(Untitled)

[imwrightalways]

· WHO: Phoenix Wright (imwrightalways) and Miles Edgeworth (iusferendum)
· WHAT: Phoenix attacks his boyfriend BFF and lots of wangst and drama ensue. :|
· WHERE: The tea room~
· WHEN: November 23rd, Day
· HOW: On-going, Closed.

Comments

[iusferendum]

The truth had hurt - had cut through him like the sharpest of swords - but it was his duty to see that the truth be revealed, no matter how painful that task might prove to be. He had to protect the people: that thought alone had given him the power he needed to shake himself back into the calculated, meticulous lawyer he knew himself to be and to press forward. He’d poured over every journal entry and comment that was viewable to him, gathering the evidence and proof he needed to make a solid case, and finally, he’d revealed all his findings to all those whose guilt he couldn’t prove. Of course, he ran the risk of having revealed his intentions to those who might try to harm him, but that was a risk he was willing to take if it meant saving lives.

And so, here he was: filled with fear and doubts, wary of every creak of the floorboards and wrought with anxiety, but determined nonetheless to see through that which had to be done. Finally, with the hot water entirely unreliable and Phoenix Write entirely out of his sodding mind, Edgeworth had resorted to the last familiar option of comfort this house had to offer, and had retreated to the tea room with what turned out to be a surprisingly decent cup of generic Earl Gray.

[imwrightalways]

Upon reaching the tea room, something told Phoenix that Edgeworth, or whoever was pretending to be Edgeworth, was there. If it's not really Edgeworth, then why would he be taking up Edgeworth's habits like drinking tea...? Again, he tried to shove the rational part of his brain out of the picture. It's not Edgeworth... The thought rushed through his mind again as he pushed the door to the room open abruptly to see his target occupied with his tea rituals.

Upon seeing him there, Phoenix stopped. Did he really have to do this? It was Edgeworth, his most trusted friend, the man he...

It's not him! It's not him! So many conflicting thoughts were rushing through Phoenix's mind, almost sending him over the edge. The man before him looked like Miles Edgeworth. The man sitting there sent the same warm feelings through him as Miles Edgeworth did. He couldn't do it.

What I'm doing is saving him...

Phoenix took a deep sigh and propped an arm against the door frame to hold up his nervous, shaking body. "Edgeworth."

[iusferendum]

Edgeworth was reclined on one of the soft, plush chairs that was situated near the single window in the room, facing the door. Of course, the window currently offered little in the way of a view or light, as the storm that raged outside successfully blocked out any hope of either the former or the latter. There was a table in front of him, smaller than the large, ivory table in the middle of the room, and another chair opposite the one he was sitting in.

He’d sat back, letting his eyes - tired and strained from staring at the computer monitor for so long as he’d gathered evidence - slide shut, cupping his mug of tea with both hands and sighing as the heat from the white porcelain crept up his arms, relaxing him, if only slightly. His thoughts were still a mess of turmoil, despite the fact that he’d managed to make a decent amount of progress as far as figuring out who in the household couldn’t be trusted. It wasn’t enough. Add that to the dangerous position he’d placed himself in as one taking an active roll in calling out the perpetrators, and you had one highly uncomfortable Edgeworth.

He’d just raised the mug to his lips and taken a sip of his tea when the door slammed open to reveal one of the main reasons he couldn’t quite manage to suppress the sickened feeling in the pit of his stomach. Grey eyes flicked up in surprise, but the moment he saw Phoenix Wright standing in the doorway, his jaw set, mouth forming a thin line and face taking on a steely expression.

“Wright.” He gave a curt nod, taking the time to sip at his tea once again before he said anything else. “I see you’ve finally deemed me worthy of your presence. To what do I owe the pleasure?” he inquired coldly.

Perhaps he might have been a bit friendlier, a small part of his mind reprimanded, and yet after the events of the past couple of days, he simply couldn’t bring himself to be much more than curt. Wright had been cause for an immense amount of pain hurt frustration on his part recently, and where he might have wanted to help the other man before, Wright was going to have to ask him for anything in the way of consolation now.

[imwrightalways]

Phoenix did not move, even after Edgeworth acknowledged his presence. What was he supposed to say? I'm here to attack you Edgeworth. Yes, saying that would go over really well. It was so unnerving to see that beautiful face, knowing that he would have to destroy it. Why did he have to do it? Why did Edgeworth have to be one of the ones on the... other... side? Why was it that the only way to save the prosecutor was to hurt him?

Phoenix's stomach turned in knots as these thoughts went through his head, wishing that he could just sit and drink tea with Edgeworth and pretend that everything was okay. It's for his own good...

