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Miles Edgeworth was hesitating for quite a while in front of the closed law office. It was very quiet inside, without light too. It was already quite late since Gumshoe sent him a message saying that the celebration party ended, and it was a long way back from the airport. Maybe everyone had already gone to bed.
Coming here was probably not the wisest decision after all. Edgeworth was staring into the nameplate on the door, 'Wright & Co. Law Office'. It's crooked. Of course, Edgeworth straightened that. He took a deep breath, decided it's time to leave.
But the door creaked open. Phoenix Wright, who's wearing comfy home wear with two bags of garbage in his hands, met Miles Edgeworth's gaze in surprise, "Edgeworth?"
That's the moment Miles Edgeworth realised, he was truly alone with Phoenix for the first time since his return. He straightened up himself for some reason and used a polite nod in the failed attempt to cover up the stammering greeting, "Wr... Wright, good evening."
Phoenix took a suspicious look around the empty corridor, quickly gazed at the now neatly placed nameplate, and said, "Good evening… Has Prosecutor Von Karma left?"
"Yes." Edgeworth answered, "Thank you for the reminder. I gave her whip back." He added, "Franziska asked me to tell you that she shall come back and defeat you."
Phoenix smirked: "Talking about karma for being kind."
Edgeworth lowered his eyes. He no longer had the confident demeanor like when he was in front of Franziska and struggled to make conversation: "...How was the celebration party?"
Phoenix raised an eyebrow: "Other than Ms. Hart trying to make me pay for her new expensive camera, it was fine. Oh, and Detective Gumshoe ate three steaks... If you keep docking his pay, he'll end up working for me."
Edgeworth wanted to explain he didn't dock Gumshoe's pay without reason but instead pressed his lips together and said, "...I'll keep that in mind."
Phoenix looked surprised: "Really?"
Edgeworth nodded.
Phoenix shrugged: "Make sure to tell Detective Gumshoe it was me who pleaded for him, so next time I ask him for a scene report, it might be easier."
Edgeworth couldn't help but retort: "Leaking confidential evidence to defense attorneys, you know you should be responsible for half his pay deduction."
Phoenix laughed. He said, "Maya said she forgot to tell you that she got some limited edition Steel Samurai keychains for you as a thank-you gift."
Edgeworth replied: "I'll thank her in person next time."
Then it was silence again. Phoenix stared him for quite a while, weighing the trash bags in his hands, and said feebly, "You know when someone shows up at my office at this time to stop me from taking out trash, it's usually a matter of life and death, right?"
Phoenix looked the same. There's nothing wrong or unusual with his expression or tone. There was even a hint of relaxation in his eyes now the case had finally settled. But Edgeworth felt that Phoneix was angry.
Of course he was angry. There were so many reasons Phoenix should be angry at him.
But the apology Edgeworth had prepared for so long was shattered by the tricky case, leaving him desperately searching for an entering point of the rehearsed conversation in the remaining tangle.
Edgeworth opened his mouth, and replied dryly, "I ... I have something to say to you, Wright. "
Phoenix said, "So what exactly are we doing now?" Now Edgeworth's grabbing his sleeve again. Phoenix looked away and took a deep sigh, finally said, "Let's go."
"Where to?"
"I don't have the habit of chatting with people at the doorstep while holding trash."
-
Edgeworth was quite familiar with the block around the Wright & Co. Law Offices as he often visited before he left. Sometimes they would walk around the area and chat, or frequenting a late-night ramen stall at the corner.
But this time Phoenix stopped just downstairs, leaned against the corner of the wall, folding his arms, and said: “Well...Talk.”
Edgeworth withdrew his instinctive step towards the street corner. He realised he's now fully exposed under the street lights, but Phoenix's half hidden in the shadows. He couldn't really see the expressions on his face.
He shifted uncomfortably, but Phoenix remained silent. The only sounds in the quiet night were the annoying buzz of the streetlight and the faint noise of cars passing by a couple of blocks away.
A sudden realisation weighed on Edgeworth's already guilty conscience that Phoenix was almost always the one to start their conversation, and he had always taken this for granted. He no longer had the courage, however, to say 'It's your right to hate me' like he did a few days ago. After the conclusion of the Engarde case, Phoenix's unexpected revelation about his career starting point had caught Edgeworth completely off guard, adding extra cruelty to the already brutal betrayal, his betrayal.
