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Even though Maya’s face lit up at the sound of footsteps, Phoenix knew before the door handle rattled that she should go ahead and snuff her dollar-sign dreams because the person who was about to cross their threshold always brought plenty of trouble but very little rent money. He considered telling Maya exactly who it was, but he didn’t feel much like enduring her kicked puppy expression or explaining for the third time that, no, he wasn’t suddenly blessed with ESP, it was just that Gumshoe had a habit of announcing his presence before actually announcing his presence.
On cue, just as Maya was gearing herself up to give the not-at-all a potential client her most winsome welcome, Phoenix’s door flew open and Gumshoe rumbled in, looking even more worse for wear than usual, mouth pursed around a grunted “hey pal” and brow furrowed so deep Phoenix couldn’t quite see his eyes. Gumshoe’s downtrodden expression was almost as comical as Maya’s unsubtle huff and shrug of disappointment when she realized that their unexpected visitor wasn’t really all unexpected at all. Even Gumshoe’s coat seemed as wilted and beaten as his mood, hanging despondently off linebacker shoulders that seemed to hunch under the weight of an invisible world.
It was, all in all, a ridiculously pathetic look for a man the size of a small building.
“Jeez, what the heck happened to you?” Phoenix said, trying and mostly failing to hide his laughter behind the palm of his hand.
“Whaddaya think happened to me?” Gumshoe glared at him, while Maya made herself at home on the edge of his desk and made absolutely no attempt to hide her obvious interest in Gumshoe’s troubles.
“Hey, you’re the detective, you tell me!” Phoenix answered smartly, even though he had a sneaking suspicion that he knew exactly what, or who, had happened to Gumshoe to make him look like he’d been threatened with a salary cut and a month’s worth of working the traffic-cop beat.
“You better watch that mouth of yours, pal!”
“What? I’ll have you know this mouth has saved more than one day!”
Maya laughed, tittering happily and swinging her feet so they thumped against his desk in a nice one-two, one-two rhythm that was as familiar to Phoenix as the back and forth of a courtroom debate or the give and take of an information exchange. Phoenix let his laughter join with Maya’s, ran his hand over his hair and smiled sheepishly at Gumshoe.
“….and maybe ruined a few, too.”
Gumshoe scoffed and rolled his giant shoulders, “Nah, you’ve been alright, pal. Not half bad, most of the time.”
“Thanks…..I think,” Phoenix muttered dryly, wondering if Gumshoe was acquainted with the concept of ‘damning with faint praise.’
“No problem!” Gumshoe said brightly, mood flipping like a like switch. “In fact, maybe this time even you could help me out…”
“Even me? Nice. ”
Phoenix hummed non-committally, letting Gumshoe’s latest tale of professional woe wash over him as he wondered, once again, who had helped Gumshoe hone his unique powers of persuasion. Phoenix was willing to bet the farm (or at least some uncluttered corner of the office) that it was thanks to a certain someone who considered, “that argument wasn’t entirely inadequate, Wright, for someone with your skill level,” a complement.
Of course, it didn’t help that every time Phoenix was confronted with such heartfelt flattery, he also had to deal with with the endearingly awkward way Edgeworth always looked at anything but Phoenix and curled his fingers into his arm like it was physically painful for him to admit that maybe, just maybe, he sort-of, kind-of, appreciated Phoenix’s existence. The first time it happened, Phoenix thought about laughing and telling Edgeworth where to stick his “compliment,” but there was something nostalgic in the stubborn line of a clenched jaw that kept him from objecting too strenuously.
The second time, Phoenix had smiled and taken Miles’ barbed appreciation with as much grace as he could muster after being compared to a well-trained sea lion. The third time, Edgeworth hadn’t said anything more biting than muttered “thanks,” and Phoenix had been this-close to reaching out to pry Edgeworth’s fingers away from his arm so Phoenix could shake his damned hand and tell him everything was going to be alright.
“You should definitely do it, Nick!”
