The ABO Serum

Two Bedrooms, Both Alike in Dignity

Accessible apartments were not readily available in town, so they ended up renting a single-story house. The owner agreed to add a ramp and a few more minor accommodations for Lex before they moved in. It was a small craftsman bungalow with a Jack and Jill bathroom between the bedrooms, accessible from both, and a half bath between the kitchen and laundry porch. When Lex expressed his appreciation, the owner dismissed it, saying it would make the place senior friendly as well and that would continue to attract stable renters when they moved on.

Moving on would probably happen someday, but Lex couldn't imagine it. He was barely clinging to his mate, vulnerable and needy in a way he'd never been before. How could the researchers call him an 'alpha?'

They each moved into a bedroom and resumed their lives, for the most part. They ate breakfast and dinner together, to meet their mutual need for connection. And they stayed home most nights, awkwardly avoiding touching while trying to get as physically close as possible and not talking about it.

When Lex brought home special foam pieces for his physical therapy homework, Steve offered to help. With his background in wrestling, he knew quite a bit about the body and how to work out all the individual muscles. The contact was electric. They both unwittingly made sounds of relief during their periodic workouts. But a few weeks in, Lex made a critical error.

One moment they were so close the neediness in Steve's eyes captivated Lex. "Let me kiss you," he asked. Steve couldn't refuse. He didn't want to be kissed, but his body froze in place and Lex took it for acquiescence. The moment their lips met, the odd lock on his body released Steve and he flipped Lex on his back, pinning him to the ground with a well-practiced wrestling move.

"Never tell me what to do...ever again. Do you understand me?" Steve demanded.

"Get off me!" Lex screamed reflexively, and to his astonishment Steve quickly removed himself.

Moved again against his will, Steve was hopping mad. He rushed back in and re-pinned Lex. "I said, don't tell me what to do!"

"I didn't!" Lex protested.

"You did," Steve pressed. "If you want something, ask politely. Omegas aren't slaves for alphas."

"Please, get off me," Lex begged.

Steve waited a moment to feel if the same compulsion took over. It didn't, so he relaxed his hold and moved away calmly. Whatever the hell that was scared the life out of him. He retreated to his room for the rest of the night.

For Lex, the whole incident was baffling. He didn't know what it was about. But he did know an alpha with a little more experience and a good relationship with his omega mate. The next day, he made his way down to the coffee shop at GenLife during the afternoon lull and begged a few minutes of Ryan's time.

As he explained what happened, Ryan's eyes grew wider. "We need to talk to Daryl," he said. "Let's go."

"The big boss?" Lex questioned, but Ryan was already pulling him along by the arm.

When he heard it was Ryan, and it was urgent, Daryl finished his meeting abruptly and made time. Ryan was the only other alpha who knew the big secret, and he'd become a friend through all this.

"That's...oh fuck," was Daryl's response.

"So, you think it's what I think it is?" Ryan asked.

"What?" Lex looked back and forth between the men, both clearly distressed. It was Ryan who finally explained.

"The way you phrased your requests, they were commands, and that matters because alphas can compel omegas. Obviously, your mate can tell he's being compelled because he wants to say no but can't. So, you must be careful about how you phrase things. And you can't tell anyone about this. It could be disastrous if alphas all knew they had this power before...we sort out the legal ramifications and try to figure out how to undo it." Ryan's hesitancy revealed their absolute lack of a solution to this discovery.

"On the other hand," Daryl added, "that your omega could tell, and was released when the command was met, means they're not completely helpless in this. Has Dr. Martin remembered?"

This question confused Lex, but Ryan answered, "Not that I can tell."

"So, I can compel him?" Lex confirmed. "But he can tell because he didn't want to do what I asked, and that's why he told me never to tell him what to do." He left out the part about Steve pinning him on the ground.

"That sums it up," Ryan answered.

"Fuck," Lex exclaimed. "He's going to hate me." Ryan and Daryl could both feel the pain on his face. Rejection by one's mate was the ultimate agony. No alpha/omega pairs had successfully separated, ever. Not even the rats.

"Do you actually like him?" Daryl asked. "I mean, apart from the physiological mate thing."

"I...," Lex started, but paused to really consider this. Did he like his adorable mate? He wanted to hold him desperately. But he also enjoyed his company, even when it was awkward. The way he lit up when he talked about his students, and especially his wrestlers, just showed what a good person he was. Pure and optimistic, when not faced with all the new limitations of being an omega. And Lex could talk about work and Steve understood him. Steve was interested in all kinds of science, so they talked about solar weather and penguin poop releasing laughing gas and what happened last week at the large hadron collider. And Lex, who was raised by a comic fan, could easily keep up with Steve's fanboy chatter. He used to roll his eyes when his dad got going, but he found it adorable when Steve did it. "I do. I like him," Lex said firmly.

"We can't tell you how to handle this," Daryl admitted. "But...your omega needs you too. So, you've got that going for you. Be gentle and give it time. That's the most I can offer."

"And don't tell him what to do. That obviously backfired. I doubt there's a way you could compel him to like you, even if it weren't morally repugnant to do so." Ryan added. "Be honest about how you feel. If he's just divorced, he's probably still feeling hurt and not trusting his own feelings." Ryan remembered their late-night chats on the roof and chuckled to himself. "At least he can't friend zone you. I'd bet money that once he starts to like you at all his body will push him the rest of the way."

Lex smiled wryly, "you think?" Then, laughed wryly too. "I hope you're right because this one really matters."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Ryan said. He clapped his friend on the shoulder and they took their leave.