Guilty… Guilty… Guilty on all charges. The jury's verdict seemed to hang in the air. The judge banged his gavel, quieting the whispers of the spectators.
"In the case of Ryan Neel vs. the shipping company, the defendant is hereby found guilty of all charges, and is hereby required to pay all medical and rehabilitation costs, plus pain and suffering."
The judge's decree rang out clearly, followed by a very final sounding bang of the gavel. The bailiff gave the order for everyone to stand, and the judge left the courtroom. It was over. The big important trial was over. Some might have expected a cheer, but it was more a collective sigh of relief. An omega had sued a large company for discrimination, and won. Ryan won.
The room emptied in relative quiet, the few that had been allowed to spectate barely whispering amongst themselves as they left. Soon enough, it was only Scott, Ryan, Michael, Edwardo, and their lawyer left. It was partly because the reality of what just happened was still setting in, because really, nobody expected Ryan to win on all charges, but safety was also a concern. Surely by now, someone had tipped off the mob of reporters outside the building how the case had gone. If any of them wanted to make it out safely, they had to wait on their pre-agreed upon police escort.
"Holy crap! I can't believe we won!" Michael finally shouted in disbelief, running up to where Ryan was still sitting at the plaintiff's desk. "You won the case! All of it!"
Ryan still looked a little dazed, but the realization slowly dawned on him as he chuckled in disbelief. Scott patted him on the shoulder, offering his own congratulations. It was then that the judge came in, minus his ceremonial robe, to talk to them.
"Well, never in all my years on the bench would I have thought I'd have a case like that," The guy said. "I wasn't sure the jury would vote in your favor, but I wanted to personally offer you gentlemen my congratulations. And madam," the judge addressed Ryan's lawyer, "that was an impeccable job on your part. I've got high hopes for you as well."
They continued exchanging pleasantries until their escort came. The judge offered one final congratulations before their group was led out of the courtroom, through the hallways, and to the front of the courthouse. Outside of the big glass doors, reporters and camera men were milling behind a barricade. As Ryan and the group got closer, the people outside got more and more agitated. Cameras were flashing before the front door even opened.
And when those doors opened, oh, when they opened, the cacophony of competing voices was loud enough to make you want to cover your ears. So many questions! How were you supposed to even answer any of them if you couldn't hear what they were? Of course, they'd been advised to not answer any questions anyway. The lawyer didn't want the risk of accidentally antagonizing opposing groups. While Ryan did his best to ignore it, Michael marveled at the spectacle of it all, feeling safe enough amongst this crush of people kept away by metal barricades as he followed along the path cleared for them on the disability access ramp. Having Edwardo's hand to hold didn't hurt either.
Their group of four got through the gauntlet unscathed, if a bit deaf. The police kept everything orderly long enough for them to get in their respective vehicles and drive off. They met up again at a pre-determined location, a parking lot a few miles away where they could regroup and plan their next steps. It was there that Edwardo offered to treat everyone to a late lunch, mostly so they could have somewhere more comfortable to talk, but also to celebrate.
And celebrate they did. Edwardo suggested a fine dining spot that offered a slightly more relaxed lunch service, and picked up the tab on everything from the shared bottle of champagne to the dessert. While Scott and Edwardo had a glass apiece, Ryan only took a few sips of the alcohol. Michael probably would have gone back for more than a glass had Edwardo not stopped him, but he wasn't about to pout about it in public. And after Michael though it through, he knew it was probably for the better if he didn't get drunk.
They spoke of pleasantries and how glad they were that the worst part of it was finally over well past having finished eating. It was easy to tell from the glances Scott and Ryan were giving each other that the celebration was far from over for the two of them, and Michael got the distinct impression they'd probably continue the party in private until well after the sun went down. Knowing them, they'd have some kind of video game stripping tournament or something.
It wasn't too long after that that the conversation started winding down, and Scott and Ryan took their leave. Ryan and Michael shared a quick hug with a promise to talk later while Edwardo and Scott had a quiet measuring contest over who was going to leave the tip for the waitstaff.
At the end of it all, after they went their separate ways, Michael couldn't help feeling a little hollow inside. He couldn't quite put a finger on what was wrong. He had a good idea of the kind of shenanigans his friend would get up to once he got home, so was it jealousy? He knew it was silly but, he couldn't help but think how nice it would be to get a release like that too. He hadn't done anything even remotely sexual since he'd moved in with temporarily with Edwardo over a week ago, and his dry spells usually didn't last this long. With the court case out of the way, it would be safe to indulge a little bit, right? He was horny too…
"Hey Eddie?" Michael asked after they'd gotten in the car, "Can we swing by my parent's place real quick? There's some things I want to get."