Maya’s excited declaration snapped Phoenix out of his Edgeworth-induced reveries. Apparently while he’d been reliving Edgeworth’s greatest hits, he’d managed to miss something critical. And judging from Gumshoe’s hopeful smile and a disturbingly determined Maya, it was probably something Phoenix wasn’t going to like.
At all.
“Do what?” Phoenix asked warily, even though he knew that when Maya clasped her hands together and pushed out her bottom lip he was doomed to saying yes to whatever crazy scheme she’d just concocted.
Maya gaped at him, “Go cheer-up Mr. Edgeworth, of course!”
“Whoa, whoa! Why the heck would I want to go do that?” Phoenix spluttered, holding up his hands and shaking his head almost as vigorously as Gumshoe was nodding his. Clearly, he had missed something critical while daydreaming if he’d somehow been volunteered for Edgeworth-duty.
“Jeez, Nick, were you even listening?” Maya chastised him with an exaggerated frown and whack to his shoulder that told Phoenix that Maya was absolutely aware that he’d totally hadn’t been listening during Gumshoe’s sob-story. Finished with hitting him, Maya’s hands were once more clenched in front of her chest, sealing Phoenix’s fate just as surely as the words she spoke: “Detective Gumshoe said that Mr. Edgeworth’s latest case is making him really upset. Like really, really, upset.”
“Its true, pal,” Gumshoe chimed in, blinking woefully. “He threatened to cut my salary four times today and wouldn’t even calm down when I offered him some of that fancy tea he likes so much.”
“Definitely a dire situation.” Phoenix rolled his eyes and bit down on a smile. He could just imagine the fits Edgeworth was pitching over having to rely upon one Ms. Honey Cougar as his star witness. Really, he just felt for the poor man—having to endure attention from so many…mature…admirers. Phoenix blinked and sighed because Gumshoe and Maya were still double-teaming him with their best puppy eyes. “And you think I can help because….”
Gumshoe scratched his head and looked as perplexed as Phoenix felt. “Because he likes you.”
This time it was Phoenix’s turn to gape, and then laugh, and then gape some more. He might concede that Edgeworth had a grudging respect for him that maybe teetered on the edge of a forced fondness, but as much as he might have liked to believe that they were friends, the evidence was not in Phoenix’s favor.
“Likes me? Are we talking about the same Edgeworth? The one who objects to every other word I say in court and out? Because if we are, I want some of whatever it is you’ve been drinking, Detective. ”
“No need to be like that, pal! ” Gumshoe threatened, banging his fist on Phoenix’s desk so hard Maya wobbled and toppled right into Phoenix’s lap.
“And you’ve gotta be like that?!” Phoenix protested, trying to wrestle an armful of laughing Maya and avoid trembling under the weight of Gumshoe’s disapproving glare. He dumped Maya on her feet and tangled a hand in his hair, muttering, “What, exactly, do you want me to do?”
Unfazed by her latest tumble, Maya tapped her chin and considered, “I think you should go visit Mr. Edgeworth. Keep him company!”
“Yup, that sounds good!” Gumshoe concurred, crossing his arms over his chest like it was a done deal.
“How does that sound good?” Phoenix sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, easily imagining how delighted Edgeworth would be with Phoenix’s unasked for company. “You want me to just show up at Edgeworth’s house and tell him, what, his best detective was worried about him? Yeah, that’ll end well.”
“You can’t tell him it was me, pal!” Gumshoe barked, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. “You know Mr. Edgeworth likes his privacy and I don’t want to get in trouble if he knows I told you he’s been having a hard time.”
“Then you shouldn’t have told me,” Phoenix grumbled without heat, not really meaning a word of what he’d just said because there was no way he could deny help to a friend in need—even if offering his help was likely to get him an earful of Edgeworth’s special brand of ‘affection.’
And no matter how troublesome he knew this was going to be, Phoenix couldn’t quite stomach the idea of leaving Edgeworth alone, not when the guy had struggled with so many demons all by himself for so long.
