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Phoenix had rushed to the hospital the very moment he received the text telling him what had happened. Not that he needed a text to know; every single news show was talking about it. But knowing the hospital room number and getting clearance to visit was much better than staying home hearing the most gruesome details on repeat being discussed on TV, and he had one certain detective to thank for that.
Gumshoe was right outside the room, and seemed to have just come out of it.
-Gumshoe thank God, tell me you have good news. Is he okay?
Despite the worry he knew that the detective was feeling (Phoenix had read his text after all, and he had seemed quite shaken), Gumshoe laughed.
-Hello pal, don’t worry for Mr Edgeworth! He’s still in one piece.
Given the detective’s line of work and the amount of bodies he had seen in various states of integrity, Phoenix assumed that the statement was meant to be encouraging. In the current context of “attempted MURDER” though, the feeling it evoked was a mixture of carefully hopeful and outright terrified.
-Can I go in and see him?
To that, Gumshoe hesitated.
-Well, the doctors did say that he could get visits, but I don’t know what you would get out of it, pal. He’s completely out of it because of whatever pain meds they gave him.
Phoenix, who had opened his mouth to insist, had to make a conscious effort to close it after a few seconds of silence.
Edgeworth on pain meds? Now that is something I just HAVE to see.
…
The lights were slightly more muted when Phoenix entered the room. The first thing he noticed was the massive bouquet of flowers on a side table, a single splash of color amongst the dullness of the room. The patient on the bed beside it also appeared washed out, stripped of his loud, vibrant suit which had been replaced by a plain white hospital gown instead; even his already light hair and skin looked paler somehow.
Edgeworth was lying down on the slightly raised bed over a lot of pillows propping him up. He was seemingly asleep, since he didn't so much as stir at the sound of Phoenix's quiet footsteps. His expression was peaceful, yet exhausted; had the lines on his face always been so deep? The bags under his eyes so dark? His skin looked almost… ashen, once Phoenix approached enough to notice. A few machines were beeping rhythmically closeby, as the IV bag that was hooked to his arm kept slowly dripping its contents into his veins. The knot in Phoenix’s stomach tightened.
He reached out; he couldn’t help it. Phoenix needed to touch him, to feel his warmth so he could finally convince himself that the absolute nightmare he'd been trapped in for the last couple of hours was over, that Edgeworth was still alive. Phoenix wanted to squeeze his arm, to hold his hand, the desperation set in to just hold him...
He didn’t know why he chose to reach for his head instead.
Edgeworth’s hair was soft in his hand; his brows twitched slightly at the touch, but he remained calm in his sleep. He looked almost angelical. Phoenix started to run his fingers through his hair almost without realizing it.
He tried not to think too hard about what he was doing, and definitely tried not to think about how damn weird he was being. Where did this impulse come from? Was it just another part of his not-so-buried, not-quite-repressed years old crush on his childhood best friend? He had to remind himself to stomp it further down for the time being if that was the case. And he had to do it quickly, unless he wanted to have a very awkward conversation with Gumshoe or the nurses when any of them eventually entered the room.
But he couldn’t let go yet. Edgeworth’s hair was soothing to touch, and it gave him something to do instead of just worrying. He kept stroking his silky hair and his scalp for a while, not knowing how long, until-
- Nnnngh… Phoenix?
Phoenix froze, immediately looking down from Edgeworth’s hair to his face. He had opened his eyes at some point, and was now squinting at him. He blinked a couple of times before speaking again.
-What are you doing?
The words were slow and a little slurred, like he was drunk, but not quite. His eyes were clouded and a bit distant, and gave the distinct impression that he was not fully there.
Oh they gave him the strong stuff.
Instead of saying “well it's not my fault you're so beautiful”, or “I just couldn't help myself, your hair is too pretty”, or even an ambiguous “oh you know”, Phoenix just said,
-Do you want me to stop?
Edgeworth closed his half lidded eyes a little more, leaning into the touch.
-Hnn.
To Phoenix, that was enough confirmation to keep going.
They stayed like that for a while, Edgeworth dozing off and practically melted into his hand, while Phoenix stroked his hair and scalp, internally freaking out the whole time. The silence was broken by a quiet groan coming from the bed, which made Phoenix turn his head towards Edgeworth’s face again.