Finally, Phoenix sighed and attempted to relax his muscles as he supported himself on the door frame. Slowly, he walked cautiously to a chair near Edgeworth and took a seat, eyeing his victim with fear.

"Well, I... uh..." How was he going to do this? How was he going to be able to attack Edgeworth and get away with it? He couldn't just whip his nunchaku out now and get it done with. Unfortunately, life wasn't that simple, although he often wished it was.

"I came to... apologize."

[iusferendum]

Something within him twisted painfully at the sight of Wright standing there, fidgeting in the doorway. During their short stint as friends after the Hazakura case, he’d told Wright many a time that reading him was easy as reading a book. The years hadn’t seemed to have affected that particular trait in Wright, and now there he stood, his nervousness and discomfort as obvious as any other emotion he might have displayed. The sight was so familiar to him that, after not having seen Wright like this for seven years, he could almost have smiled.

Almost.

Feelings of nostalgia fled as the memory of just why Wright might be feeling so distinctly uncomfortable arose in their wake. Had Wright come to him to confess? He was still having a hard time wrapping his mind around the idea that Phoenix Wright - his friendly, loyal, gentle Phoenix Wright - had physically assaulted someone. Had killed someone. Wright hadn’t gone so far as to admit his guilt in so many words, but no matter how much Edgeworth attempted to cling to the idea that there had been some sort of egregious error on his part, all the evidence still pointed to the same sinister conclusion.

The thought gave him chills.

Earlier, when Wright had revealed to him the gravity of the situation through the computer terminal, he’d nearly lost his composure. He’d wanted to race down the hall to Wright’s room and shake the man, smack some sense into him, beg him to tell him it was all some sort of sick joke. Yet even then his pride hadn’t allowed him to seek Wright out. His pride, and perhaps the steadily building feeling within him that none of this was anything less than exactly what it seemed.

Finally, after hovering tensely in the doorway for several minutes, Wright finally collected himself enough to take a seat and…apologize.

At this, Edgeworth’s expression - though still guarded - softened slightly. He didn’t want to be angry at or wary of Wright. He wanted - no, he needed his old friend to be here with him, solid and tangible, ready to offer him support, to talk through those riddles he hadn’t yet been able to unravel, to be someone trustworthy and familiar in this unwelcoming, nightmarish place. He knew he didn’t have the luxury of relying on Phoenix right now though, and so he had no choice but to stand on his own until he was given enough evidence to prove he could believe in Phoenix Wright again.

“Go on.”

[imwrightalways]

Phoenix had no idea what he was supposed to say. He was trying to get Edgeworth lured into a false sense of security so he could launch that attack, but he wasn't exactly sure what to say after "I came to apologize."

This was how he did so well in court, though. When he didn't know something, he had an uncanny ability to bluff and somehow turn the tide over to his side of the court. Edgeworth was usually able to see through that, though.

Phoenix didn't like to admit that Edgeworth could read him very well, and that the opposite wasn't exactly true. Phoenix had become better at reading Edgeworth over the couple of years where they battled in court, but it still was not perfect.

He could tell, though, that Edgeworth was extremely tense and apprehensive. Phoenix needed to fix that.

"I... Well, I'm sorry about Vaan." He gulped, trying to think of how to add to that. "I didn't realize what he was doing... If I did, I never would have supported him."

Was that convincing enough? Probably not, but it had to do for now.

And finally, she's back from the dead~!

[iusferendum]

His face remained completely impassive as he listened to what Wright had to say, watching him closely for any outward signs of…well, to be honest, he wasn’t quite sure what he should be looking for in Wright anymore. A sign that he was lying? A sign that he was dangerous? That he wasn’t himself? No - he couldn’t let himself fall into that line of thinking. The man standing before him was Phoenix Wright, and none other. There were no clones, no imposters in this house, and no one was anyone besides themselves. He had to remain calm and rely on logic, as logic was just about the only thing he could rely on right now (though it would appear that this house could sometimes cause even logic to turn untrustworthy, but that thought was so terrifying he couldn’t even acknowledge it as a possibility).

Wright’s words left him with so many questions. They bombarded him, rushing to his mind so rapidly he could hardly think one before another arose, words overlapping to the point where he could hardly decipher one question from another. Why was it so damned difficult to maintain any sense of organization in this house? Everything was all wrong, and he was continually finding himself thrown entirely off-kilter. At this point, even his own mind seemed to have turned against him, betraying him by not allowing him a moment’s peace to collect and sort through his own thoughts.