“Nick!” Maya missed, dropping her clasped fists of determination into her lap and glaring until Nick crumpled like a house of cards and gave in.
“Fine, fine. I’ll go talk to Edgeworth. But you better have some good ideas on how I can get him to let me through the front door.”
“You got it, pal!” Gumshoe shouted with enough enthusiasm to wake the dead.
Maya crossed her arms, smiled knowingly, and looked very much like her sister as she told Phoenix,
“I don’t think you’ll need much.”
~~
Phoenix wiped a hand across his brow, hoped he wasn’t sweating as much on the outside as he was on the inside, shoved the obnoxiously bright DVD case under his arm and wondered what the heck he was doing loitering outside Edgeworth’s fancy apartment building. He had a bag of burgers (because Maya said no one could turn down free food, not even Mr. Edgeworth) and a really bad feeling about what was going to happen when he finally got the guts to push the call-button marked ‘M. Edgeworth.’
“What are you waiting for? Go ahead, it will be fine.” A familiar voice murmured, rich with amusement and exasperation.
Without thinking, Phoenix turned to look for Mia, ready to scold Maya for following him on his fool’s errand, only to find an empty street. But even though he found nothing, the whispered words were enough for him to shake his head, swallow a groan of impending despair and press his finger down on the buzzer.
Thirty seconds ticked by, the silence as deafening as the quiet of a stunned courtroom, until the intercom crackled with a curt:
“Who is it?”
Phoenix swallowed, dredged up a smile and said, “Um, its me.”
“Me, who? Identify yourself.”
Phoenix could almost see the arrogant arch of Edgeworth’s eyebrows in the cold reply. He bit back the urge to protest that Edgeworth knew exactly who he was, fumbling with his bags as he muttered, “What? Do you want me to state my profession for the record, too?”
“Oh. Its you.”
Try not to choke on your enthusiasm, Edgeworth, Phoenix thought with weary fondness, resisting the urge to bang his head against the intercom.
“Well, Wright, what do you want?”
Phoenix scrambled for an answer to the perfectly reasonable question, sweating bullets as he failed to think of anything better than Gumshoe said you were sulking and Maya made me come over and maybe I’m a little worried about you, too.
“Uh, heh, well, I thought we could maybe hang out,” was possibly not his best work, but it was all he could come up with on the spot and under Edgeworth pressure.
“And why would we want to do that?”
Jeez, this guy .
“You never know, it could be fun?” Phoenix gritted out, feeling sudden sympathy for all the witnesses he’d pressed into frustrated outbursts.
“Doubtful.”
Phoenix rolled his eyes, counted to ten and tried one last time, “Look, I’ve got dinner and a movie. Do you want to let me in or not?”
Phoenix heard the whisper of a sigh before Edgeworth’s voice crackled over the intercom again, “You came here of your own accord?”
“Uhhhhh, sure.” Phoenix crossed fingers behind his back and hoped that one little white lie was alright between….friends. Or rival lawyers.
The buzz and click of the gate opening was the only answer he received. Already exhausted, Phoenix pushed his way through and hoped that Round Two would be a little easier on him.
~~
“Um, hey.”
Edgeworth’s face was as impassive as ever when Phoenix stepped into his first-floor apartment, feeling a little tongue-tied and at a loss for what to say now that he’d finally arrived. Edgeworth was still dressed like he was ready to rush into court and he was standing around in a wrinkled suit holding hamburgers in one hand and children’s television programming in the other.
Sometimes, Phoenix really hated his life.
His reluctant host certainly didn’t help matters with his narrow-eyed glare and total lack of small talk beyond a curt:
“Wright.”
Phoenix tried not to fall back on old habits and promptly begin investigating Edgeworth’s home, no matter how curious he was to discover any clues in the choice of decor or the color of the curtains. Instead, he fumbled with his offerings, hoping against all good reason that Maya’s insistence that everyone needed comfort food and comfort flicks would prove true. Personally, he doubted that Miles Edgeworth was all that interested in greasy fries and cheesy movies, but Phoenix was used to working with what he had—no matter how ridiculous it seemed at the time.
