Title: Awakenings
Author: KingMobUK
Rating: No sex. Some swearing.
Genre: Not sure actually. Drama?
Status: Completed First Draft
Pairing: Hints of P/E but mainly a friendship fic.
Summary: After 2:4, Phoenix and Edgeworth are trying to rebuild their friendship, but the past is getting in the way.
Spoliers: Some spoilers to specific cases, events and people in 1 & 2 but as I haven't played 3 or 4 you should be safe from anything therein.

Foreword: This is the first fanfic I have ever written and the first fiction I have written at all in almost a decade. Some of the fabulous stuff on here inspired me and I wanted to have a crack at it.

I'm out of practice and that, added to the constraints of trying really hard to work within established characters made this a toughie. It's nothing like I thought it would be when it started out because I let the characters lead me through the story deliberately to see what would happen.

Be gentle, but please be honest, I really want some feedback.

Awakenings

Phoenix Wright was startled awake by a long, low rumble of thunder that pierced his drowsiness. Gradually his eyes refocused on the TV where the 24 hour news was running by in a silent, flickering parade across the screen.

With a guilty start he glanced over to the dining table where Edgeworth was sitting, back to the room, poring over a pile of documents under the glow of the table lamp. The prosecutor’s maroon jacket and cravat were thrown over the back of his chair, his shirt sleeves rolled up and his elbows resting on the table. He didn’t notice that I nodded off. Lucky. I guess I didn’t snore.

Phoenix silently swung his legs to the floor and discovered that the papers he’d been reading had slipped from his grasp and were scattered on the rug. Shit. One of the papers had obviously migrated to the floor via the coffee table as its corner was decorated with the remains of the Chinese sauce from dinner earlier. With another glance in the direction of Edgeworth’s back Phoenix furtively wiped the corner of the document on a napkin and shuffled it back in among the other papers. Maybe he won’t notice until he’s in court.

Phoenix stifled a yawn and looked at the TV again. 2:17am. Damn, is it really that late? He and Edgeworth had been going over some court evidence files all evening and he’d lost track of the time.

It had been a full evening. Maya and Pearls were in town from Kurain Village on some hare-brained school mission that Phoenix wasn’t even going to try to understand but which seemed to involve visiting as many art galleries and museums as possible in a week. Edgeworth had arrived at 7pm and Maya and Pearls had turned up an hour later clutching an enormous bag of takeout. If Maya had been surprised to see the prosecutor she had shown little sign of it beyond her usual enthusiastic greeting.

They’d all enjoyed a quiet dinner - he and the girls sitting together round the coffee table watching Jammin’ Ninja reruns while Edgeworth maintained a more dignified position at the dining table. Afterwards the girls had gone to bed in the spare room and he and Edgeworth had settled down to discuss the case.

It wasn’t a case that he was involved in, of course, but since the Engarde trial, it seemed to Phoenix that there had been a sea change in his and Edgeworth’s relationship. He couldn’t guess how hard it must have been for the prosecutor to pick up the phone that first time and ask Phoenix for his opinion on a case he was taking to court. He couldn’t even guess if Edgeworth had really needed his help at all. The prosecutor’s voice had been perfectly controlled and businesslike as always, so it was hard to tell.

But it had been a start, and Phoenix had decided to see where it took them. To his surprise the calls had continued, and now he had helped Edgeworth out with three or four cases in total over the past couple of months.

There was no doubt that their working relationship was now more that of trusted equals rather than rivals. But it was hard for him to entirely trust Edgeworth outside the courtroom after so many years of being pushed away, ignored and lied to. There seemed to be an invisible barrier between them that neither of them could cross. I kept that dream of our friendship alive for 15 years, but now..? Maybe a dream is all it ever was. It’s like I’m just waiting for him to disappear again.

After regarding Edgeworth’s back for a few more moments Phoenix finally got his thoughts under control. “Hey, Edgeworth, it’s past two AM. It’ll take you an hour to drive back to your place and you’re in court tomorrow”.

Edgeworth didn’t turn round, but acknowledged the interruption with a raised finger. A few moments passed and Phoenix felt a slight surge of impatience and irritation. Before it could find any means of expression, however, Edgeworth finally closed the open file and swivelled round in the chair.

