97- Promise

"Here, your tie's a little crooked. Let me fix it for you."

Edwardo bent down to redo Michael's tie. Michael had been staying over the past few days, taking things easy and trying to rest up and focus on both the court case and his proposal for the city's ad campaign. Howard had been more than happy to give him as much time as he needed from the bakery, especially with how obviously the stress from it all had been getting to him.

Today was the first day of the trial against the shipping company for negligence and blatant disregard for employee welfare. More importantly, it was to prove that they actively discriminated against their omega employees. It was a big deal. This was the whole case that sparked the Justice for Omegas movement in the first place.

Michael was nervous. That much was obvious. At least Edwardo was being patient.

It had taken a whole day and trips to four different shops to find a suit Michael liked that fit. If there was more time to prepare, Edwardo would have gladly paid for a custom one, but he had to admit all that effort was worth it to see his Dolcito all dressed up. Michael looked particularly pure in the tan plaid set they'd finally been able to find. As for Edwardo, he already had a whole collection of designer suits he wore for work. He was currently sporting a dark navy set, paired with his favorite tie.

"I noticed you wear that tie I made you a lot." Michael reached out to smooth Edwardo's collar. Not that it needed smoothing, but he needed to feel like he was doing something to help too. "Half the time it doesn't even match what you have on."

"I wear it because it's my favorite, and because my favorite person made it for me, even when he was very justifiably mad at me."

Michael blushed. "I'll have to make you a few more… People might start to think that's the only one you've got…"

"Ooo… so does that mean I can look forward to a whole exclusive collection from my favorite designer?"

The ridiculously eager look Edwardo gave was enough for Michael to crack a smile and relieve some of the tension in the room. Even Essie, who'd been laying on the floor nearby while her humans got ready, perked up and thumped her tail loudly against the wall. She'd calmed down a bit since Michael started "living" at Edwardo's place, but she was always conveniently in whichever room Michael was in.

"Come on," Edwardo gave Michael's forehead a kiss. "We'll need to leave now if we want a good parking spot at the court house."

Michael did his best to keep himself distracted on the drive by fiddling with his cuff links. He'd worn all kinds of attire for photoshoots before, but a suit was definitely something he wasn't accustomed to. Not that that was a bad thing, but it made him feel like more of a professional, like what he had to say was important or something. He wished they'd been able to find something with a little more color to it, but both Edwardo and every one of the shop keepers had assured him that keeping things neutral in a situation like this was best. He even debated dying his hair back close to his natural color, but Edwardo told him he didn't need to go that far.

Far sooner than Michael would have liked, the ornate court house building came into view and there was a crowd of people outside on the steps with cameras and microphones just like the lawyers had warned them there might be. Michael took a steadying breath as Edwardo pulled into a spot near the door. Not too long after Edwardo had shut off the car, Michael noticed Scott's vehicle pulling into the handy capped space a few spots down.

Michael sent a text to Ryan telling him to look to his left. After catching his friend's eye, he pointed to the crowd of reporters and sent another text asking, "You think they're here for us?"

RYAN: [Probably. Be careful. Scott's letting the lawyers know we're here. He said to ask if you guys can go first so he can get me unloaded safely.]

Michael caught Ryan's eye again and nodded, sending a thumbs up emoji.

"What's the plan?" Edwardo asked.

"They need us to go first and act as a decoy so they can get Ryan out of the car without getting mobbed."

"Good plan. You ready?"

Michael let out a tense sigh. "Not really, but I feel better with you here to help."

Edwardo took Michael's hand, and placed a gentle kiss on the back of it. With that little bit of preparation, they put the plan into action. Almost immediately when they got out of the car, the mob's attention was on them. Michael stayed glued to Edwardo's side as the gap between them and the group of reporters closed. Unnervingly, some of them were even shouting his and Edwardo's names with their incessant questions.

Michael could even pick out that while most of the questions were about the case, there were a few voices among the cacophony asking for clarifications as to his and Edwardo's relationship. He knew not to answer any of them. The lawyers had made it clear that he shouldn't answer any of the reporter's questions until after the case was over. Instead, he focused on putting one foot in front of the other, and not tripping on the stairs.

Sadly, if it wasn't for the mayhem it would have been considered a nice day. The sun was out, and it wasn't nearly as cold as it had been. Still, it took way to long to get to the doors. Michael hoped they had bought Scott and Ryan the time they needed.

