80- Coming To Conclusions

Michael zoned out the entire ride home. He wasn't even bothered about the safety concerns or the omega curfew, all he knew was that in that moment, he wanted to be wherever Edwardo wasn't. He almost didn't realize when the rideshare had pulled up in front of his house, but an awkward prompt from the driver woke him up enough for him to leave the vehicle and shuffle inside.

His parents weren't home. He somewhat remembered them saying something about having a work sponsored holiday party tonight... Oh well. He didn't really want to be around anyone right now anyway. His clothes were damp from where he fell in the snow, and he wanted a shower more than anything.

He wanted to scrub off the feeling of Edwardo's hands on his body.

Speaking of, his phone had been going off almost nonstop. He'd put it on silent in the car, but all the calls and messages were coming from the same number. Even if he didn't want to talk, he knew how bad it would look if Edwardo freaked out and called the police to report him missing. Without checking any of the texts or voicemails, he sent back a single message before putting his phone on do not disturb:

MICHAEL- [I made it home. I need to think. Leave me alone.]

Stripping for the shower, he couldn't help but see his reflection in the mirror of him in the candy-striped harness. He had been so excited when he found the elastic, and it had taken so much work to put the whole thing together… So much for that. He pulled it off roughly, hearing some of the seams pop, and threw it in the little bathroom trashcan along with the rest of his lingere set. He was cold and tired, and he was still crazy sore from when he fell. It wouldn't be a lie to say he used up the entirety of his home's hot water to get cleaned up.

And by getting "cleaned up," that of course meant he spent the whole time disassociating.

It wasn't since his first heat that he'd felt so bad about being born omega. Only this time, he resented his outward organs instead of his inner ones. He didn't want to be a girl, but if he had been born a girl…

Who's to say if that would have made anything any easier anyway.

A really good headache started as he dried off, emanating from his new and very tender bump on the back of his head. It was easy enough to convince himself he deserved it. He'd pushed Edwardo out of his comfort zone at every possible opportunity. After getting such a firm rejection, adding injury to the insult was nothing more than poetic justice.

Now mostly dry and wrapped in a towel, he shuffled back to his room to put on his nightclothes. At times like these, only the most comfortable will do. He dug out his flannel one-piece hamster pajamas with the button flap in the back and put it on. Edwardo's Christmas present sat half-finished on his desk. It was a silk tie he was figuring out how to hand paint, since it seemed more practical considering Edwardo's job. The last color he needed to finish it was lost in the mail somewhere. Michael packed everything up carefully and put it at the bottom of his closet. He didn't want to look at it right now.

What he did want, was a painkiller. An icepack for the back of his head was probably a good idea too. Both of those, and to curl up in bed and go to sleep. Today couldn't possibly get any worse if he was asleep.

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The next morning, Michael apparently looked bad enough his mom actually suggested he call out of work for the day. With everything all said and done yesterday, he'd gotten in a really good cry before finally getting to sleep. Whether that did him any good, he couldn't tell. He wasn't about to call out of work though. This was his last shift before his heat window, and he needed the distraction of the busy bakery now more than ever. Having a very tender bump on the back of his head wasn't helping matters.

Of course once he got there, Mr. Kranston took one look at him and tried to send him home. Michael pleaded his case strong enough he was eventually allowed to stay, but instead of running a register like usual he was put to scooping cookie dough in the back room.

With his hands busy and without having to focus on customer interaction, he was able to do some serious thinking. The first major conclusion he came to was that he had been seriously manipulative in his and Edwardo's relationship from the get-go. No matter how he looked at it, he himself was the bad guy.

On top of that, what was it he was trying to get out of the relationship anyway? If it wasn't for Edwardo's body and money, would Michael have been trying so hard in the first place? Still, it was always when Edwardo wasn't spending money on him that he had the most fun. Walking around, taking pictures, people watching… that was fun. Edwardo was sweet, and caring, and with a slight awkwardness that was completely endearing…

Michael was pretty sure he loved him, or at least had been falling in love with him, but did that matter anymore?

Edwardo was ashamed of his family finding out he was dating another man.

That's it. End of story. How can you date someone when you're supposed to be their dirty little secret?

Michael did NOT want to be anyone's closet romance. Not Edwardo's, and certainly not anyone else's. Bearing that in mind, the kindest thing would be to call it quits, right? I mean, the reason he latched on so hard and so Quickly to Edwardo in the first place was probably just because of all the scary shit going down in the city for omegas anyway, right?

Maybe if Michael could break things off amicably enough, Edwardo would let him keep that customized pepper spray keychain. He wasn't going to hold his breath on that designer coat though. He wasn't that greedy.

