My idiot nephew was left with no choice but to stay with his professor for the time being.
Well, I could at least be sure that he's in good hands. For sure, Reubert will take care of his mate, Nathan, and I doubt he would be spoiling him either. They can even go to school together to make sure Nathan won't be skipping anymore classes.
It was a win-win situation.
"Are we going to the del Mirasol residence now?" asked Aahmes as we wrapped things up after dinner.
"Yep, we might as well help bring Nathan's stuff to Reubert's place."
"Good. I have long been planning to talk to Joshua and Louie regarding their relationship!"
"Haay, is this about your 'fated pair' theory again?" I frowned at him. "Didn't you write your book to debunk that myth? And didn't they say that the possibility of a person meeting their fated pair is one in a thousand? Then why are there so many fated pairs popping up all around us?!"
"Professor, just because I have explained the science behind the fated pair syndrome, does not mean it no longer exists. It simply shows that it is not a mere magical phenomenon brought about by fate or destiny."
"That's the same thing!"
"But as you can see, professor, the pull between two different individuals who have no prior link between each other, is undeniable. I remember you mention before that Reubert was interested in your nephew, even before the two of them actually met. This means that the attraction was already there. What do you think triggered it? This needs more study, so that we can understand FPS much better."
"Whatever. That's your study. I still want nothing to do with it. I say we hold our own destiny. Male, female, alpha, beta, or omega. My brother was a testament to that, and that is what I firmly believe in."
"As you wish professor," replied Aahmes.
"By the way," I face him and frown, "how long have you known that Reubert and Nathan have FPS?" I asked him.
"I had my doubts," he replied.
"How come you never told me?"
"Didn't you just say that you're not interested in my study?" he answered me back.
"The hell? So you deliberately hid the fact that they were fated pairs?!"
"I just told you, I was not a hundred percent sure about it. I have talked with Reubert previously and asked him some questions that led me to believe that they were fated pairs. Now, with Nathan's confirmation, I know for sure that they are."
"If that's the case, then it's a good thing that Louie decided to let Nathan stay with Reubert himself. I guess everything just fell into place and turned out the way we wanted it to."
I gave a deep sigh.
Actually, we were hoping for this from the start.
Reubert promised not to get my family into trouble because of his actions, and the best way to do that is to stay away from my nieces and keep Nathan by his side.
At least, he can take care of my idiot nephew. And I know for a fact, that he is more than capable of keeping Dan and his gang away from Nathan.
When we got to the del Mirasol's residence, we saw Blondie standing anxiously by the gates with a humongous rottweiler by his side. He was relieved to see Nathan again and was excited as Louie properly introduced us to him.
"Doc Eric, Bless and Mercy have told me so many stories about you, they've been teaching me how to cook and mentioned that your specialty is cassava cake and other kakanin1! Can you teach me how to make one sometime?" he asked me hopefully.
"H-huh?" I was taken off guard.
"You cook?" asked Aahmes who stared at me.
"That was a long time ago!" I said defensively "I hardly ever cook now-a-days!"
Aahmes kept his eyes on me.
Damn you, Blondie, for exposing me!
After a short discussion over merienda2, we decided to meet each other again that weekend for a pool party to celebrate Nathan's recovery. We hauled Nathan's stuff to Reubert and Aahme's car after that and went on our way.
Reubert's condo was in Makati. He lives in a large corner unit with a loft on the 69th floor. It was full of expensive stuff and looked like a sample unit with no actual human living in it.
In other words, it was too clean and perfect for my taste.
"Where do we put Nathan's stuff?" I asked as I entered the room carrying a medium sized box.
"Just leave them by the entrance, professor, we'll take care of them later," replied Reubert.
"Okay, now, let us proceed with the interview..." said Aahmes who whipped out his tablet and notes.
"What interview?" Reubert looked puzzled.
"Habibi, I think they need to rest first," I stopped him. "For now, we just have to remind them of some important details."
I faced the couple with a serious look on my face.
"You!" I pointed at Reubert. "We told you to act nice! What's with the cheeky attitude? The two of you almost had a fight earlier!"
"Eh?" Nathan stare at Reubert and me with a questioning look on his face.
"You're lucky Louie still agreed with this arrangement even after you acted that way!"
