little, different today.”
She greeted him cheerfully, then gave Grayson a once-over with a strange expression. When her gaze returned to his face, she was smiling as usual, but Grayson clearly saw the fleeting look of bewilderment.
And for good reason. His hair, which he always slicked back neatly, was falling haphazardly today, and his face, which was always clean-shaven, was covered in stubble. It was clear he’d come to work without even shaving. Moreover, he, who always greeted people with a refreshing smile, simply raised a hand today with a tired look on his face, without smiling.
“Just couldn’t be bothered. More importantly, what’s going on? The atmosphere is weird.”
“Ah, that’s…”
Valentina glanced behind her, then said with a worried expression, “Ezra’s wife has cancer. It was confirmed in the latest checkup, and it seems pretty serious. The treatment costs are astronomical, I hear it costs hundreds of thousands of dollars as a base… Everyone’s worried right now.”
“Oh, that’s too bad.”
In reality, he didn’t care at all, but Grayson acted as he was accustomed to. Just then, Dane, who was standing near Ezra with some other guys, patted him on the shoulder. The moment he saw that, Grayson unconsciously frowned.
Fortunately, that reaction made Valentina misunderstand. She followed his gaze, confirmed that Dane was comforting Ezra, and made her own assumptions.
He must be very worried about Ezra. Well, they’ve been getting along well lately.
Thinking that, Valentina gave him another piece of information.
“So the Station Chief suggested we hold a charity party among ourselves. We’ll raise money there to give to Ezra. You’re coming, right?”
“What? Ah…”
In fact, Grayson had barely heard Valentina’s words because he was only looking at Dane. He barely managed to remember the words ‘party’ and ‘coming, right’ and cautiously asked, “Is everyone going?”
“Yeah,” Valentina replied.
“Of course, you have to go. Everyone will participate except for the employees on duty.”
“…I see.”
Grayson muttered, his gaze fixed on Dane.
“I’ll go if I can.”
After checking if Dane is on duty.
Valentina smiled at Grayson, who had added that inwardly.
“Okay, then. See you later.”
She said a quick goodbye and returned to the group.
It was only after Grayson headed to the office to confirm the exact date and the day’s duty roster that he learned the true purpose of the party.