Edgeworth tried not to dwell on it.
He clutched his sleeve again, and soon let go, noticing his own action, "I want to... I want to apologize to you, Wright."
Phoenix stayed silent for a while, then seemed to sigh again: "I've heard you apologize more in the past few days than in the past twenty years combined."
Edgeworth swallowed hard: "...I still want... I want to apologize to you formally and alone." Without Phoenix's response, he continued: "Everything I said to Franziska today, you have already taught me long ago. I should have understood this right after the DL-6 case. I have failed your kindness, and betrayed your trust. For that, I am deeply sorry.”
He hesitated for a moment and added: "I've been studying in Europe for the past year. The more I learned about different legal systems, the more I realized my previous mistakes. Pursuing truth and justice in the courtroom by focusing solely on convictions is doomed for failure. Even though prosecutors and defense attorneys may be opponents in court, it's not about winning or losing. I..." Edgeworth trailed off. This didn't sound like something has to be said by rushing to Phoenix's office this late at night. It sounded more like a research report or something.
As expected, Phoenix said, "…It sounds like the Prosecutor's Office should communicate more with the Bar Association. Edgeworth, you know that the Bar Association has been complaining about this for a long time, right?"
Edgeworth bit his lip. He knew Phoenix was still angry, but he wasn’t sure what else to say. He could only apologize again: "I'm sorry." He couldn't help but grasp his sleeve again: "You have every right to be angry. I... I..."
"I'm not angry, Edgeworth," Phoenix said.
Edgeworth had plenty of evidence to refute him.
But Phoenix immediately corrected himself: "Well, I WAS really angry." His shadow moved slightly in the darkness, and he emphasized: "Very angry."
Edgeworth reminded himself that he was standing under a streetlight, so any evasive movement would be clearly visible to Phoenix.
Phoenix didn't seem to be looking at him, just contemplating for a moment: "But as you said, I know you've thought a lot about this, and I know your apology is sincere. Well... It's not like I can see Prosecutor Edgeworth apologizing every day, you know." He shrugged: “And... Even though I don't want to admit it, I'm... really glad that you're back. This trial showed your beliefs more than anything, Edgeworth. Whether as an opponent in court or a colleague in the legal system, I think it's something to be celebrated." He quickly added: "As your friend, too." Phoenix paused, almost looked frustrated, and said: “Not to mention, you also saved Maya and Ms. Andrews. it's almost impossible to stay mad at you, Edgeworth.”
Edgeworth sometimes found Phoenix impossible. Eloquence might be the basic skill for lawyers and prosecutors, but Phoenix managed to extend his ability infinitely into his life, making it impossible to refuse his sincerity.
But something's still off.
Phoenix accepted his apology so easily, yet their relationship didn't go back to the way it was before. Perhaps the one year of his complete disappearance had created a fatal void and strangeness. Maybe things would become normal again after some time. Phoenix would again, keep sending him messages, drag him out of the Prosecutor's office for meals, and take him out for late-night food, instead of complaining that Edgeworth's in his way of taking out the trash. Or just stood downstairs with folded arms, waiting him to leave.
Maybe they just needed some time.
But Miles Edgeworth doesn't do meaningless waiting.
Phoenix was still angry. He needed to know why, so that he could have a solution.
Under Phoenix's distant gaze, Edgeworth pondered for a while and said: "I'm also sorry for leaving... in the way I did. I should have told you."
Phoenix stirred.
Edgeworth was somewhat grateful that he had spent countless efforts observing Phoenix in court, allowing him to catch this slight movement. It almost feel like cheating.
He did indeed regret leaving so abruptly, though it was a much later realization, especially after he saw the pile of angry or sad emails from Franziska and Gumshoe.
Franziska accused him of being a coward, saying he was childish and weak, while Gumshoe was always worried about his safety, repeatedly sending the same messages, as if that would get him a reply. But Phoenix never sent him any emails.
