The ABO Serum

(Part 4 extra) This is Sweet an All, But...

Mitch was spending most nights in Auggie's dorm room now. His apartment had seen little use since his exposure. It seemed wasteful to keep paying rent. But he didn't want to live in a dorm room forever either.

Auggie was happy anywhere, if Mitch was there too, but he was still a broke college student, so he had limited choices in any case. As their bodies finished transitioning and they experienced their first menstrual cycles it became clear to them that the beta wombs would be functional. That opened up new possibilities for two men in love. Auggie cried when Mitch told him the results of their tests.

"I came out to my parents right before I left for college," he told Mitch. "My mom told me I was a useless son, and that if I didn't care about having a family someday, I must not care about them either. But she was wrong. I've always wanted a family. I just couldn't imagine myself with a woman. It was..."

"I know," Mitch held Auggie and nodded to himself. He'd gone through a similar struggle with himself as a teenager when he first realized he was gay. His parents weren't so awful. Californians were a little more adapted to the idea of same-sex attraction than Midwesterners. But to be himself he'd had to give up on the idea of having kids of his own and a house with a white picket fence.

A revolutionary thought followed that one. They had two wombs between them. They could fill a house with children if they wanted to. Well, maybe. They hadn't completely worked the whole birth thing out yet and multiple c-sections could be risky. But they could at least have one each.

Auggie was still a broke college student, but Mitch was a working adult with a good paying job. His money would go a lot further in this town than it would in California. It hadn't occurred to him until now that he could easily buy a little house here. He'd expected to rent for many years before buying became a possibility. That's where all his California peers were stuck. But he wasn't in California anymore. He could buy Auggie a little house to build a family in. Between work, he explored his options.

With the town on lockdown, home values were at a long time low. A fair number of unexposed families had moved out while they could, fearing what could happen with the national guard camped at their borders. Mitch found just the right place, between GenLife and the college, walking distance to the local schools. It even had a freshly painted white picket fence. He made an offer at once and hired some bored students to move his meager furniture so Auggie wouldn't know until it was all settled.

To be honest, Noah inspired him. His unconscious victim that woke up started living in Dr. Blitzer's apartment and making it over to surprise the alpha when he finally got out of quarantine. He felt relieved the boy woke up, and even more so that he found someone to care for during this crazy transition. It made all the difference in the world to go through this with Auggie. He'd felt so untethered on his own. He wanted to bring Auggie home to a finished space, but he just didn't have time.

He equipped the kitchen with basics brought over from his apartment, but the spacious dining room dwarfed his card table and folding chairs. Oh well, it would do. He remembered how Auggie outfitted his dorm room on his meager budget. The bar was low for Auggie, so he let go of his grandiose dream and did what he could in the new house to get it ready in a day. Auggie didn't know he'd taken a day off, only that he would pick him up for a date at six.

At six on the nose, Mitch arrived in front of the dorm. His sweet Auggie greeted him with a kiss and almost managed to pull him inside for more, but he had plans tonight. On the drive over they chatted about the plans the college announced for resuming classes in the fall and how they planned to protect affected students this semester from any negative consequences of the school shutting down on them mid-term. Auggie was still concerned about his financial aid. He kept up a steady conversation until Mitch pulled up in front of a little bungalow on a quiet street and turned the engine off. He jumped out and raced around the car to open the door for his sweetheart.

"Um, what's this?" Auggie asked as he climbed out.

Mitch held out a key. "It's a present. Come this way." He led a nervous looking Auggie to the front door and used the key to let them in. When he flipped on the lights, Auggie could see the dining room set for a romantic dinner for two, and in between the plates was a small jewelry box.

"The food is just so-so, so I'm gonna start with the proposal," Mitch began and went to pick up the jewelry box. Auggie's hand in his trembled. "Also, the ring is a basic gold band. It comes with a house instead of a diamond. I thought that mattered more. I'm not a huge fan of weddings. But I really want to be married...to you. And I really want to have a family with you. In this house, or one like it, wherever life takes us.

"You've made a home for me in your dorm within your means, and it's been like a secret paradise for me. But we both know that's a starting place for us, and not a long-term option. Dorms are for young lovers, boyfriends. I want to make a home for you with my means. One that will carry us through the next stages of our relationship. Houses are for families. Will you marry me and build a family with me?"

The younger man flushed deep red and nodded vigorously before the "yes!" burst from his lips. "I will, I will!" He was nearly jumping. Mitch caught his left hand and slipped the ring on. Auggie looked at it in awe and then grabbed Mitch and squeezed him for all he was worth.

They were both so overflowing with emotion, neither cared that dinnerwas frozen ravioli with sauce from a jar and a bagged salad. Once Mitch plated it you could hardly tell. He'd have to figure out a bit more of how to cook before they brought kids into the mix, but there would be plenty of love in the house to make up for any deficiencies in homemaking.