36 36 - Shift

"Humanity's on the precipice of another major shift."

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Maximillian arrived at seven sharp, barely ten minutes after Julian took out the beef lasagna from the oven.

"Hi, Julian." The alpha pulled Julian into a tight hug, sighing out of relief. "Now that you have no bodyguard to watch you day and night, I am constantly feeling restless."

Julian gave Maximillian a peck on his lips.

"You are exaggerating, Max. I lived my entire life without a bodyguard and I was perfectly fine."

So fine that he had time to plot a certain Nobel Prize winner's death, Julian noted to himself.

"Yeah, maybe."

Maximillian took a deep breath, letting Julian's fragrant scent soothe his racing thoughts.

"You are tired," Julian noted. "Come in, go relax on the couch while I deck the table."

"Don't be ridiculous, I will help."

Julian pushed Maximillion onto the couch.

"Don't be ridiculous, I did not spend the entire day investigating a runaway convict. I can do this by myself."

"Alright."

Maximillian tugged his tie loose and sank into the couch, eyelids fluttering shut in a stolen moment of rest.

After dinner, the couple relaxed on the couch. Exhausted thoroughly, Maximillian lay his head on top of Julian's lap while the latter massaged his scalp.

"Today must be tough," Julian said.

"Yeah..."

Maximillian sighed. He absent-mindedly rubbed Julian's knee, eliciting a hiss from the omega.

Maximillian's eyes flew open.

"What happened to your knee?"

"I fell on my way back," Julian answered in a nonchalant tone.

"Let me take a look..."

Maximillian wanted to get up, but Julian dragged him back onto his lap.

"Stop moving about, just relax. It was just a little harmless bump."

Maximillian gave Julian an exasperated look.

"Why won't you let me take care of you?"

"Because I want to take care of you, you silly alpha."

Julian dipped his head, his lips brushing against Maximillian's in a fleeting kiss that ignited a spark that died just as quickly. He tore himself away with a ruthless jerk, leaving Maximillian yearning for more and grappling with the ghost of his alluring touch.

"Tell me about your day."

Maximillian pressed a hand against his face, hoping to disperse the burning desire in his heart.

He did not consider himself to be an ascetic, devoid of desire. Yet, the raw hunger Julian's kiss ignited was a surprise, a vulnerability he had not anticipated.

Maximillian cleared his throat before answering.

"That guy's strength is remarkable. Almost inhuman in nature."

Being a bureau employee whose line of work was shrouded in secrecy, that was all he cared to reveal about Bruno Cadwick's astounding escape from the police precinct's heavily guarded prison.

Maximillian reached out and caressed Julian's cheek. Gazing into his omega's mesmerizing eyes, he asked, "Say, Julian, have you ever heard about the Third Evolution?"

A flicker of an unknown emotion crossed Julian's eyes, vanishing so swiftly that Maximillian barely registered its presence.

"... I have."

Maximillian broke into a chuckle.

"Right. I forgot that you started university at a very early age. Back then, Dr. Atticus Bates just won the Nobel Prize for his breakthrough invention in Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, opening public eyes to the onset of the Third Evolution. Of course you heard about it."

The light in Julian's eyes dimmed slightly.

"What about it?" He asked.

Maximillian snuggled closer to Julian, closing his eyes as he took another deep breath.

"Recently, this topic keeps popping up in my mind. It feels like humanity's on the precipice of another major shift."

Julian combed Maximillian's hair with his sleek fingers. He leaned to his side and asked, "What do you think about the third evolution, in general?"

"Hahaha, me? I am no scientist. I fear that my opinion doesn't really matter."

Julian narrowed his eyes at the alpha.

"It matters to me. I want to hear your opinion."

Maximillian opened his eyes and smiled at Julian.

"In my opinion, progress is a good thing, but it shouldn't be forced."

"... Oh?"

The alpha rolled to his side and pressed a kiss against Julian's stomach.

"After two evolutions, humanity is in a good place. There is no urgent reason to evolve for the third time, so why should we?"

Tension slowly drained from Julian's face.

He cracked a smile and said, "Right."

"Do you also think that way?" Maximillian looked up at Julian. "I thought that you would be in favor of the Third Evolution."

Why would he.

The Third Evolution killed his father.

"I am not," Julian said. "In fact, I believe that for the first time in history, humanity stands at a crossroads. We have the chance to transcend natural selection and ensure that diversity persists across all walks of life."

"Hmmm..."

Maximillian furrowed his brows slightly. "Is that why you didn't pick Third Evolution as your PhD topic?"

Fueled by the revolutionary aspect of the Third Evolution, nearly all Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology students gravitated towards research topics related to it. Atticus Bates' groundbreaking invention was, for many, the very reason they chose this field of study.

An intrigued smile bloomed on Julian's face.

"Impressive. You even know what my doctoral dissertation is about."

"Of course. It's my job."

As Julian's gaze dropped, his dark lashes swept down like a curtain, tracing a soft shadow across the fair canvas of his face.

"The onset of the Third Evolution will only widen the chasm separating the strong from the weak.

Hundreds of years have passed after the Second Evolution took place, but humanity has yet to overcome the gap between the three secondary genders. So why must we chase after the Third Evolution?"

It was not a popular theory among Julian's peers, all of them alphas with impeccable breeding and prominent societal standing.

Most of them argued that the human beings should always strive to move closer to the top and reach the apex of humanity.

So what if the alphas became even stronger while the betas and omegas were left behind? The other two genders were not that important anyway.

A soft smile laced Maximillian's lips when he heard Julian's passionate words.

"You are right."

He grabbed Julian's face with both hands and pulled him closer.

"But still, although we are still struggling to create equalities for all genders, I am glad the Second Evolution happened. Otherwise, we might not be here at all."

This time, he was not planning to let Julian escape after only one fleeting kiss.