Chapter Text
A few lights were on and there was a plate containing half uneaten meal at the table, indicating a quick abandonment from dinner. There were papers stacked near the plate. Edgeworth had been pulling another all-nighter.
Trucy went straight to the television, searching for a channel she liked. Nick knocked on the door to Edgeworth’s room. He slowly opened it and stepped in, the sound of Spongebob's obnoxious grating laughter fading behind him. It was dim, there was only a night light shaped like a teakettle to keep him from tripping into a dresser. It was quiet and he stood there. On the queen sized bed there was a mass of plush blankets. They were moving a little. Edgeworth was underneath the soft comforters, no part of him could be seen.
“...Edgeworth...” Phoenix began. The form froze, but other than that, Edgeworth did not respond. Nick continued standing and waiting. Finally a muffled voice could be heard from inside the blanket shield.
“Please leave. I want to be alone.” The voice was defiant but choppy, and noticeably weaker than usual.
“You being here is an absolute waste of time. I know what you’re up to and I am absolutely fine." Just the words Nick had expected. The prosecutor shifted again underneath. Phoenix guessed he was crossing his arms and holding himself in unseen defense.
Underneath the blankets Miles was stifling hot, he’d been in a cold sweat for an hour or more. He grimaced. He needed no one’s pity.
“You’re not well, Miles. I know you aren't fine.” The use of his first name caught Edgeworth off guard. It was a cheap attempt to get personal.
“Who’re you to tell me my mental state..." the prosecutor retorted in a childish manner. Under a blanket? Shivering? Edgeworth was hoping to push Nick away but that wouldn’t happen this time. Nick shuffled closer till his legs pressed against the edge of the mattress.
“It’s late and I want no company. Take Trucy home, being up this late is not good for her. Be responsible for once.” Phoenix rolled his eyes. What an ass.
“I'm not leaving and she won’t disturb us so don’t worry.” A long groan came from underneath the silk. Another, louder groan rose after the first.
“Stop it!” Phoenix felt himself losing his cool briefly. This was already exasperating but he knew he had to push through the resistance. He knew he could get the other to talk.
“I came here because I was worried about you.” Nick’s faced flushed with this confession. Under the blankets Edgeworth’s eyes darted nervously. What a stupid thing to say. His cheeks reddened brightly and he silently scolded himself for being so flustered.
“Hm,” Edgeworth grunted back. More silence. “Thank you…”
¨I’ll leave, but only as soon as you talk to me. I’m tired of skirting around this crap.¨
Nick laid his hand down carefully. His palm found what he assumed to be the larger man’s shoulder. It became tense under his weight, and started quivering. Nick thought he almost heard a stifled choking sound.
“The ground started moving beneath my feet and I couldn't breathe. I saw faces...heard voices... and it felt as though they were strangling me. I fell to the floor, barely able to move...” The voice that came from underneath the bedclothes was quiet and cracked. Edgeworth hated himself in that moment. He cursed his dwindling strength.
“I can’t hear you well from under there,” Phoenix said, hoping to coax Miles out from under the covers. There was a momentary rustling and tentatively Edgeworth stuck only his head and shoulders out from underneath, causing Nick’s heart to sting. The prosecutor’s eyes were glassy and his hair clung to his glistening face. Phoenix wanted to say something comforting but his tongue felt heavy in his mouth.
Nick drew his hand to Edgeworth’s collarbone, keeping a strong and steady pressure. The other man had not pulled away so the defense attorney assumed it was safe to keep it there. There was more silence, lasting for what seemed like minutes, both were calculating each other.
Edgeworth's breathing evened out after a few moments. Nick’s face was scattered with worry lines as he looked down into those cold grey-blue eyes. He would do almost anything to comfort Edgeworth. Miles blinked and his lashes dampened.
“My childhood returned to me quite intensely at the start of the quake...More vividly than it has in awhile...” Miles began, rubbing his face. “The pain of losing my father returned...And the pain of my guilt did as well.”
“You didn’t murder him though!” Phoenix cut in. “It was never you!”
Edgeworth froze again. Phoenix regretted cutting in. Miles struggled, pulling his classic move, looking slightly to the right and touching his left arm in an awkward fashion, a move he did whenever he was about to spill the beans. He did so in a way that kept Nick’s hand where it was.
“...I know that I didn’t… kill my father...” Edgeworth shook. Nick’s legs were strained, he shifted on his feet.
“But at certain times it still feels like...The blood is still on my hands. I had thought of myself as the culprit so for so long. It's difficult to remind myself it was Von Karma, who I despised but trusted all those years.”
Miles pursed his lips. He should’ve had Nick leave. He shouldn’t have let Nick touch him. The feel of the rough hand on his smooth shoulder felt good, though he hated admitting it.
