We watched a science fiction movie and both fell asleep mid way.
We were later unceremoniously woken up by the people passing in front of us to get to the center aisle. We simply laughed about it and went to a fine dining restaurant to eat dinner.
With the professor's newly shaven face, they let us in even though he was still wearing his old jerseys.
"Let me guess what you're about to order," he grinned at me. "Is it steak?
"No. I want to try their roasted hoddock."
"Hmm... I feel like eating some seafood, too. I'll try their crispy salmon."
We gave our orders to the waiter and was given some complimentary appetizers, and as we were eating, two young men came to our table.
"E-excuse me..." they shyly called our attention. "A-are you Prof. Antonio from Universal Laboratories?"
"Actually..." started the professor with a frown.
"Yes, he is," I cut him short, "Are you an omega?" I asked the smaller of the two.
He nodded shyly and looked back at a table where two adults were seated.
"W-we just wondered if it's okay to get your autograph?" the taller boy asked. "My brother is an omega, and he looks up to you a lot, professor."
Prof. Antonio looked at me, then at the two hopeful boys standing by the side of our table.
"Okay, do you have some paper with you?" he asked with a smile.
The young omega stepped up and handed him a piece of table napkin with the restaurant's logo printed on it.
"I-I hope you don't mind, Professor..." he said, "I don't have paper, but it would make a nice souvenir..."
Prof. Antonio took it from him and took out a pen.
"What's your name?"
"It's Jerome... with a `J', sir," the boy answered. "This is my Kuya Giovanni, he's an alpha."
"It's nice to see how close you are to your Kuya." He finished writing on the napkin and handed it to young Jerome. "And you, Kuya, take good care of your little brother, okay?" he added. "Remember that all big brothers are the number one heroes of their baby brothers."
The older brother Giovanni beamed at this. They were both grinning when they went back to their seats, which was a kind of signal for other people to approach us.
"Prof. Antonio! I am a supporter!"
"We are very blessed to meet you in person today!"
"Our country is so proud of you!"
"And you must be his special omega?"
I raised an eyebrow as one of them approached me.
"You truly are fit to be his partner, you both look beautiful together!"
"I beg your pardon," the professor spoke up, "he is not simply 'beautiful'," he pointed out, "My Habibi's intellect is actually on par with mine."
"Oh, your Habibi?" the people around us murmured.
"Now, if you would all excuse us, I believe our order has arrived, please give us some privacy," said the professor who had had enough for that day. "This is the reason why I don't like entertaining fans," he mumbled when they left.
"But do you not think those brothers deserved to see your good side?" I told him as the crew brought us our main dish.
"What good side are you talking about? I don't think I have one."
"Hmm? But I have seen it, numerous times in several occasions."
"Your eyes are deceiving you, then," he took a big bite off his salmon. "Mmm... this is good!"
"Would you like some wine with that, sir?" a waiter asked.
"Yes, please," I answered at his stead. "A bottle of champagne for us, and a bottle of wine for each table, courtesy of Prof. Antonio."
"Very good, sir." The waiter left with a big smile on his face.
"I am not paying for that," the professor said as soon as he left.
"I know."
"And what's the wine for? What's the occasion?"
"It is just a little thank you for all their support," I told him. "This is our first date, after all, let us make it memorable."
"Ha. This is not my idea of a good date," he told me.
"Oh? Then, please, do tell me what your idea of a perfect date is?"
"Ha. If I told you, then it wouldn't be a surprise anymore."
"So, your perfect date is a surprise?"
"No, but the element of surprise is part of what makes a date more perfect."
"That's absurd. We're not even really going out," I told him.
"Exactly," he answered. "I don't want you taking my ideas of a perfefct date. It's mine alone. Top secret. Under patent and copyright."
Our champagne came.
The waiter opened the bottle with a pop, and the people in the restaurant raised their glasses to thank us.
The dinner was delicious, the people, though a bother to the professor at first, were educated enough to know when not to interrupt us. As we left, the professor took the bottle of champagne with him and proceeded to drink it in the car.
"Don't get too drunk. We still have an event to go to tomorrow," I reminded him.
"You also drank, and now you're driving a car!" he pointed out.
"I only had one glass."
"What if we get on an accident?" he went on. "Then again, that would be a good excuse not to attend tomorrow's event!" he laughed out loud.
"You're already drunk."
"I'm not drunk. I don't get drunk!"
"That was what you said the last time."
"I wasn't drunk, not even back then!"
"Yet you insisted that I took advantage of you."
"That's `coz you kept doing it even after I told you to stop! The fuck... you literally sucked all the sperm out of my dick!" he complained. "Do you know that that was my first time?!"
"Yes," I answered, "it was quite obvious. And I am sorry if I was too rough."
"Too rough... you were a total nympho! A sex addict! My Dome wasn't like that at all! He knew how to behave himself. You, on the other hand, may be a DOME, but you obviously can't stop yourself from acting horny!"
"Perhaps it is because I did not want to stop."
He starts to laugh again.
"Did not want to stop... are you so desperate for a man that you had to make do with someone like me?"
I felt insulted.
But I felt something more towards the professor.
I felt pity.
"Why do you think so lowly of yourself, professor?" I asked.
"Isn't it Obvious?" he took a swig of the champagne. "I am a beta. What am I, compared to the marvelous alphas? They are more intelligent, more wealthy, more good looking, more... more everything!"
His words are beginning to slur.
"Just what did you see in a lowly beta like me?" he went on. "You are a beautiful omega... a perfect DOME who one day would meet his alpha. And you would leave me too, one day... just like my kuya... just like every omega held captive by their lust due to the bond of carnal desires which they conveniently call a 'fated pair'." I heard his sob softly. "So, why, Aahmes..." he said softly, "why did you have to... hurt me?"
I looked at the rear view mirror as that last word left his lips.
"I do not know, professor," I admitted. "I guess I just respect you that much."
"Huh... respect... yeah, right..." he took another swig of champagne. "In other words, it's just my brain that you're after. Don't worry, I'll write it in my will that you get my brain when I die."
"That is not true, Professor," I argued. "There is so much more to you than your intellect, like... like..."
I tried to think of something, but nothing came to mind at that moment.
"I just really look up to you, professor..." I said instead. "Professor?"
He did not answer.
I took a quick look back and saw him fast asleep, with the empty bottle of champagne held tight against his chest.
I carried him upstairs when we got home.
He's much heavier now, it took me some time to get him to his bed. I took his clothes off, dressed him in a clean shirt, and found myself kissing him on the forehead as I tucked him into bed.
"You are so complicated, Professor," I told him as he gently snored. "You act as if you want me, yet forbid me to get close to you. You call me Habibi in front of other people just to show them that I am yours, yet you refuse me when I show you that I want you too. And now you show me your inner thoughts... that you are afraid that I would leave you?"
I touch his newly shaven face and caressed it.
"With the way you treat people, how can they not leave you behind?" I smile sadly at him. "But I cannot leave you even if you do try to throw me away. How could I? When I have such great respect for you?"
I kissed him once more before leaving his room.
I told him not to drink too much, but at least tonight, I will not have trouble trying to get him to sleep.
I made my way to my room and cleaned myself, then went to my computer and entered a new subject of research I should clearly look into.
'The Alpha-Omega Fated Pair Syndrome.'
It seems this is what is holding back the professor from accepting me. If thst is so, then I shall study this phenomenon and debunk it.
I shall show the professor, that an omega and a beta can stay together with mutual respect alone.
That the two of us can be a pair, even without pheromones to bind us together.