Edwardo had no problem stopping at Michael's place. He even offered to go in and help get whatever Michael was after once they got there, figuring there was more stuff Michael wanted to move over. What confused Edwardo the most was that Michael didn't want him to follow him inside at all. It wasn't like Edwardo hadn't seen Michael's room before, he helped Michael get things packed up the first time, and even got to spend some time visiting with Michael's mom. None of Michael's family was home right now because it was the middle of the day though. And since Michael was so insistent about grabbing whatever he needed on his own, all Edwardo could do was wait patiently in the car.
At least it wasn't too long of a wait. Michael came out maybe ten minutes later with an almost empty looking drawstring backpack.
"Is that all you needed?" Edwardo asked once Michael had gotten back in the car.
"Yup. This is all I needed."
"You don't want to grab more than that…?" Edwardo asked curiously. He'd been hoping Michael's 'temporary' stay at his place would turn into something a bit more permanent, even though the trial was over.
"I promise this is all I need right now," Michael insisted.
Not wanting to push his luck, Edwardo dropped the subject, and started heading back to his place. He could tell Michael was a little bit more fidgety than usual, but to be fair it had been a big day, and an absurdly long week. He was actually proud of Michael for how well he was handling it.
Michael on the other hand was nervous. He had his lube and favorite dildo in the bag, the one he liked to use for his heats. He second guessed himself the whole drive back to Edwardo's house, alternating between feeling dirty for daring to bring them over to use and thinking there was nothing wrong with what he was doing since he deserved to feel good after everything that happened. It wasn't like he was going to try and initiate sex with Edwardo. Never mind the number of mornings Edwardo had gotten up with a very obvious wet spot on the front of his pajamas, that was one subject Michael wasn't ready to bring up by himself.
After they finally made it back to Edwardo's house and Michael had given Essie enough love and attention for her to calm down, Michael tried to low-key go have his fun without raising too much suspicion.
"Hey Eddie, do you mind if I use one of your upstairs bathrooms for a while?"
"You don't need to ask, but why upstairs?" Edwardo asked, confused. "You can use the master bathroom if you want. It's much more comfortable."
"I just want some privacy, you know, some time to unwind, is all." Michael tried dodging the question.
"Ooo… If you need to relax, I could start up the whirlpool bath for you? Get some bubbles going? I think I've got some chocolate in the pantry…"
"No! Ah-" Michael stammered, hoping to get his point across and slightly regretting his decision, "I want PRIVATE time, for me, for stuff, like… with my bag that I got, by myself, to do stuff. Feel good stuff."
"Feel good stuff?"
"PRIVATE feel good stuff." Michael emphasized, hoping Edwardo would get the hint.
Edwardo took a risk by pulling Michael close to his chest. "Private feel good stuff that would be more comfortable on a bed?"
"Maybe…" Michael blushed, avoiding Edwardo's gaze.
"How about on my bed?" Edwardo asked in a low voice, gently tilting Michael's face up to look at him. "With me?"
Michael frowned at that, unsure of how to respond at first. The little voice inside his head reprimanded him, saying, "see, I told you this was a bad idea, trying to jack off at your boyfriend's house." At the same time another little voice was screaming, "Yes, Yes, YES! Please!!!"
Edwardo let Michael go with a sympathetic look. "Sorry. You're probably still mad. I know the last few weeks have been tough on you, and you haven't had much privacy staying here. You can use any of the rooms you like, just let me know if you need anything."
When Edwardo turned to leave, Michael stopped him by grabbing his sleeve. "Are you sure you don't still secretly wish I was a girl…?" he asked in a quiet voice.
Edwardo cupped Michael's face, forcing Michael to look at him again. "Mi Dulcito, that was the worst mistake of my life. I never, ever want to hurt you like that again."
"And you promise you're not grossed out thinking about having sex with a guy?"
"I have never been grossed out by the thought of having sex with you. It's exactly the opposite! In fact, I've had so many dreams about it that-" Edwardo caught himself, letting go of Michael's face and hiding his embarrassment with a quiet cough. "I promised not to force you though. If you're not ready, that's okay. I'll give you the space and the privacy to tend to your needs. I've got a way to get Essie to leave you alone for an hour or two too, since I know she's bound to want to be in whatever room you're in."
Princessa Bonita Esperanza perked up at the sound of her name, and started licking and nudging Michael's hand, trying to get in on whatever her people were talking about.
Michael diverted enough of his attention to her to give her a good ear scratching, but he wasn't done with Edwardo yet. "Do you promise not to grab my arm so hard like you did last time? I didn't like that."
"I promise to let you take the lead. I won't do anything unless you tell me to."
"And if I decide something hurts, you'll stop? Even if you're feeling good?"
"I swear on my honor as an alpha."