The ABO Serum

It Just Gets Worse

By the time Dr. Martin walked out of his office, the horror of what he'd just witnessed fully dawned on Daryl. He wasn't a purely ethical person if he felt the greater good required some creative fudging, as demonstrated by his careful work shifting the blame for their crisis to a fictional corporate spy. But that alphas could deprive omegas of their free will was an ethical nightmare so far beyond fudging he couldn't process all the ramifications at once. When Ryan turned back to the other man Daryl was slack jawed in shock.

"Yeah," Ryan affirmed. "It's what you think it is. I don't know how it works, but we can compel them. I didn't think it would work that well. I just figured it out today, so that was experimental. And it's not just our mates. After I figured it out, I realized I only learned about what Tom did because Carey slipped up and then I demanded he tell me everything. He might not have wanted to."

"Oh shit, it just gets worse," Daryl dropped his face into his hands in mental exhaustion.

"It's best if we keep this a secret for as long as possible," Ryan stated the obvious.

"I'll ask Carey how it felt when you demanded he tell you. And we should cautiously test how far this extends. I've never been more grateful I found him before our exposure. I can't imagine the fallout of a pair forming by inadvertent compulsion. An alpha thinking he's accepted, but the way he worded his confession compelling agreement. An omega hating an alpha but being unable to refuse him." Daryl ended his commentary with a groan, then physically shook off the weight of this latest revelation and returned to the present. "Thank you, Ryan, for handling this so carefully. I will trust you to keep this quiet, and I will keep you informed of developments."

Ryan nodded and left. There was nothing more to say.

When he got back down to the shop, he found Carey in his office updating the books. "We've had a good month in spite of everything," Carey praised the young manager. Ryan worked as a barista in Carey's coffee shop at the north edge of the college campus from his first semester, over four years ago. When GenLife came to town Carey negotiated for a lobby space and talked Ryan into taking it on as a manager.

He was more than ready. He wanted a little hand holding at first, but at this point he was completely independent and the shop thriving. Carey only used the office at this branch so much because it was closest to Daryl and they were both still living in Daryl's office.

"Yes, I've been watching the numbers and it's sort of astounding considering things are so crazy here, but maybe that's why. Everyone is working longer hours and coming in for checkups. Maybe we're the convenient small treat that's making them feel better about life." Ryan proposed.

"That's plausible," Carey agreed.

"Hey, Tom and I just had a meeting with Daryl, and I think he might benefit from seeing you for a minute," Ryan wanted to drop a subtle hint to send Carey upstairs, but he couldn't think of one, so he said it outright.

Carey looked at him speculatively, "That bad?" He asked. "I presume this has to do with what I accidentally told you?"

"Sort of," Ryan answered. "I've gotta give one of the baristas their break so I'll leave it at that." He turned to leave.

"Hey Ryan," the man turned back. "I'm really proud of you. What you're doing here in the shop, and how you're handling the whole transition and mate thing. I know it's not been as easy as you make it look. I'm glad I entrusted this shop to you."

Wait 'til you hear, Ryan thought. You may never trust an alpha again. But he nodded to acknowledge the praise and left.

Carey finished what he was doing quickly and made himself tea and Daryl coffee before heading up to console his lover. He knew Daryl did something to hide the truth and protect the doctor and Ryan, but he'd told Carey nothing about it.

There were many days after that one when Carey consoled his lover. Daryl rarely showed weakness to others, but he felt his own limitations keenly and drew strength from his beloved. About two months in, he hit a wall.

Carey was bringing him coffee again, as he did at least once a day. When he arrived, Daryl was on the phone with the head of the CDC. At this point, all affected individuals were identified, so as long as they didn't have sex with unaffected individuals, the town could be reopened and life return to normal. But the encampment outside the city of individuals wanting to transition created a problem. And the way Brad got aggressive toward Richard pre-transition meant potential omegas could also be at risk. And Daryl hadn't even mentioned the compulsion thing yet. It was too much. It continued to fester in his mind as he tried to think of a way to solve this unsolvable puzzle.

He knew he was tired to his soul when he started having thoughts that they should just fuck it all and let folks go. It would be interesting to see how long it would take for the whole world to transition. Then, Carey would walk in the door and his frustration would melt into a puddle of sentimental mush, followed by a motivating rise in his protective instinct. The way he managed this crisis would shape the world his mate lived in. The world their children inherited. He had to get this right.

But it could never be right. Not anymore. Carey set the coffee in front of Daryl as he ended his phone call. Daryl set the phone down and caught his beloved around the waist before he could move away. When he wrapped his arms around Carey tightly like he was holding on for dear life, Carey knew something more was wrong. He set his tea down and stroked this amazingly dear man's soft hair, waiting patiently for him to be ready to say what.

"Have I ever told you to do something you didn't want to do?" Daryl asked. "Not asked but told you in a way that made you feel like you had to."

"No, actually," Carey answered. "I suppose that's something that happens in couples, in all types of relationships probably, but I can't think of a time you've done it. Have I?"

His beloved was still so innocent. "No, no. But I'm actually...I need to ask...has anyone else? Told you to do something in a way that made you feel like you didn't have a choice, I mean." Daryl didn't want to see the emotions crossing Carey's face as he asked these awkwardly intrusive questions, so he kept his own face buried in Carey's soft belly as he continued to hold on around Carey's waist like it was a lifeline.

Thinking back, no...ah yes, back in the first week, "there was a weird moment when Ryan told me to tell him everything about what Dr. Martin did, and I couldn't seem to stop my mouth. I wanted to be discreet because you told me to keep it a secret, but...I'm sorry I did that. I don't know why."

"You already apologized and let me know right after it happened. I appreciated that. He's close to you, so I understood how you would trust him. But it might have been more than that. Ryan discovered something horrible." His embrace tightened and he buried his face so hard into Carey's belly that his words were almost unintelligible. Almost, but from Carey's gasp, he knew Carey understood. "Alphas can compel omegas against their will."