-What happened to me? I feel… weird.
Phoenix thought very carefully about how to phrase his answer.
-You were wounded. We're in the hospital now.
Edgeworth seemed to consider this for a while.
-Yeah, that tracks.
-Why’s that?
Edgeworth groaned weakly again, grimacing in pain as he tried to straighten his back.
-It hurts.
-What does?
- Everything.
Phoenix winced, looking away.
How had that crazy sequence of events ever been allowed to happen, that it’d all resulted in this? How could the guards not notice someone entering the courtroom with a GUN?!
He knew that the reactions of families to the guilty verdict of a loved one could get out of hand. He had seen people throw themselves at the bailiffs, trying to stop them from taking the prisoner away. He had heard more profanities screamed at both the prosecution and the defense than he could count, but this? This was just unacceptable. If Edgeworth had been just a little closer, if the man had had just the tiniest bit more aim-
-Phoenix?
-Hm?
-Why did you stop?
Phoenix blinked his sight back into focus, suddenly brought out of his depressing train of thought. Edgeworth was looking at him with that same thousand yard stare, expectant, and Phoenix realized that he had indeed trailed off and committed the heinous crime of stopping the physical contact.
Edgeworth’s eyelids drooped a little more once Phoenix resumed stroking his hair gently, and he hummed in contentment. He looked like he was lost in a particularly pleasant dream, drinking in the touch like he was in the middle of the desert and Phoenix had the only available water bottle.
-How are you feeling, Miles?
Phoenix wasn't even surprised he had called him by his first name without thinking twice. Miles had dropped all filters, lowered his guard to the lowest point Phoenix had ever seen him do.
To be quite honest, it felt a bit disingenuous to take advantage of it. Miles was wounded, high, and in hospital. He wasn't in his right mind, he would never allow this otherwise-
He then closed his eyes, making a small, pleased noise.
-I like this.
Well, perhaps Phoenix could take advantage of it for a little while longer.
…
When he came back into the room, Phoenix was greeted by the same sight. Miles was still asleep in the same exact position Phoenix had left him in before going for lunch.
He smiled faintly, and brushed one of Miles’ bangs behind his ear. He kept slowly running his fingers through his hair, and time didn't seem to pass…
-Wright.
Phoenix, once again, froze. The voice was stern, and sounded uncomfortably lucid.
He smiled nervously, staring at his hand on Miles' hair and fighting the urge to rub his neck; doing so would mean breaking contact, and he would rather die than do that.
-Uhh… y-yes, Miles?
There was a brief pause.
-What exactly are you doing?
When Phoenix finally dared look down, the eyes staring back at him were clear, focused, and piercing holes into his own.
Phoenix immediately backed off, quickly retrieving his hand and redirecting it to the back of his head as he laughed a bit too loud for it to be casual.
- A-ah! S-sorry Edgeworth, I, yeah, j-just, uh. Yeah.
An awkward silence followed.
Edgeworth sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and throwing his head back into the pillow.
- Nngh, what happened? I remember being in court, and then everything went black.
He seemed to let the matter go. For now.
-You, uh, were shot. In the stomach.
-Ah. Yes, that tracks.
Phoenix laughed a bit under his breath, which made Edgeworth turn his head sharply towards him. He frowned, disconcerted.
-As amusing as the matter seems, I have to ask, why are you laughing?
Phoenix lifted his hands in surrender, still wearing the same goofy smile.
-Nothing, just- we had this exact same conversation before. Don't you remember?
Edgeworth blinked, clearly taken by surprise. He stayed quiet, looking like a deer caught in the headlights for a few seconds.
-We… did?
Phoenix smiled a bit smugly.
-Yeah, you were high as a kite on pain meds, it seemed.
Edgeworth turned his face away just as quickly, looking intensely at the wall in front of him.
-Huh.
And then,
-Is that why, erm…
-Huh?
-Why you were… stroking my hair?
He looked completely mortified. Whether he was blushing or not, Phoenix couldn't quite tell.
Phoenix allowed himself to smirk a bit, testing the grounds and feeling for a reaction.
-Kiiiiiiinda.
- ”Kinda”?
-Well, you didn't tell me off, for starters.
One of Edgeworth’s eyes twitched as his scowl deepened.