He wanted to sigh - to close his eyes, rub his temples, and let his head fall back against the plush chair back. He wanted Phoenix to smile an honest smile and speak words of reassurance, to remind him like he always used to that he ought not to take things so terribly seriously, but to step back and separate himself, not allow himself to become so thoroughly immersed in his casework. He wanted so much, but in the end he could only maintain his carefully constructed exterior. He could show no sign of weakness right now.

“And what, exactly, was he doing?” Edgeworth asked after another long sip of tea. He held Wright’s gaze, looking him squarely in the eye. He would not back down. Justice would be carried out. If that meant he had to bring down one of his oldest acquaintances and one of the few people he’d ever even come close to opening up to, so be it.

BE PREPARED FOR CLICHE

[imwrightalways]

Phoenix's heartrate was steadily accelerating. How much longer would he have to put up with this charade? He wanted to kill him and get it over with. No, he wanted to save him and get it over with. If he was saving him, then why was this so hard?

Phoenix tensed up and felt his face start to heat up. "Well..." he began, trying to think of the words to answer Edgeworth's question. "He... was guilty of..."

Think, Phoenix, think!

"Something like this." Following with the rash motion of his mind, he whipped out the nunchaku he found and swung it at Edgeworth, trying not to show any hesitation.

Oh, Feenie </3

[iusferendum]

China shattered on the hardwood floor as Edgeworth lunged to the side, narrowly managing to duck under the heavy metal rod aimed at his head. He exhaled sharply as the weapon came so close he could hear the soft whistle as it sailed smoothly through the air above him. In his haste to dodge, the small table he’d been seated next to was successfully overturned, crashing to the floor between he and Wright. Adrenaline coursed through his veins as he righted himself, immediately turning to Wright and taking on a defensive stance, ready to move again should another attack follow the first. The glare he leveled on Wright was black with fury, hands balling into fists at his sides.

“Did you honestly think I’d be foolish enough to let my guard down, knowing what you’ve done?” he spat, staring Wright down as if he could force the other man surrender through the sheer power of his will alone. In truth, he was the one at the disadvantage here; defenseless without a weapon and Wright blocking his path to the door, all he could do at this point was stand his ground and hope that Wright wouldn’t take another swing at him. He could likely evade at least a few more attacks, but if Wright managed to get the upper hand, back him into a corner, or somehow tackle him to the ground, he’d be done for.

Murdered like the other poor souls who blindly trusted Phoenix Wright.

He swallowed thickly, clenching his teeth in an effort to keep his mind in check. He had to stay focused. Sparing even a moment to think about the fact that Phoenix had just attacked him could mean his very life.

“What exactly did you think you were going to accomplish here?” he asked quickly, his lip curling in a condescending scowl. He hardly knew what he was saying, his mind having gone on auto pilot the second he’d been attacked. If he could talk Wright down, he might be able to give the illusion of being the one in control of this situation. “Walking in sweating a storm and squirming the way you’ve been…only a true idiot would think he could take anyone by surprise behaving like that. If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times, Wright: I can read you like a book."

[imwrightalways]

Phoenix was breathing heavily, blocking the doorway in a sort of battle stance while holding the nunchaku defensively. He managed to shatter part of a tea set with that weapon, but not his intended target.

Edgeworth was right - Phoenix was not good at concealing his emotions or his intentions. While he was able to get by with bluffing in court, his opposing prosecutors were generally quick to point it out, especially Edgeworth.

If only they could leave this house and just go back to the way things were, or at least how they were seven years ago. He wanted to go back to battling Edgeworth in court, both fighting for what was right. But now, it was obvious that those days were never going to come back. There was no turning back now.

"I'm sorry, Edgeworth," he said, "But this is for your own good." He closed his eyes and swung again, hoping to hit his target and get this event over with. He didn't want to hurt him, but this was the only way to save him. If only he could understand that...

[iusferendum]

The second attack was easier to dodge, seeing as Wright apparently couldn’t quite grasp the idea that aim was impossible to achieve without a line of sight. What sort of moron thought that closing his eyes when he was attacking someone with a melee weapon would be a good idea? He could tell from that egregious error, though, that Wright wasn’t even sure enough of himself to throw an honest attempt at an attack his way, and this knowledge fueled his hope that he might still be able to talk Wright out of harming him even more.

“For my own-What is wrong with you, Wright?!” Something else had appeared in his eyes now, in addition to the angry glare, and he almost looked as if he were issuing some sort of a silent plea. “How on earth can you claim that attacking me is for my own good?!”

