Ease [Cashton/Muke]

Chapter one hundred and twenty

"What I am asking for, on behalf of my clients, is compassion." Crystal booms in her closing statement. "Australia is a country built on the foundations of acceptance, love. We have so very few entrenched rights and yet, one of them is the right to create a legal document with our soulmate. It would be un-Australian and unconstitutional for the court to deny my clients of this right.

Michael Clifford and Luke Hemmings." Crystal sighs. "These two men are soulmates. They are expecting a child together. For this court to rule against them would be for it say that they accept a child to be born and raised into a couple without a contract. Think of how this outcome can affect the newborn, when the baby is so impactable. This case is about Mr Clifford, Mr Hemmings, their baby... mostly it is about the future. Does the Supreme Court of New South Wales wish to set the precedent that they are okay with children being raised in incomplete households? Do they?" Crystal presses. "Thank you."

Luke and Michael are nervous wrecks by the time Crystal finishes, all their previous relaxation out the window. Crystal seems more nervous than they've ever seen her.
"Thank you Ms Lauderdale. I will call you when I have made my ruling." The judge hits their gavel and is out of the courtroom in a flash. Crystal wants to throw up.

"And now we wait." Crystal mumbles, head in her hands.
"Wait for how long?" Luke asks worriedly.
"Could be an hour, could be a week. Could be longer but I don't think it'll be more than a few days." She answers, slowly lifting her head.
"Hopefully it's soon." Michael says through a tight lipped smile.
"Fingers crossed." Crystal adds quietly.

There's no way to avoid the swarm of cameras and media on their way out of the building, all of them shoving everyone else around and yelling invasive questions. There's so many more than the afternoon before. Michael sends a look to his security guards and then to Luke, a 'protect him with your life before you protect me' kind of look. They nod and keep Luke relatively caged in. Michael wades through the crowds as best he can but tries to help Crystal slip away, who definitely seems out of her depth amongst the paparazzi.

Michael and Luke head back to Michael's office afterwards, worried there's paps still on their tail and desperately not wanting them to know where they live. Security parks in the undercover car park and it allows Michael and Luke to finally breathe a slight sigh of relief. There were a few paparazzi waiting out the front of the Scorpion building and there would no doubt be more as the afternoon went on, still, Michael and Luke could go straight from the basement to the top floor and miss them completely.

The lift opens at the top floor and Michael and Luke are so close to just going straight back down again. Right there, in the foyer of the 46th floor, was Michael's parents. Luke thought he was going to throw up.
"No." Luke quickly shakes his head, pressing himself impossibly close to his dom.
"How about you just go sit in Jeanette's office with her? You don't have to talk to my parents." Michael suggests softly. Luke nods reluctantly and scurries into Jeanette's office, doing his best to avoid their heavy and judgemental gaze on him. Jeanette immediately goes to close the curtains surrounding her office so that Rosemary and Steven can't pry.

"What are you doing here?" Michael seethes as soon as Luke is safely tucked away in his assistant's office.
"We wanted to come talk to you about the court case." Steven purses his lips.
"Well there's nothing I have to say." Michael shrugs.
"We-"
"If you found out about it, that means you're reading unreliable and trashy gossip papers. Because I didn't tell you for this exact reason. Why don't you go read more of them?" Michael spits.
"You should have told us." Steven scowls.
"Or, perhaps I didn't want to because you have no respect for Luke at all. Even going as far as to say that we should break up!" Michael shouts.

"We're only looking out for you." Rosemary interjects softly.
"No you are not." Michael snaps venomously. "You want me to break up with my soulmate. No matter the circumstances, you should never wish that on anyone."
"Micha-"
"There's nothing else I have to say on the matter." Michael adds, tone sharp.
"Well then." Steven huffs. "We know when we are not welcomed. You will always be welcome to us, you are our son." He softens.
"And Luke is my soulmate. Our souls are intertwined. You cannot welcome me without welcoming him." Michael replies flatly, staring at his parents as they walk out in silence.

Michael sighs, wanting to hold Luke close in his arms and never let go. He quickly sends a text to Calum before walking into Jeanette's office.

Michael - Calum: I think I'm gonna need a drink tonight

Calum - Michael: That's fair. Wanna go out or stay in? We can bring a bottle of something over.

"Hey," Michael knocks quietly on the glass door, pushing the curtains out of the way and stepping inside.
"Hi." Luke mumbles, looking up from where he's curled into a ball in the chair opposite Jeanette's desk.
"Come here," Michael throws his arms out. "It's all going to be okay princess. They know that you're not going anywhere."

Luke slowly stood up, worming his way into his dom's arms. He lay his head against Michael's shoulder and rest their contently.
"Are you sure? They want me gone." Luke says sadly, voice muffled.
"If they thought you actually were going anywhere they wouldn't be stressed. They know. They just can't process that right now."

Luke doesn't say anything else, just nuzzles deeper into the older's chest. Michael's looks over and is reminded that they're still in Jeanette's office, so he mouths a thank you and then starts guiding Luke back down to the car. They needed to get a lot of sleep tonight.

A/N: hi sorry about yesterday's April fools prank sjskskssk the end is coming so sooooooonnnnn. Then I think I'll take a week off updates and give the character ask/q&a the following Sunday. If anyone has any questions for me about the book or the sequel or the characters or anything then drop them on the character ask chapter as well.

Love y'all so much

-Grace Williams xo