Phoenix could no longer take this standing position and he placed a knee on the bed, leaning on it. He was closer now and he looked down at Edgeworth who removed his arms gradually from out of the covers.
Nick gave the prosecutor’s shoulder a soft squeeze of encouragement.
“Go on...I’m listening.”
“I heard Von Karma’s screams. I heard him barking orders in my ears and felt the sting of his palm upon my cheek...it was...dreadful.” Edgeworth rubbed his sweaty hands together nervously. The hand on his shoulder was warm and wonderfully human. Despite his inhibitions Phoenix had lured him into this interaction; he’d lost this impasse and confession was clearly the victor's prize.
“When... I was little and first left for Germany, in my childhood misery all I thought of was your friendly smile. The memories of our time in the tree house kept me intact. I tried to send you letters. I wanted to tell you about my big new home and about how much I missed you. I asked Von Karma to take them to the mailman with me, but he did not approve of the letters and refused. He began to take them and stash them away. I then tried to write letters to you in secret, but he’d find them before I could get them to the post office. Even after he took them all away, destroyed them, and banned me from ever writing to you again, I still thought about you.”
Nick’s brown eyes met Miles' once again; his hand ran along Edgeworth's arm, then gently intertwined their fingers. Edgeworth shivered; he watched the other man’s face intently, searching for a sign of what he was thinking. Nick only murmured for him to go on again. He noticed their faces were significantly closer.
“I can’t stop thinking about the past Phoenix...it is painful but a burden I feel like I will always carry with me.” Edgeworth almost felt tears prick his eyes.
“It isn’t yours alone...” Came a soft reply. Nick’s cheeks were hollow. Miles raised his eyebrows.
“Oh...?”
Phoenix raked his hair with his free hand. Had Edgeworth been so self-loathing that he had not considered anyone else might have suffered? Nick had to give Edgeworth credit though. Living with Trucy had made him much more sensitive to personal issues.
Nick’s younger, much more naive way of thinking was all about good speeches and pep talks. Over time he’d found that sometimes people couldn't just make themselves get over things. It wasn’t easy living with a mental disorder even if you were super smart and strong like Edgeworth. Maybe someday Nick could coax his rival into therapy, but for now he’d simply have to find a way for them to understand each other.
It must be hard feeling alone, even when there are so many around you.
“You have no idea how bad it was. I was hurt too, Miles. And so was Larry for that matter. Nothing was ever the same without you.” He squeezed their hands tighter.
“Butz and I stopped going to the fort, we couldn’t hang around there knowing you wouldn’t climb up after us. I started failing school, I had to repeat the third grade and was sent into counseling. I wondered day after day why you were gone and why my parents refused to talk about you. When I was old enough to consider it I assumed you were dead, like how kids realize their dog wasn’t really “sent to a farm.” That day in college when I first saw your face was unbelievably shocking. It was agonizing considering how much time it had taken for me get over your disappearance. But then I knew that more than anything I needed to find you. Of course it’s been absolute chaos ever since…And you did let me think you were dead for a year...”
Miles swallowed. Wright’s legs were falling asleep, so he lifted his other knee and shifted, finally sitting down on the bed. Their faces remained close and their hands never parted. That year he’d been gone was for personal self reflection, Miles had explained that. He’d needed time away to discover what it truly meant to be a prosecutor, but that didn’t mean it had been fair.
“I didn’t realize you were still bitter about that,” Edgeworth commented.
Phoenix sighed.
“I’m not, but if you’d told me you needed to go away for a while things might’ve not gone so wrong. I’d still have been angry but I would’ve been able to get over it easier. We’ve made progress since I first became a lawyer. Everyones better for it but there’s still so much we need to let go. We've gotta take steps to move forward. I need your help to heal too...”
“Help me” wasn’t a phrase Edgeworth heard much. Both Edgeworth and Phoenix worked for the good of the public, but their jobs had its differences.
While both occupations were important in society, Wright’s job was to grant justice to the innocent, whereas Edgeworth’s was to dispense justice to the guilty. “The Demon Prosecutor” was a title he’d rightly earned through tireless work in his earlier years. He wasn’t asked for help--he was begged for mercy, which he gave rarely, if at all. Meanwhile, Phoenix was the bright beacon of freedom, the shoulder to cry on, and to some certain people: the open wallet and free burger vendor. Edgeworth had never depended on anyone but himself, but he'd never truly realized that there were others who needed him. An exception was the police force, but that had always been ego driven on Miles' part. He considered himself to be the most competent person in the force and looked down on most officers.