“I was just going over the witness files again. Your point earlier is correct, the two eye-witnesses do contradict each other in places. Only minor details, but it might be enough to provide a loophole. I’ll have to follow that up.” He clicked off the table lamp, leaving the room lit only by the flicker of the TV screen.

“Anyone could have spotted that, Edgeworth. You would have seen it for yourself before the trial”. I hope that didn’t sound as snappy to him as it did to me. If the prosecutor noticed, he gave no sign.

A year ago things had been different. In the aftermath of Edgeworth’s trial for murder and the acquittal that Phoenix had poured all his heart and soul into gaining, his hopes had been high that things would go back to how they had been all those years ago. For the briefest of times Edgeworth’s guard had come down and Phoenix had even entertained childish fantasies about he, Edgeworth and Larry hanging out, having fun, talking and just being together – just like when they were in grade school.

But the Skye affair and SL-9 had shown what a stupid, impossible fantasy that had been. Throughout the whole case Phoenix had been troubled by a deep sense of foreboding as his friend and rival was repeatedly put on the spot in court. Everyone seemed to believe that Edgeworth was involved in evidence tampering, and Phoenix had provided the means to prove it. I let them use me to wreck his career. I should have seen it coming earlier and done something about it. Ema saw it, so why didn’t I? But after 15 years and knowing how he’d changed I just couldn’t trust him.

It had occurred to Phoenix that it was strange how he could so completely believe in Edgeworth’s innocence in a murder trial, even in the face of a confession, and yet he hadn’t been able to shake the suspicion that the man was an amoral, ruthless deceiver. He tried not to dwell on that aspect of his feelings because it raised uncomfortable questions that he didn’t know the answers to.

In the end, what Phoneix remembered with the most clarity was Edgeworth’s note, the day after the Skye trial ended. “Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth Chooses Death”.

He could feel the sudden, cold lurch of dread and disbelief all over again - the deep sense of loss, betrayal and anger. The final words of a man he had once called a friend had seemed to mock him for even considering that such a relationship had been a possibility. The memory was as vivid now as it was painful then and it made him catch his breath. For a year he’d blamed himself for being deceived, thought of those words as a last, scornful legacy from Edgeworth … and hated him for it.

“Wright, are you … feeling unwell?” Edgeworth looked slightly irritated and Phoenix realised he’d been staring, albeit unintentionally.

“Huh. Sorry”. He swung to his feet and walked through to the kitchen to get a drink of water. As he emerged clutching the glass Edgeworth was at the window, arms crossed, looking grimly out onto the rain-lashed street.

“I have to be in court by noon tomorrow and it doesn’t look as if this weather is likely to let up. It may be more sensible for me to stay here tonight and go home in the morning”.

What? “Uh. You want to stay over?”

“Assuming that’s all right with you.”

“Sure” Phoenix was aware he didn’t sound as confident as the word implied. “It’s just that Maya and Pearls are using the spare room”.

Edgeworth’s expression was unreadable from this angle, but Phoenix was sure he could detect mild annoyance. “You do have a sofa. It’ll hardly be the first time I’ve spent the night on a sofa. Or I can always sleep in the car if this is a problem for you, Wright.”

“Um. N-no. No! It’s fine.” What is wrong with me?

Phoenix placed the glass of water he was still holding on top of a bookshelf and rummaged in the adjoining wall-cupboard, hunting for some kind of bedding. Host of the year. After what felt like several hours he pulled out a couple of blankets. “Ah! Here we go”.

When he turned, Edgeworth was still standing at the window and was just removing his shirt. In the blue and white glow of the TV, Phoenix could make out the unmistakable signs of one or two old, healed scars on the prosecutor’s too-white shoulders and back. Phoenix was too shocked to say anything but something about his body language must have betrayed him because Edgeworth looked up sharply “What?”.

“Uh. Your back. I mean. You have some …” I really don’t want to ask about this.

Edgeworth fixed him with another of his forbidding glances, but then unconsciously reached up and touched his collarbone, as if a memory had just been tweaked. “Ah.” He looked away with a twitch of dismissal. “Von Karma did not accept failure. For his children, failure was a weakness and retribution was swift.” A faint smile flickered over his face. “Don’t worry Wright, any self-flagellation I indulge in is merely of the emotional variety”.