Edgeworth took a deep breath, reaching for the true answer to the question taht he had considered countless times : " At that time... I was arrogantly immersed in the turmoil of those two cases. When I left that message, I neither knew what Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth should pursue nor could I convince myself that I had any value left in the Prosecutor's Office or the courtroom. I... I felt so lonely and ...lost. But I didn't know how to deal with that, or deal with myself. "
Phoenix stirred again, but Edgeworth kept on talking. He could not help but mock himself, " I always considered myself a part of the law, part of the courtroom. For that, whatever I had experienced, I never truly felt alone. But at that time, I... I felt like I was just alone. Only then did I realize how unbearable that was..."
"You were not alone!" Phoenix took a sudden step out of the shadows, the dim streetlight casting a hazy glow on his face.
Edgeworth was stunned by his expression. Phoenix's usually relaxed brow and bright dark eyes seemed to have been steeped in clear water—Edgeworth took a while to recognize that it was sadness.
Phoenix didn't lie. He wasn't angry. But the faint red under his eyes made Edgeworth freeze.
Phoenix repeated, and this time Edgeworth heard the tremor in his voice clearly: "You were not alone, Edgeworth."
"I know…" Edgeworth tried to regain his voice.
"The hell you know!" He finally seemed to trigger Phoenix. Phoenix's gentle eyes were moist but burning with long-suppressed fury, even more intense than when Edgeworth found him at the Gatewater Imperial Hotel. His face were all contorted, even his hair seemed to bristle with anger, "If you knew, you wouldn't have disappeared like that! Leaving that kind of… that kind of message… What was I supposed to think? I thought we…"
He choked up. He had to look away from Edgeworth, "...I know things mustn't be easy for you. The old case and the whole thing with Chief Gant and Prosecutor Skye... It's putting you under spotlight with the worst possible timing." His tone involuntarily softened a little, "Under those circumstances, I can't even imagine how bad the situations can be in the prosecutor's office. I don't... To be honest, I don't know what you have been through, Edgeworth. Maybe there's really nothing I can do, but I thought... at least you could talk to me, rather than..."
Phoenix's voice almost disappeared. He tried to look directly at Edgeworth, but a drop of tear uncontrollably fell, hitting the ground with a thud. It seemed as if he suddenly realized he was crying, Phoenix clumsily wiped his eyes with the edge of his palm, lowered his head, letting the shadow cover his expression: "You were not alone. I was always… I was always there." He said quietly: "I thought you knew that."
Edgeworth stared at the teardrop by his feet. The splash of water evenly spread out a circle of gold under the light. The shape somehow reminded him of the lawyer badge that Phoenix always wore on his collar, catching his eye in court every time.
Edgeworth couldn't breathe. All the answers he had pondered over, were they responses to Phoenix's possible anger or resentment, vanished in Phoenix's tear.
Phoenix didn't speak again. Edgeworth could only hear the faint buzz of electricity.
After a long while, Edgeworth finally managed to breathe slowly again. Clenching his sleeve, he whispered: "I didn't think of you at that time, Phoenix."
Phoenix lifted his head: "What?"
Edgeworth avoided his gaze: "When I left that letter, I didn't think of you."
Phoenix looked as if he had been punched in the face, torn between sadness and disbelief.
Edgeworth couldn't help wanting to reach out but restrained himself. Lowering his head, he said: "Even for a long time while studying abroad, I… forced myself not to think of you." It tightened his throat by just confessing this, his heart was pounding like a drum, creating a painful illusion in his chest: "I think it's because if I think of you, I would know that my… self-indulgent sorrow wasn't real. I wasn't truly alone."
His eyes suddenly became so sore as if he just realised again at this very moment, the astonishing weight of Phoenix's words when he said he was "always there".
Edgeworth now forced himeself to look Phoenix right in the eyes, " You're always there, Wright. I was… too arrogant and too stupid to realize that. I didn't mean to… I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm really sorry. I… I'm an idiot. "
Phoenix glared at him with watery eyes, the tears uncontrollably gathering in his eyes again. He awkwardly wiped his face and grumbled:"Did you learn this slick talk while you were abroad too?"