He thought for a moment. He did rely on Phoenix, didn’t he… Ever since the beginning he’d needed this man. Did this man really need him back? He nodded, more sure of himself.
They were so frighteningly close. The warm breath on his cheek seemed to calm him. Phoenix’s thumb traced the whiter hand thoughtfully.
There were glistening streaks down the Prosecutor’s face. Nick leaned in, drew a breath and sank down slowly closing the distance between them entirely. The kiss was so tender and sweet that Edgeworth could feel himself slipping away into it. His chest heaved. Phoenix peeled his lips gently away from the man under him, keeping a sliver of distance between them. Their hands beaded with sweat. Their noses touched and Nick laughed a little from over excitement.
Edgeworth was no blushing virgin. This was far more innocent than any devious teenage experimentation but it was incredibly intimate, the cobwebs that had laced in his heart were being gently stripped away. It was freeing, like washing away layers of filth. They panted, wanting more, and closed the gap again. They kissing harder, hands clenching painfully, shaking with energy. Miles moved his hand to Nick's hair and tugged on it.
A small light cut through the darkness and through their private moment. They stopped abruptly and looked towards the door. Little Trucy was peeking. There was a blush on her face.
“I’m sorry daddy!” she gasped. “The batteries drained from the remote and I needed new ones.” She knew better than to ask, normally she would’ve looked in the kitchen but Nick didn’t mind. She’d obviously just now snuck by meaning to spy on them but had not been prepared for adult kissing.
His voice was as kind as always towards her. “It’s alright kiddo...” Phoenix chuckled breathlessly. Edgeworth looked embarrassed. She stood in the door, unsure whether to leave or not.
“Come in,” Miles beckoned. He wasn’t much better with children then one expected but he had a soft spot for the girl. He refused to have her stuck standing awkwardly in the door. She stepped forward.
“Is… That ok? If you want to finish your conversation I can turn around for a few more seconds.” Edgeworth snorted, Now Nick became sheepish.
Edgeworth smiled, for the first time that night. It was a smile he reserved for few. She gave a toothy grin back. She loved Mr. Edgeworth and his genuine goodness. It always felt like a big reward when she could put a smile on his stern face.
“It’s alright,” Phoenix cooed. She came close, and he kissed her cheek and she yawned. Her father looked over at the clock, realizing it was now nearly morning, and he ruffled her hair.
“You should be in bed Trucy. We should be too for that matter.” She swung her legs.
“No!" she whined, looking up at them. Edgeworth was quiet, what an unfathomable pair those Wrights were. Tough as nails, the both of them.
“Come on Trucy, it’s been a long night and I’m sure your brain is scrambled from all that bad television,” Miles insisted. She looked at him with skepticism.
“You watch Steel Samurai.”
He huffed. “That’s different.”
“We’d better go Edgeworth.” Phoenix withdrew his hand from the other man with reluctance, but Miles stopped him.
“You’re both exhausted, you should stay here to rest, I don’t have a case tomorrow and I’d assume you don’t either. It's unreasonable to be moving about with your level of exhaustion."
Phoenix agreed thankfully. They decided Trucy should sleep on the couch and Phoenix claimed an armchair near the kitchen. Miles distributed blankets and pillows to the both of them.
The lawyers stood in front of the Prosecutor’s bedroom. Nick’s hand rested on Miles’ chest. His heart beat quickened.
“If you need anything, Miles, I’m here.”
Miles chortled bitterly. ¨If you say so.¨
Phoenix sighed, ignoring the sarcasm. He took him in another strong hold, squeezing as hard as he could with his thin arms. Miles’ ailments couldn’t be cured by one night of heart to heart. They had gotten somewhere and that was enough for the time being.
Miles leaned into the touch and shifted closer. Trucy followed them and wrapped her arms around Edgeworth's waist. She beamed up at him which caused another small smile, making Nick happy.
Miles needed love and love from the (not so) innocent girl was healing. How clearly Trucy had become attached to Edgeworth pleased Phoenix. He’d decided from the start that he would seek a partner if she approved of them. The two people he treasured most were in his arms.
Phoenix knew that Miles was hard at work thinking despite his droopy eyes and sagging head. He thumbed the other’s pale cheek before closing his own eyes, wishing Edgeworth good night and taking Trucy into the living room. It felt good knowing a little more about the ever introverted Edgeworth and Phoenix knew that, yes, he loved him.
Edgeworth sank down into his bed and sighed, his heart hammering. He had never been exceptional in relationships if this was one. Phoenix deserved so much more than him. What business did a heroic single father have with an asexual workaholic. He sniffled in the dark. The small seed of irrational, wishful thinking that nestled deep in his chest tingled. Despite all wrong which had transpired, he hoped they would be at peace.