“R – right”. Phoenix could feel his toes curling with his own awkwardness at having intruded on something so personal. He hurriedly placed the blankets on the sofa and made his escape from the room. It was a relief to retreat to the comfort and safety of his own bed.

Phoenix lay there for a while letting the frustration of another evening in Edgeworth’s company fade away and be replaced by a hope that the prosecutor would be gone by the time he woke in the morning.

He felt utterly disillusioned at the suspicions, secrets and discomfort that now seemed to characterise the tatters of what he had once considered his closest friendship, and the further glimpse he’d just had of the vast chasm that had opened between them over the past fifteen years. They knew so little of each other’s lives that they might as well be strangers.

-------

He wasn’t sure what it was that woke him again, less than an hour later. He was temporarily confused, as if he’d woken up in a strange house, before his eyes focussed on the familiar contours of his own bedroom.

Silence. But something must have disturbed me. He cast his eyes once more over the room but could see nothing amiss. He’d had enough sleepless nights in this room to have become entirely familiar with the shadows and shapes cast by the faint neon that drifted in through the floor-length window.

Sitting half up in bed he cocked his head slightly. Had there been a sound? If so there was nothing now, and even though he strained his ears in an attempt to pick out the slightest noise that seemed out of place, there was just a deafening silence apart from the faint buzz of traffic in the distance and the sound of the rain.

He was concentrating so hard on distinguishing any possible alien sounds that when there was the lightest tap on the door it sounded to him as if someone had taken to the wood with a sledgehammer. Shit! Hang on.

Swinging his legs to the floor he snatched his Steel Samurai t-shirt from where he had left it hanging over the back of a chair and pulled it over his head. The tap came again, gentle, but somehow this time with a sense of urgency.

He opened the door to find Maya standing on the threshold, looking distinctly concerned. Her hair was released from its familiar topknot and she was wearing a flimsy, black cotton wrap that he had purchased for her specifically to keep at his apartment in case she had to stay over during a case. “Wh … what?” She motioned him to silence and shoved him back into the room with a firm hand on his chest before closing the door behind her.

“It‘s Mr Edgeworth” she hissed.
“Huh?”
“I think … I think he’s having that nightmare, Nick!”
“Huh?”
“The one he told us about!”

Phoenix was still struggling with the latest turn of events, it was all moving a bit quickly for someone who had been woken from a deep sleep. Christ - I’m only wearing my skivvies. He was acutely aware of his rumpled shirt and creased boxers but resisted the urge to pull a sheet round his waist.

Fortunately Maya didn’t seem to notice the blush he could feel starting to creep across his face, and not for the first time he thanked his lucky stars that her ESP abilities did not extent to telepathy. I didn’t realise how skimpy that robe was when I bought it for her. What was I thinking? What does she think I was thinking? How long has it been since I bought lingerie for a woman? Phoenix blushed even more and backed away slightly so as not to appear as if he was leering. He scratched the back of his head nervously.

Fortunately Maya’s thoughts were firmly fixed elsewhere. “Nick!” she hissed. “Are you properly awake?”

“Yes, yes I’m awake”. I bloody well am now if I wasn’t a few minutes ago. It could be worse I suppose, I could have bought one in leopardskin print. ”What’s going on?” Why are we whispering?

“The earthquake woke us up! It was only a little tremor, but the tea cup on the nightstand rattled against the lamp right by my head, so we woke up!”

Earthquake? Was that what had woken him? Shit. He knew all about Edgeworth and earthquakes, and his stomach clenched slightly as he ran his now-fully-awake mind back over the conversation so far.

Maya seemed undeterred by his lack of response, her obvious concern bubbling over into anxious chatter. “Pearls was thirsty, so I went to get her a drink, but when I opened the living room door I could hear someone crying. I thought it was you Nick -but then I realised it wasn’t!”

Right – she went to bed before Edgeworth decided to stay over. She didn’t know he was still here.

“Wh-what should we do Nick? Poor Mr Edgeworth, I can’t bear to think that he’s scared and all alone in the dark! We have to do something!”

Something about Maya’s choice of phrase and the urgency of it cut into Phoenix like a knife. He knew that she was probably recalling her days of imprisonment in a basement at the hands of Shelly De Killer, but the words “all alone” had entirely different connotations for him. He made a vaguely calming gesture.