Edgeworth flinched at the distrust in his tone, but managed to keep his voice steady: " I… I'm not saying this just to… at least not entirely to defend myself… Even during the time I was avoiding everything, at university, in court, in mock trials, handling and studying so many cases, every time I saw those who truly managed to overcome their predicaments, who fought their way out, who insisted on pursuing the truth no matter what, were they prosecutors, defense attorneys, or just anyone courageous, I always thought of you. "
He hurriedly explained: "But I'm not just talking about the case, not just legal matters…you know..." Edgeworth couldn't help but get anxious. His lips and teeth seemed to betray him at this most crucial moment, leaving him more incoherent than ever.
Phoenix took a small step forward and gently grasped Edgeworth's forearm, rescuing the rumpled fabric from his clenched grip.
Edgeworth took a deep breath, staring at where Phoenix held him, and said almost quietly: "For me, the one who would break through all the predicaments with me, the one who taught me to pursue the truth, the one who let me see hope in despair, and the one who just won't give up on me no metter what, were you." He tried to put Phoenix's name at the end of the sentence, but he couldn't get it right. He couldn't even breathe steadily.
Phoenix blinked rapidly as if that could help him get rid of the embarrassing tears, but Edgeworth wasn't done: "To me, you're not just… not just an opponent in court, not just someone who saved me, not just my… friend. You're… you're indispensable. Everything I've said thought about, everything I've imagined, it can only be with you." He avoided Phoenix's gaze, but his face was burning. Finally, he forced himself to spell out the name he had repeated so many times, almost like delivering a closing argument: “…Phoenix Wright.”
Then there was complete silence.
Not even the buzz of electricity was audible. Phoenix's held breath felt like a sword hanging over Edgeworth's heart, until he couldn't help but lower his head to check the executioner's expression.
Phoenix's face was wet, but his shocked deep blue eyes forgot to shed any more tears, like the surface of a wavy sea, reflecting a stunned Edgeworth.
"You… How long have you felt this way?"
"…Eight months.” Edgeworth decided to tell the truth: "I… I thought of you while observing a murder trial back in Munich.”
Phoenix let out a sharp, sarcastic laugh:"Ha! What a romantic!"
Edgeworth argued feebly: "It's not because of the murder trial..."
Now Phoenix's mad. He grabbed Edgeworth cravat and squeezed words between his teeth: "So what the hell have you been up to for the other eight months?"
Edgeworth tried not to cower in his suit: "I… there were five stops on my study tour…"
Phoenix's face was livid with anger, cursing loudly: "Don't you know there's something called a phone in this world? Email? Internet? You can't even send a fucking letter?"
There's not rebutal left for the great Miles Edgeworth, he could only hopelessly reiterate the theme of this long overdue apology: "...I'm an idiot."
Phoenix, exasperated, squeezing his cravat, looking like he wanted to shake Edgeworth's head off to see what kind of bullshit was inside. He gritted his teeth: "I should record this and play it for everyone every time we go to court."
Edgeworth wanted to say it was fortunate that Phoenix was in his home wear and clearly had no recording devices on him for evidence, but he wisely swallowed this comment.
Phoenix was evidently dissatisfied with his silence too, breathing heavily, controlling himself to only let out a frustrated yell that wouldn't get the neighbors to call the police: "Ahhhhhhhh! You… you're so infuriating, you jerk, Edgeworth…" He let go of Edgeworth with a growl and angrily grabbed his own hair instead.
Edgeworth cautiously reminded him: "You...you just said you won't stay mad at me."
Phoenix forced a grimace into a fake smile: "You should be thankful I'm not planning on being the next defendant in your office archive, Mr. reinstated prosecutor.”
Edgeworth shut his mouth.
Phoenix couldn't really do anything to Edgeworth. He was anrily pacing in circle for quite a while. Then he turned around, narrowing his eyes threateningly at Edgeworth in futile anger that both of them know would go away fairly quickly: "...Well, if you have anything else to say for yourself then spit it out, and get the hell out of my sight!"
Edgeworth met Phoenix's particularly fierce gaze with utmost bravery: "...You haven't answered yet..."He whispered, "I like you, Phoenix."
Phoenix took a deep breath and rolled his eyes at him: "I like you too, you idiot."
END.