The next question was when would be the best time. Edwardo was supposed to be on a plane right now. Michael would spend almost the whole time he was gone in heat. Nope, if he was going to suggest a breakup, Michael wanted to do it properly. In person. He owed Eddie that much. And maybe in the meantime he could figure out a way to finish Edwardo's tie. It's not like he himself had much use for it.

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Before Michael knew it, his shift was over. He was washing his hands and putting away his apron and there wasn't going to be anyone waiting for him in the bakery's seating area. Today, with the store as busy as it's usually been, he'd have to wait for Mr. Kranston to have a few minutes to take him home. He shuffled to the break room and slumped down into one of the folding chairs.

He'd had several more missed calls and messages on his phone this morning, but he hadn't gotten any recently. When did Edwardo's plane leave? Was he in Mexico yet? Michael almost, ALMOST opened his texts. He'd already decided breaking up was the best thing to do. Seeing apologies from Eddie was only going to make sticking to his guns that much harder. Maybe he could call Ryan when he got home to ask for advice?

"Hey Mick, you've got some lady in a suit out here asking for you." One of the other seasonal hires poked his head into the breakroom to deliver the news. "Mr. Kranston's talking to him now, but I thought it'd be safer if you knew. I haven't seen them around before."

Michael mumbled a slightly surprised thanks. Why would anyone be asking after him?

The next person to come looking for him was Mr. Kranston himself, followed by a businesswoman Michael had never seen before.

"Mick, this is Councilman Sanchez's aide," Howard introduced them. "Apparently Mr. Sanchez has some things he wants to speak with you about. Is it okay if she escorts you home today?"

Michael gave the woman a once-over. She was prim and proper and perfectly professional looking. He figured he probably wasn't getting out of this no matter what he said, and it would certainly be unfair to Mr. Kranston to straight up refuse the offer considering how busy the store was. Michael already had an idea of what Mr. Sanchez probably wanted to talk to him about anyway. Michael figured it was best to go ahead and get it over with.

He left the bakery with her and they ended up walking to City Hall, much to Michael's dismay. It was three blocks away, with last night's snow piled in dirty clumps against the buildings. It was absolutely freezing outside! Couldn't a car have been sent? Or couldn't they have taken a taxi? And how was this lady seemingly completely unaffected in pantyhose and heels? Michael had to give her some respect for that.

Outdoor conditions notwithstanding, they reached the imposing city hall building sooner than Michael would have liked. He wasn't sure what was waiting for him as he was led up the huge set of white steps and into the stately entrance hall. He reminded himself as he was led through the marble floored hallways that he'd already made up his mind to break up with Edwardo. There was nothing his father could say to make it any worse. Really, the worst case scenario that he could think of would be that Councilman Sanchez would make him sign a gag order or something.

He could live with that. Probably.

They reached Councilman Sanchez's office, and he was shown inside. It was a spacious place, a corner office with large windows, two decent sized couches with a low table between them, and at the very end stood a substantial wooden desk. And behind that wooden desk was a very imposing man.

To be honest, the words "hopeless romantic" weren't the first things Michael thought of upon seeing Edwardo's father in person for the first time. It was hard to get a read on what the Councilman was thinking at all really. It was easy to tell the family resemblance though. Edwardo obviously got his eyebrows from his father's side.

"You, um…" Michael stammered, intimidated. "You… wanted to see me… s-sir?"

Mr. Sanchez indicated Michael should take a seat on one of the couches, before moving from behind his desk to sit opposite him.

"So," Mr. Sanchez's deep voice resonated within the room, "I take it your preferred name isn't actually Michelle like I've been led to believe?"

"I'm really sorry!" Michael blurted out. "I didn't mean to take advantage of your son, it just kind of happened! I promise I never wanted to cause any trouble for you or your family, and I promise, promise, PROMISE I won't tell anyone Edwardo and I were dating, ever! I'll even sign official paperwork if you want! I-"

"Woah, woah, slow down!" Mr. Sanchez held his hands up placatingly, a hint of reassurance finally showing on his face. "I've called you here on behalf of my son. It seems there's some things we need to get straight. You're not in trouble."

"So… You're not even mad that I slapped him? You're not going to sue me or something?" Michael asked in confusion.

Mr. Sanchez tried hard not to laugh at that. He wasn't provided that particular bit of information. "My son and I had a very serious phone call out of the blue last night. I think it's only fair that you know about it. And frankly, I would have slapped him too."

Michael let himself relax a little. He got the tiniest feeling this wasn't going to be as bad as he was expecting.