“Maya … maybe Mr Edgeworth would rather be left alone. Can’t you get a drink in the bathroom?”

For a second, Phoenix thought she was going to hit him. “NICK! Don’t be a JERK” She was still whispering, but now it was practically a hiss. “He’s your oldest FRIEND!”

“Maya – it’s – we’re – I …” his voice tailed away into a sigh. “I just don’t feel that comfortable round him yet. It’s not like when we were kids. He’s different. I don’t think he wants …” Crap. “Look - if you’re so damn concerned why are you in here with me instead of out there with him?” That sounded petulant, and he knew it, but he was feeling desperate, and it didn’t help that his fears and his instincts were colliding in his mind with all the fury of an out of control firework display.

Maya’s look had become accusing. She clearly didn’t appreciate his tone, and being on the business end of her scowl was like facing the barrel of a loaded gun. Is she learning how to make those faces from Pearls? Phoenix swallowed … hard. Then he caved. Scary as the prospect of intruding on Edgeworth for the second time in one evening was, it was in no way as scary as dealing with an angry Maya.

“Okay, okay” he muttered. He could feel his stomach doing acid flips at the mere notion of walking back into the living room but there was nothing else for it unless he wanted to face Maya’s wrath for the rest of the night.

“Maya - go back to bed - it’ll all be fine” was his parting shot, but inwardly he felt a lot less confident than those words implied.

Quietly he opened the door of the bedroom and slipped out into the gleam cast by the night-light. He could see that the living room door wasn’t quite closed. Maya must have left it slightly ajar in her wake – no doubt feeling as flustered as he did now. He padded quietly to the door hoping against hope that he would not hear anything amiss. Please let him be okay now. I can’t do this. I feel like an idiot.

There were a few long, hopeful moments in which he could hear nothing stirring. Relief started to rally in the pit of his stomach, but just as he was about to turn away and go back to bed he heard the unmistakeable sound of a muffled sob. Shit. Shit. Shit.

For the first few seconds, as he opened the door of the living room and stepped in, Phoenix felt like the condemned man making his final walk, but as soon his eyes took in the sight of Edgeworth curled into a ball under the blanket at the far end of the sofa with his hands clamped tightly over his face, that all changed. He was overtaken with a rush of memories and sympathy.

“Edgeworth” No response. Phoenix crossed the room swiftly and knelt by the sofa, taking Edgeworth’s wrists in his hands, meeting with resistance when he tried to pull them away from his friend’s face. “It’s over, Edgeworth, it’s okay”. He hoped his voice sounded calmer out loud than it did in his own head.

Phoenix’s touch seemed to startle Edgeworth even more and his hands did fall away, but only to ball into fists and reveal a face wracked with open and undisguised terror. Phoenix recoiled. He’s not even aware of where he is. He’s right back inside that elevator - and I know what comes next!

Almost without thinking he rose, grabbed the half-empty water glass he’d left on the bookcase earlier and threw the contents straight into Edgeworth’s face. The prosecutor gasped and half struggled into a sitting position, apparently still desperate for air but with a look of shock thankfully replacing the one of terror that had contorted his face moments before. “What …” he began weakly, but still couldn’t catch his breath enough to speak.

“I’m sorry, Edgeworth. I know that was stupid, but I couldn’t leave you like that. I just … couldn’t bear it.” Phoenix gestured hopelessly and felt himself blushing again. Lame, Wright. You just tossed water over someone who was reliving oxygen deprivation in an enclosed space. Way to go.

For a few seconds Phoenix was unsure what to do next. Edgeworth was no longer lost in his nightmare, but he was clearly not fully aware of his present surroundings either. What now? The feelings of discomfort and uselessness started to return. He put down the empty glass.

Even at this distance, Phoenix could see that Edgeworth was shaking uncontrollably, so he stepped forward to pull the blanket over the prosecutor’s shoulders before he realised that it was soaked with water, sweat and, likely, tears. Damn. He looked round for the second blanket and spotted it on the floor behind the sofa. As he started to open it out and turn back to the sofa he felt Edgeworth’s hand shakily close round his wrist. “Thank you, Wright”. The voice was little more than a croak and it caught Phoenix off-guard.