-I didn’t… tell…
-Yeah, even said you liked it. Thought you might want some more, is all.
Edgeworth covered his mouth, either to conceal his expression behind a convenient cough or to outright hide entirely behind his hand. He looked further away from Phoenix.
-Well, I must say, it was quite… pleasant.
Phoenix’s previously bashful smile grew blinding. Edgeworth still wouldn’t look at him, but he settled back into the bed, and was he ever-so-slightly closer now?
Phoenix sat down properly, and hesitantly reached out again. His hand found a small strand of hair that was slightly out of place, and started to run it through his fingers before putting it back and smoothing it down.
Edgeworth was tense all the while, eyes closed tight as he took a deep breath through his nose. Phoenix stopped moving, growing more worried the more he paid attention to Miles’ body language.
-Hey, we don't have to-
- Shut up Wright, you're making this more difficult than it has to be.
Phoenix sighed, retrieving his hand again. Edgeworth jumped and turned to look at him, wide eyed in surprise.
-Why did you-?
-I’m not forcing you to do this, you know. If you're uncomfortable you can just say it.
Edgeworth stayed silent. Phoenix sighed again, and made to get up.
-Let’s just forget this ever happened, okay? Gumshoe is outside if you need anything, I guess I'll get go-
-Wait. Wait!
Phoenix, already up and facing the door, turned his head towards him. He had to admit that the sight was a bit comical.
If Edgeworth wasn't blushing before, he sure was now. He was still looking away, hiding his mouth behind his hand, and seemed to be struggling to say something that just wouldn't come out.
-I-I did- I-
Having known adult Edgeworth for quite some time now, Phoenix was well aware that he still had trouble sorting through his emotions, and that he tended to get paralyzed when confronted with them. And so Phoenix turned around again to fully face him, indicating that he wasn't going anywhere, and gave him some time.
Edgeworth cleared his throat.
-I-I did mean that it was… pleasant. I just- I don't-
He sighed, looking defeated.
-I’m not… used to this. This… this level of…
-Closeness?
Edgeworth nodded, looking almost relieved that he was being understood. He lifted his head slightly to peek at Phoenix, as if to check that he was still there, and quickly looked away again.
-I’m not a very, ah… tactile person.
Having seen the way Edgeworth straight up melted into his hand like he was made of putty just a couple of hours prior, Phoenix had his serious objections to that statement, but he didn't interrupt as Edgeworth kept talking.
-But that doesn't mean that I don't crave that closeness. That .. intimacy.
Phoenix hummed to himself, considering everything he had just heard.
-So… what I'm getting from this is that you're not opposed to it; you do want this, you're only uncomfortable. Is that right?
Edgeworth sighed, closing his eyes, and then looked up at him with certainty.
-Yes.
-Hmm. Well, do you… want to start simpler?
Edgeworth scoffed in annoyance, turning away to glare at the wall.
-What’s simpler than a few innocent caresses? It's not a you problem, it's a me problem. And it's frustrating.
He was making that face, the little frown mixed with a pout that Phoenix found so damn adorable, and he just couldn't contain himself. He sat down next to the bed again, laughing.
Edgeworth turned his frown towards him, blushing even harder if possible, and crossed his arms.
-Well, when you're done laughing, we could-
He stopped himself, huffing, and looking as if he was having second thoughts about something. That took Phoenix by surprise.
-Could…?
-Try again.
Phoenix, despite the huge smile that settled on his face, eyed him with some skepticism.
-Are you sure, Edgeworth? I mean, if it truly does make you that uncomfortable…
-I will have to get over it at some point. Might as well be now.
-We could just ask a nurse to knock you out with pain meds again. You were rather… agreeable, in that state.
-As opposed to what, pray tell?
-A huge pain in the ass.
- Hah. Hilarious, truly.
Phoenix had no idea what possessed him at that moment, but instead of replying, he just leaned forward and placed a kiss on his temple.
Edgeworth stilled, short-circuiting completely. Any witty or biting remark he could’ve come up with visibly died in his throat, as Phoenix just laughed next to him.
-But you're my pain in the ass.
Unable to reply (or seemingly react at all), Edgeworth just leaned into him, and Phoenix resumed brushing his fingers gently through his hair.