"Well, professor, in case you didn't notice, Nathan's dad actually made up his mind after seeing me arguing with him."
"Well, come to think of it, it is true that Louie have long given up on disciplining his son," I said with a nod. "At least you can properly look after this idiot now that he's living with you." I glare at my nephew who gaped at us with disbelief.
"I for one, think that they are sweet together, regardless of how much they fight with each other," said Aahmes as he checked his notes.
"Who are you calling sweet?!" Nathan asked irritably. "And would someone tell me what the hell you're all talking about?"
I faced my shocked nephew.
"I guess you know what the Gender Police is?" I asked him.
"Of course, they're the cops who investigate stuff concerning secondary gender cases, particularly those with a sexual nature," he replied.
"They are currently investigating what happened in Club A last week," I explained.
"You are currently one of the persons of interest in their watch list since you weren't affected by the drug that was used in your friend's bar," my Habibi piped in.
"I guess getting high and almost overdosing was a blessing in disguise," I continued. "You were so out of it, that you weren't affected by the drug. We used that alibi to keep you out of their radar."
"You are not completely off the hook, though. They might still go after you and your friends," added Aahmes.
"But... why us?" Nathan asked.
"Because, of all the patrons at Club A that night, only your friend, Matt, is still in a comma right now," answered Aahmes.
"Not to mention, that your four other friends went into 'rut' for three days like omegas in heat," I added, "It doesn't help that Matt's parents own the club. Now, the Gender Police are eyeing your group as the primary suspects who brought the drugs to that place."
"What?" Nathan looked shocked and confused. He looked at his professor who kept quiet during the whole conversation.
"It seems to be a side effect from Reubert's concentrated pheromone attack on your friends," said Aahmes, sounding excited though his face showed his usual blank stare, "that's why I've been dying to test you both for –"
"Habibi, can we talk about that some other time?" I touched his shoulder to stop him.
"Oh... of course."
I faced my nephew once again.
"Anyway, Mr. Go is currently under probation because of that incident." I stare at Reubert who refused to meet my gaze. "He can still teach in the university, but his movements will be limited to your school and this condo unit. We're lucky that no one noticed him during the incident, and that we were able to swipe the CCTV footages before the cops came."
"You were the ones who took the CCTV footage?" Nathan asked wide-eyed.
"Well, technically, it was our team," said Aahmes. "They came in right after Mr. Go stormed the place."
"We were also able to take your friends' phones," I added, "we didn't find your phone, though. It's probably still with that bastard Dan."
"Yeah... probably..." Nathan muttered.
"That's why, starting right now, you are forbidden to go anywhere until things settle down. The Gender Police might not be your biggest problem. Those good for nothing sons of bitches you call friends who took turns on you might be a bigger issue."
Nathan's face turned red, yet he still looked as defiant as ever.
"W-why would they even bother?" he retorted. "Didn't you say that they will remember nothing about what happened that day?!"
"We're just playing it safe, who knows what those bastards would do after they realize that they could never get it up again?" I couldn't help but snicker. "They would obviously look for someone to blame."
"Not to mention that your friend Dan in the video seems to have a keen interest in you," Aahmes mentioned as he took down notes.
"What videos?" asked Reubert with venom in his voice.
"Noting." I stared at him coldly. "Just be thankful that our people got to the scene before the cops did!"
The two idiots fell quiet until Reubert broke the silence.
"Would that be all, professor?" he asked.
"That, and this thing."
I handed him several blister packs of medicine.
It's a special suppressant I developed while we were still studying him as a DOME. A very strong suppressant that could block a dominant omega's pheromones. Of course, these are relatively safe to use after much improvement by yours truly.
"Does he really need to take them right away?!" asked Aahmes when he saw the silver sheets.
"Yes, he does," I replied, my eyes still on Reubert. "You are to drink this every day for the next 10 weeks. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Sir," he replied.
"Then, if every thing's clear, we'll be on our way now. Be good. Be nice to each other. I don't want to hear nagging or complaining from any of you."
"We shall see you on Saturday at the pool party," Aahmes reminded them. "I'll have my interview then."
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1Kakanin – traditional snacks made of glutinous rice
2Merienda – a light meal or snack