Though he’d managed to evade the flail of the weapon a second time, he hadn’t been able to get any closer to the door, and now in order to reach the exit he had a choice of going through Wright or going through the large table in the center of the room. If he could just keep Wright distracted enough to find an opening, he might be able to disarm him, if he timed it just right. It was risky, and he wasn’t entirely sure he’d be able to overpower Wright, but he had to try something or he’d be running around dodging nunchuks until one of them tired or he got hit.

“What’s gotten into you?” he asked a little more quietly, his expression solemn. “Wright…”

[imwrightalways]

Phoenix was panting, guarding the doorway and gripping the nunchaku, having missed his target yet again. Stop dodging, Edgeworth... Let me get this over with...

Phoenix's expression changed from scared determination to simply that of fright. He wanted to run. He didn't want to do this. What had gotten into him? What was wrong with him? He couldn't bear to hurt Edgeworth, but...

"It's..." he started, staring wide-eyed at Edgeworth, "You're... You're not Edgeworth!" He became angry again, determined to strike his opponent and put an end to this, in order to apparently save his friend. He swung the nunchaku again, trying to hit Edgeworth in the head.

[iusferendum]

Wright’s words struck him so powerfully he was stunned into stillness for the briefest of moments, a sudden tightness in his stomach making him feel ill. Sadly, that one second of immobility was enough to cost him dearly, as by the time his senses caught up with him it was too late to evade the next attack. His knees bent in a feeble effort to dodge, but any chance he might have had to get out of the way was already lost, his reflexes made too slow by the shock that those words had sent coursing through him.

Pain blossomed in his head as the weapon hit him just above the temple, and for a moment he was blinded by the contact. Fear washed over him like wave too heavy and fast to jump over as he stumbled, tripping over one of the chairs that lined the ivory table. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t known that Wright was dangerous before, but for some reason only now did he fully grasp the direness of his situation. Wright was trying to kill him. He was cleary out of his mind, not to mention intent on succeeding, and as for himself, well, he had frighteningly little hope of escape.

Somehow, he miraculously managed to remain on his feet, one hand glued to his head where he could already feel warm blood trickling into his hair. Now it was a fight for his life - forget trying to talk Wright down. He,had to get away; had to somehow make it to the door or get that weapon away from his attacker. If only he could find something to defend himself with. If he could strike back-

No. He refused to resort to violence. Even if it was self defense, enough unspeakable acts had been defended in the name of ‘self defense’ as of late, and he simply wouldn’t add another attack to that list.

Without thinking, he kicked the chair he’d tripped over in Wright’s direction, putting as much space between himself and Wright as he could while he struggled to recover from the blow. He was honestly surprised he was still conscious - at his age, a blow to the head like that could have serious repercussions. He would feel the wound for weeks. …if he survived, that was. For the time being, it must have been his fierce will to live that kept the dangerous, silver curls of unconsciousness at bay. But if Wright managed to hit him again…

Though his head throbbed, but he managed to right himself, turning to face Wright once again, backing up slowly until - to his dismay - his back hit the wall. He cursed silently, but at least he was a little closer to the door, and the table was no longer blocking his way to the exit. He couldn’t afford to turn his back on Wright and run, however, nor did he have time to lament his predicament, and so he simply glared at Wright. The words came to him before he even realized he was speaking, and he muttered them in a quiet, hollow voice.

“I don’t know you.” He shook his head sadly. “What’s happened to you, Phoenix Wright?”

[imwrightalways]

Seeing Edgeworth in pain like that was unbearable. While he was still standing, Phoenix could still see the utter shock and hurt course through his system.

Yet Phoenix was the one who caused this. Edgeworth was scared and in pain, and it was all Phoenix's fault. Phoenix was supposed to prevent these kinds of things. He was a defense attorney! He was supposed to defend the innocent and have justice take care of the wrongdoers. But now he was one of them...

Why was he even doing this? Phoenix would never resort to violence. Maybe in a matter of life-or-death self defense, he could get violent, but that's not what this situation was. Deep inside, he knew that. His mind, though, was just a haze of anger and violence. One instinct kept throbbing, telling him to kill Edgeworth-- or rather, the Edgeworth imposter.

That side of his mind was winning over any rational thought he had, and it pained him greatly. No. He couldn't let that side of his mind win. He had to get out. He had to run away. Edgeworth was in danger because of his crazy antics. He had to kill him. No! Edgeworth is... Phoenix was trying to rationalize with himself, all the while standing there, tightly gripping the nunchaku.

"I'm sorry, Edgeworth," Phoenix said softly. As quickly as he could, he bolted toward the door, escaping from the situation as quickly as he could before the horrible part of his mind won over and killed the prosecutor.