“Here, these are for you,” Phoenix mumbled, blushing as he pushed the bags at Edgeworth. “Thought we could have a bite, kick back, talk, or whatever.”
He shoved his hands in his pocket to keep from doing something as mortifying as giving Edgeworth the patented Larry Butz thumbs-up and wondered why the heck he felt so stupidly nervous, standing in Edgeworth’s living room waiting to see if Edgeworth would take the bait and let him stay.
Edgeworth’s brow crept up his forehead when he peered into the bags. “Steel Samurai DVDs and hamburgers? Evidence would suggest there’s at least one other person responsible for your uninvited appearance.”
Phoenix blanched and rushed to cover, “Huh? Oh, no….er, that is…”
“You’re a terrible liar, Wright.” Edgeworth tsked-tsked, with something that sounded strangely like amusement.
“……sorry.” Phoenix mumbled, staring at Edgeworth’s socked feet and thinking that he shouldn’t find it so surprising that the man wouldn’t wear shoes in his own home.
The thought made him want to look away, made him want to poke around and see what other things he could find that proved Edgeworth was just as human, just as touchable and breakable as everyone else.
Edgeworth cleared his throat. “As you should be. There was no need to lie, I was always going to let you in.”
“Really?” Phoenix asked, unable to keep the shock from his voice.
“Of course,” Edgeworth sighed, turning on his heel and marching into the kitchen. “I know you’re too stubborn to go away when told, so it’s more expedient to let you in and listen to whatever nonsense you have to say.”
“….”
“So, who am I to blame for this unnecessary visit?” Edgeworth passed him two plates and flicked an elegant finger in the direction of the couch.
Phoenix took the gesture as the only invitation he was likely to get and scrambled after Edgeworth, figuring that there was no point in covering up what the guy had already figured out.
“Well, Gumshoe was the instigator, but he got a lot of help from Maya.”
Edgeworth scowled as he settled himself primly on the edge of the sofa. “I’ll make a note to dock his pay.”
“Aww, don’t be like that!” Phoenix protested, flopping down next to Edgeworth. “The guy’s just worried about you.”
“And what reason would he have to do something so useless?”
“He thinks its your latest case that’s making you extra prickly.” Phoenix toyed with one of the throw pillows and watched as Edgeworth fussed with the burgers, unwrapping them so delicately and deliberately he thought that Miles might have missed his calling as a CSI.
“You can assure Detective Gumshoe that I am perfectly capable of handling my caseload,” Edgeworth sniffed, evidently offended that anyone would dare to suggest that he might suffer from something so mundane as stress.
Phoenix smiled ruefully, “Oh, I don’t doubt that.”
Edgeworth’s gaze snapped up, serious and searching. “If that’s true, then why are you here?”
“Well…” Phoenix said slowly, caught off guard by both the question and the sudden need to tell Edgeworth the truth that had been nagging at him since the day they finally put DL-6 to rest. He swallowed and tried not to be cowed by the warning written all over Edgeworth’s face that said he was treading dangerous ground. Even if Edgeworth kicked him out, refused to talk to him ever again, Phoenix knew that this was something he had to say. He took a deep breath and murmured:
“Because I thought there might be something else bothering you and I wanted to know if you were doing okay…and to tell you that if you aren’t okay, that’s okay too.”
Edgeworth flushed red, blinked, licked his lips, opened his mouth, only to promptly close it and jerk his head to the side.
“Eloquent as always, Wright. But you needn’t trouble yourself. I’m perfectly fine.”
“If you say so.” Phoenix sighed, crumpled a little under the expected rejection and scrubbed his face to remove any trace of disappointment.
“I do.” Edgeworth stated firmly, still looking at anything but Phoenix, his entire body a rigid line that screamed leave it alone, leave me alone.
Phoenix decided to leave it alone—at least until he had enough confidence that if he pressed Edgeworth wouldn’t totally fall apart. Or that even if he did, Phoenix would know enough to know what the heck to do to help put the pieces back together.