“It – it’s okay. I’m sorry. Maya was scared. I didn’t want to intrude but …” his voice tailed away as he noticed that Edgeworth was avoiding his eyes, supporting his brow with one hand and letting his hair flop forward over his eyes. Phoenix supposed that the prosecutor was attempting to get his wits about him and recover his composure so was caught completely off guard when a sob suddenly wracked the other man’s whole body.

It was all too much for Phoenix. The last fifteen years dropped away and he suddenly recalled, with utter clarity, the changing rooms of his grade school. He could smell the floor polish and leather, hear the sound of a shower faucet drip-drip-dripping in the background, and taste the salty tears streaming down his own cheeks. It’s ridiculous how much that day has influenced my life. He remembered with a strange mixture of shame and happiness the aftermath of the class trial, his tears, and how Edgeworth and Larry had tried to comfort him and calm him down. He remembered Larry’s dumb jokes as if it was yesterday, and most of all he remembered Edgeworth’s arm around his shoulders and the reassurance and support of that silent gesture. Miles. Now it’s my turn.

Suddenly feeling confident in what he had to do, Phoenix sat down next to Edgeworth and firmly but gently put his arm around his friend. “Miles. I’m sorry. I didn’t know that you still had the dreams”. What a fool I am. As if simply uncovering the truth and spending a year away could erase the pain of what he lived through.

Edgeworth made no response, but he did allow Phoenix to manoeuvre him so that his head was resting against the other man’s shoulder and they were both leaning against the back of the couch. A deep sense of calm descended over Phoenix as he finally knew what he should have done all along. This was another debt that he needed to repay.

---------------

For the third time in less than six hours Phoenix was woken with a start. He was laid on the sofa under the blanket with his head on a cushion. The light was streaming in through the living-room window and he could hear brisk and cheerful noises coming from the kitchen, courtesy of Maya. He often woke to the sound of her making breakfast and practicing chants in the mornings when she was staying with him for the duration of a trial. Sometimes, he even refrained from telling her to keep the noise down.

His eyes flicked to the dining table to see if he could discern what delights lay in store for breakfast but the sight of Edgeworth’s jacket and cravat still hanging from the back of the chair brought the events of the previous evening back to him with a jolt.

He had no idea how long they had sat on the couch or at what time he’d fallen asleep. They hadn’t talked. He had just sat there, with his arm around Edgeworth, listening to the sound of the rain scattering on the window and watching the TV news crawl reporting silently on the night’s storm and earth tremor.

Phoenix scrambled to his feet and grabbed the blanket to throw round himself. I’m not talking to her in my underwear this morning.

He noticed his sore shoulders and cramped muscles as he pushed open the kitchen door, and pulled a face. Maya was at the stove busying herself with eggs and toast as he entered, chattering to her audience about the cooking hearth at Fey Manor.

Edgeworth was sitting with his back to the door. He was perched on a stool at the breakfast bar, hair wet from a recent shower, He turned slightly as Phoenix entered the room and to the defence attorney’s complete astonishment he noticed that Pearls was ensconced on the man’s knee. The prosecutor seemed slightly embarrassed and didn’t resist in the slightest when Pearls slid off his lap and ran over to Phoenix to give him a big hug.

“Mr Nick! Mr Nick! You’re awake!”
“Hey Pearls. Did you sleep well?”
“We woke up when the earthquake happened, but it didn’t keep us awake long. Maya said that it was only a small one”. She looked up at him in some obvious glee at having experienced something so exciting.
“I’m glad it didn’t scare you, Pearls”. He ruffled her hair slightly and gave her shoulders a squeeze.

“Morning, Wright. Do you want some coffee – such as it is?” Edgeworth’s face was as reserved as usual when he finally turned to face him. “Morning, Nick!” called Maya, waving a spoon in his direction. He was still reeling from the notion of Edgeworth allowing Pearls to sit on his knee and considering the implied criticism of his choice of coffee brand when he got the second shock of the morning. As Edgeworth eased off the stool and went to fetch the coffee Phoenix got a full-on view of what the man was wearing.

The prosecutor had his own suit trousers on but they were incongruously topped by a black t-shirt with a sparkling, glittering Pink Princess legend emblazoned on the front. It was one of the shirts that Will Powers had sent to them as a thank-you gift and which he’d carefully placed at the back of his wardrobe away from the light of day with no intention of ever wearing it. This has to be a dream. “Uh, nice shirt.”