Edwardo and Michael both breathed a sigh of relief once safely in the building. Security wasn't letting any of the press in, and from the way the voices outside moved off, it was clear they'd moved onto their next prey. Sure enough, when Michael looked outside, the reporters were all swarming the access ramp. He couldn't dwell on it too much though, because he and Edwardo were already being directed to a waiting area outside of their court room.

"Holding up okay?" Edwardo asked once they'd been left alone.

Michael nodded.

"You haven't let go of my hand since we got out of the car," Edwardo added, holding up the hand in question to show that his fingers had gone red from having the circulation cut off, while Michael's fingers were nearly white from how tight he was gripping.

"Oh geez! Sorry!" Michael apologized in a rush, letting go of Edwardo's hand immediately.

Edwardo took Michael's hand back gently. "I wasn't complaining. Just checking to see how you're holding up."

Michael leaned against Edwardo's shoulder for support, just in time for Scott and Ryan to be ushered in. He and Ryan shared a brief, "you okay?" look before the lawyer began her instructions. Michael had to admit, Ryan and Scott looked nice in matching grey suits, and it was hard to miss Ryan's engagement ring flashing in the light.

The lawyer was Howard and Gail's personal lawyer they used for their bakery. She had taken special interest in the case and had been meticulous in getting everything prepared. She gave them all a brief rundown of what to expect. Once they were called on to testify, they'd be sworn in and she was going to be the first person to ask them questions. All they would be expected to do would be to describe their working conditions, and the events leading up to the attack. She warned she couldn't guarantee what the shipping company's lawyer was going to ask, but assured them she thought they had a strong case.

With the pep talk out of the way, and the time for the trial drawing near, it was time to head into the court room. The mood was a strange combination of tense and somber, combined with the overall feeling of wanting to get the whole thing over with. Ryan didn't look too nervous as he was being wheeled out, but Michael couldn't hide his nervous energy. Michael moved to follow the group, but Edwardo held him back.

"Eddie, what are you doing? We're going to be late!" Michael huffed.

Edwardo pulled Michael in close. "Deep breaths, Mi Dolcito. It's going to be okay. Nothing in there is going to hurt you."

Michael took a few shaky breaths, finding comfort in Edwardo's scent and the strength of Edwardo's embrace. "I'm just scared…"

"If you tell me why, it'll make you feel better?"

"I'm scared of having to testify," Michael almost whined. "I have to stand up by myself and convince that whole room full of people harassment got so bad at that company without management doing anything about it and that's why Ryan got hurt like he did. Nobody believed us when it was happening in the first place, why would they believe us now?"

Edwardo knelt down and stroked Michael's cheek. "It's not your job to convince anyone. It's your job to give your side of the story. The lawyer gets to do the convincing. And, I know I can't be there next to you when you're up on that podium, but I'll guarantee you I won't leave that room unless you do, okay?"

Michael nodded. "I know…"

"And… I debated on when the best time would be to give you this, but there's one more souvenir from my trip I want you to have." Edwardo pulled a little box out of his pocket. "This, ah… Don't think of this as an engagement ring. I know you're not ready for that, but I thought maybe if I gave it to you now, you'd have a piece of me you could carry to the witness stand so… Will you accept it?"

Inside the box was a blue opal in a gold band, flashing with all the colors of the rainbow. Truthfully when he'd bought it, Edwardo had absolutely intended to present it as an engagement ring. The stone had been mined just outside of the town his family was from, and when he'd seen the loose stone on display in the shopkeeper's window, he just knew Michael had to have it.

Michael was breathless for a moment or two, the stress of the trial completely forgotten. Most of the trinkets Edwardo had brought back for him were definitely ordinary souvenirs, but this looked very obviously expensive.

"Is it… really okay for me to accept something like this…?" Michael asked. "I mean, isn't something as nice as this reserved for something a little more… special?"

"If you want it to stand for something more special, it can be. For now though, think of it as a promise ring. We can worry about that after things calm down a little bit."

Michael gladly accepted the ring, admiring how the colors flashed in the stone. It was a little too big for his ring finger, but fit nicely on his index finger, and he'd be lying if he said it wasn't a nice feeling. He and Edwardo shared a long embrace, until the lawyer actually sent an intern to retrieve them. The court case was starting.