He shook his head and reached for the DVD Maya had loaned him under pains of death should he fail to return it. “I know its kinda for kids, but do you want to watch this?”
Edgeworth was silent for a long moment, lost somewhere Phoenix couldn’t yet follow, before he favored Phoenix with a haughty frown and an unbelievable,
“The Steel Samurai is not just for children. I happen to find the program very compelling.”
“Riiiiight.” Phoenix stared and wondered when he’d tripped into an alternate reality. “So I’ll take it that’s a yes to watching the movie?”
Instead of answering, Edgeworth gifted him with his patented look of ‘you are so simple, Wright, it astounds me that you’ve managed to survive in the world this long.’
Phoenix slumped, questioned his choice in friends, and scrambled off the couch to try and figure out Edgeworth’s entertainment system without making any mistakes that would open him up to further ridicule. To his relief, the television turned on, the video played, Phoenix sat down and Edgeworth refrained from commentary—apparently preferring absolute silence between them to risking conversation.
The quiet wasn’t quite right, even if Edgeworth seemed content to pick at his food and stare at the screen, Phoenix felt unsettled—like he’d left an argument unfinished, a case unmade. Phoenix let his gaze drift from the plate of burgers to the blur of the television to the stiff line of Edgeworth’s body.
And there it was, the obvious evidence he’d been looking for all along, five long fingers digging into Edgeworth’s arm and giving away everything Phoenix figured he was supposed to have already known.
Steeling himself for the verbal beatdown of his career, Phoenix flung his hand out before he could think better of it and pulled those five telltale fingers away from Edgeworth’s arm. Edgeworth’s cravat brushed soft against his skin, almost as startling as the low gasp of surprise when he pressed a tense hand against the couch and covered it with his own, pinning Edgeworth in place.
Phoenix thought he could feel the shared pounding of their hearts, thought he might cave under the stunned, accusatory, confused weight of Edgeworth’s stare, but he knew that he hadn’t been wrong when neither the gaze nor the hand beneath his shifted.
“Edgeworth…. Miles. It’s going to be alright, you know.”
Edgeworth frowned, shook his head and dropped his eyes to his trapped hand. “And exactly how am I supposed to know that?”
Phoenix took a deep breath and grappled blindly for some great wisdom to impart, but no voice other than his own whispered in his ear, so he shrugged and went with the best truth he had to give:
“Well….hrm. I guess because after everything that’s happened, we’re both still here.”
“Hardly definitive proof, Wright,” Edgeworth murmured wryly.
Phoenix laughed softly, wishing he could do better even as he shrugged and joked, “Sorry, your Honor, its the best that I’ve got for now.”
“For now?”
Phoenix smiled, tilted his head back to rest against the couch and promised, “Give me enough time and I bet I can convince even you, Edgeworth. Its been known to happen before.”
Edgeworth said nothing, kept his eyes resolutely on anything but him while the television droned and Phoenix took deep breaths and tried to believe in the case he wanted to make. But despite the silence and despite his nagging worry that maybe he couldn’t get it done, there was evidence enough that he hadn’t totally failed in the warm, dry press of Edgeworth’s knuckles beneath his palm. He took what victory he could in the fact that Edgeworth had let him in the front door and then, kind of, let Phoenix inside just a little.
He left his hand where it was because he figured Edgeworth’s lack of protest at the touch was a confession all of its own, a confession that maybe even he knew that no man was an island and that it wasn’t so bad to let someone watch your back every now and then. Phoenix thought it maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, after all, to be one of the people trusted enough to do the job.
He could only hope he was up to the task as he silently promised Edgeworth that he’d never stop trying to do his best.
Phoenix closed his eyes to the fleeting image of Mia smiling at him like she knew some great big secret, like she had finally found the piece of evidence that was going to solve the case. Phoenix wondered what she thought was so funny as he drifted along to the sounds of the Steel Samurai defeating another foe and the strange, soft feeling of fingers sliding between his own and anchoring him in place.