Edgeworth’s mouth twitched and a slight flush of pink infused his face as he resolutely refrained from meeting Phoenix’s laughing eyes. Is he actually blushing? “Laugh away. If you worked out more often, Wright, Miss Fey would have had more of a choice when she was trying to find something for me to wear.”

What??? I have plenty of shirts that fit big. “Hey, I have …” he caught sight of Maya standing behind Edgeworth’s back gesturing frantically with the wooden spoon and barely managing to control herself. Right. “Yeah you’re right, I should go to the gym more. Uh. Can you put a hold on that coffee until I take a shower?” He turned and fled from the kitchen before Maya’s silent laughter set him off too. God forbid anyone ever cross that girl, she’s evil.

-----------

Showered and dressed in clean jeans and a carefully selected regular-sized shirt, Phoenix re-entered the living-room just as Edgeworth was getting ready to leave.

“I just have time to get home, organise my papers, and get back to court. I’m sorry to have been … that is, to have imposed on your hospitality”. Uh-huh. Guarded Edgeworth is back. That didn’t take long. Not that I can take formality too seriously from a man wearing a Pink Princess t-shirt. “Don’t forget to change”. Phoenix was grinning from ear to ear but the look he received in return was withering. “I’ll try not to.”

This time the prosecutor’s grim demeanour didn’t fluster Phoenix in the slightest. “I’ll show you to the door”.

“Wright, I’m standing next to it”.

Pearls and Maya were still occupied in the kitchen. Phoenix could hear them clattering dishes and chattering about impressionists and surrealists. Edgeworth turned to pick up his briefcase and his jacket, shirt and cravat which had been neatly folded into a manageable bundle and placed on the table by the door. It’s now or never.

“Miles?” Edgeworth hesitated and stiffened slightly at the use of his Christian name, but he didn’t turn round immediately. He seemed to be waiting for the sentence to be completed and when it wasn’t he snapped round with the look of a man whose patience was being severely tested. “What, Wright? Why are you still grinning like an idiot?”

Go for it. Phoenix knew he was taking advantage of the fact that Edgeworth was encumbered by briefcase and clothes but he also knew that if he missed this moment they would revert right back to the depressingly awkward, uncomfortable, self-conscious status quo that they had been inhabiting since the prosecutor’s return from the dead.

With only the briefest prayer for his own well-being, Phoenix threw his arms around Edgeworth and gave him a guerrilla hug, intentionally taking the other man completely by surprise to avoid a counter-attack. “Wh ... what? Wright …I…” Edgeworth stammered, looking distinctly horrified at the unexpected invasion of his personal space.

“It’s good to have you back, Edgeworth. It’s been too long.”

Horror had been replaced by embarrassment on the prosecutor’s face. “You’re a sentimental idiot, Wright”.

“Yup. Always have been”.

“Truer words were never spoken”. The prosecutor’s tone was dry, but Phoenix could detect a softening of his voice.

Phoenix opened the door for him. “Next time Edgeworth, let’s just have a meal and forget the case notes. We have a lot to talk about”.

The prosecutor’s steel grey eyes only met his for half a second but when they did it was with an unexpected warmth that made him inhale sharply. “Until next time, Phoenix.” And then he was gone.

“I’ll see you in court!” Phoenix called after him as a parting shot before closing the door.

As he stood at the window and watched Edgeworth drive away, Phoenix Wright smiled to himself and felt a weight lift from his heart. Until next time, Miles.

===ends

Between the Devil and the deep blue sea
I'll find my sanctuary
Let me put my arms around you
Like I done when we were young
- EDWYN COLLINS

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Last edited by KingMobUK on Sun Sep 16, 2007 6:52 pm, edited 5 times in total.

I thought you did quite well with this, especially if it's been as long as you say it has. A lot of what you write mirrors my own views of the characters, so perhaps I'm biased, but I liked that you included Pearl and Maya, even if the fic was centrally about Phoenix and Edgeworth reconnecting.

I also want to say that I thought you really did a good job with the characters voices. You nailed something that I rarely see in PW fanfiction--that self-deprecating edge to Edgeworth's humor outside of court. (That's really important to me, I tend to be picky when it comes to Edgeworth especially)

If there were any flaws, I'd say it moved a tiny bit fast for me, having them on a first name basis by the end--this is purely personal, though, as a self-contained one shot, I'm not sure how you could have done much differently to emphasize your theme.

I like how you had the turning point be one of Edgeworth's nightmares. You really danced nicely on the edge, because I've seen fics get too melodramatic, and instead you went with the softer approach of having Phoenix reach out and forge that connection again because he discovers something about himself.

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AMAZING.

If I could only write a SHORT story...

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Well, I think you should write more often! It definitely reads like you let the characters lead the story, and I love the details like Phoenix internally freaking out over Maya's skimpy robe.

There were a few spots where the phrasing was awkward -- places with more description than really necessary (ie. the fic's first line) or explaination of the perfectly figure-outable (ie. Nick "scratching the back of his head in a nervous gesture"). But your metaphors are effective and the characters' voices are very believable. The problems are minor, so I'm inclined to think you're just a little rusty after ten years. Great work, keep it up!

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Yeah, I do have a touch of the Thomas Hardy's, I know it's a problem I always had to watch myself before I disappeared down the sinkhole of descriptive prose. Unfortunately a lot of it's due to my own internal monologue (too much time on my own to spend watching the world go by) and I think I am rusty at being able to switch that off and be in another person's head, if I'm honest.

That was kind of why I ended up running with this one a bit rather than sticking to what I thought I was doing when I started.

Uh - ETA - I am working on another made from the discarded bits of what I was originally thinking I would do with this one. Heh. Waste not, want not.

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Thank you and I'm glad you liked it

You know, if you're serious about writing, short stories are a superb discipline to get started on. You're free of many of the formal constraints that dictate the structure of poetry and of novels (you don't need a beginning, middle and end if you don't want them, even) but they also instil a real discipline in terms of having to pare things down to the barest minimum while still keeping the really important elements on show. It's a really under-rated literary form that bears study. When you get a bit older I'd recommend some of Henry James' work in that area as a good starter for ten!

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Thank you and yes, I'm afraid it has been a real, long time. My fiction writing fizzled out shortly after I left college. I can't claim to have stopped writing entirely as I continued doing non-fiction stuff either as part of work or for fun online but the fiction ground to a halt. Maybe because I had enough drama in my life to make fiction superfluous for a while



Yeah, I noticed from your own fics that we seem to have similar views on ME and PW and their relationship. I'm particularly glad, having read some of your stories, that the voices came through well for you. That really was my biggest concern having not written a fanfic before. I may be a bit old fashioned but I do tend to believe that when you're playing in someone else's sandbox you play by the rules - otherwise you go buy your own sandbox.

I think Edgeworth's humour both in and outside of court is a higely important facet of his personality that does get ignored in favour of the angsty dramatic stuff a lot. But I think the fact that he is incisive, literate, witty, and (sometimes) capable of seeing when he's being a jerk *has* to be there in order for anyone to actually want to be around him. If it's not there he's just not rounded enough to be such a magnet for Phoenix or a target for Maya's teasing etc. So uh, yeah, I guess I feel strongly about that too then, eh?

As to Pearl and Maya, I toyed with having one of them, neither fo them, both of them to start with and even halfway through it was just Maya but then it didn't feel right so I included Pearl as well, really quick, and I think just doing that made the ending tell itself. There's something about Maya and Pearl and how they handle people and how people respond to them so it seemed important to me that they were in this story. Almost in the roles of muses, I suppose.



Yeah. I wasn't sure about that either, but it felt right in the context of the story and I wasn't sure how to more simply show the transition in their relationship at the end without getting far too wordy. Maybe I'll look at it again after I've had a bit of space from it and see if that can't be refined a bit. If it helps, I do have the sense that next time they meet it'll be back to surnames.



I actually couldn't decide if it was all going to be a bit too melodramatic when I got to the middle portion of the story. I'm not always the best judge for a variety of personal reasons and there is a temptation because of some elements of the game to have Edgeworth turn into a real drama queen. Glad I didn't drop into the Chasm of Great Angst. I just went with the way I think felt more natural to the characters in terms of Phoenix being the one to make the first tangible move. I just think he's the more self-aware person in terms of honesty and clarity about his own emotions - and therefor more confident to act on them.

I'm glad you did like it overall - I've greatly enjoyed reading your work on here because you have a very light touch when drawing characters that I admire but probably could never emulate.

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For a long time, this is pretty good.

Although I previously thought that Edgeworth-having-issues-with-earthquakes-to-exploit-a-weak-side fanfics were over done, this proved me wrong quite a bit. I loved your approach to it that showed a gentler side of Edgeworth, but Nick as well. I also liked Maya and Pearl's addition to the story in order to add another side.

The only thing that bordered on melodramatic was the scars part. I thought you handled it very nicely and it did come off as tragic, not emo, but that's definitely a part to be careful with. But when I first realized what it would go into, I started to worry. But you did save it.

Very nice job.

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Yeah, I was trying to be all metaphoric n'shit as opposed to woe is me. Still not sure if I'm entirely happy with the execution tho'. Must go beat friend over head until she finishes the game so I can have a Lit Grad beta reader!

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That's so great you have a friend like that! I have a friend who isn't exactly a lit major, but she's an extremely advanced English student and I refuse to write without her online to help critique me as I go. She's my muse since she knows when to praise and when to whack me over the head.

Personally, I thought the execution did come off well in that part. I just didn't know exactly how it would go when I realized where that part was going, but I do think you did make it come out not terribly terribly angsty. Especially since Edgeworth sort of just blew them off.

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Edited this in the light of feedback from the good folks here. Nothing major, but hacked out some descriptive bits, clarified some other bits and cut down the first name stuff.

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Beautiful. I really like the emotions that the characters were going through. Especially on Phoenix's part. That he was struggling with the idea of being friends with Edgeworth again. And that Edgeworth's nightmare is what made him realize that that friendship hasn't disappeared but was buried. The nightmare in a way brought all the past remembrance to the surface. Phoenix took a step passed that invisible barrier keeping the two of them away from one another. Great job, I really liked it. And talk about a cute mental image of Pearls sitting on Edgeworth's lap.

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I don't think you can avoid the cute when you introduce Pearls. Heh.

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Bit late to the party, but I enjoyed this. It feels dramatic without being too heavy on the angst, and it seems fairly well balanced out between the more serious elements of their friendship and the more tension-breaking silly elements like the observation about Maya's nightshirt and getting Edgeworth to wear that Pink Princess shirt.

I also like how you didn't dwell overlong on Edgey being in a vulnerable state due to the earthquake. It feels to me like a very believable representation of a post-traumatic stress disorder flashback. Not sure if water to the face would actually be enough to snap somebody out of something like that, but then again the incongruity of water in the claustrophobia/suffocation/darkness laden flashback could well have been enough to snap him out of it. Probably more effective than a slap upside the head. The way you have Nick handle the situation feels very believable- even when vulnerable, I don't think Edgeworth is the sort to get much out of pretty words of consolation- he's too damn smart for his own good in that regard. Actions speak louder than words, and that silence spoke volumes.

I also like the way you used the character's names in the end of the story. Even if the next day they're back to a surname-only basis, it makes that rare usage of their first names all the more poignant.

All in all, a very enjoyable read!

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Glad you like it overall considering it was my first attempt at writing any of the characters.

I didn't want to dwell on Edgeworth's issues with earthquakes too much other than as the device to make Phoenix deal with his own feelings - I wanted this to be more about Phoenix than about Miles, really.

Also I'm leery of making Edgeworth too tragic because he doesn't come over to me as the vulnerable, weepy type 99.9% of the time - prone to broodiness sure, but not out and out hysteria.

I enjoyed working Maya and Pearls in too as the "real adults". I think they're a fantastic foil for overdramatic lawyers :)

And yes, in my mind, I think they would be back to surname terms next time they see each other. It's just how they are.

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I posted this in my fanart section as well but I wanted to post it here where it was inspired. Again thanks so much for the inspiration. I really enjoyed making this image of Pearls and Edgey. A moment in the fic that really stood out that I wanted to draw. Enjoy.

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WOW! That's ... lovely!! Aw :) You should so post that in the "No Hentai" cute pics thread :) I'm so happy that something I wrote inspired that :)

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You know what, that's a great idea about putting it in the cute couples thread. I think I will do that.

Yeah I have to say it's my favorite out of all the pieces I've done so far. I love those two characters so much and they look so cute together. Thanks for the input and I'm glad you liked it.

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