The Confession
Title: The Confession
Rating: PG
Characters: Edgeworth and Wright
Time Period: After 1-4 but before 1-5
Words: Almost 1000
Thanks again to silverwind9 for edit help.
It was late. Phoenix’s digital watch was on the fritz, so he didn’t know how late, but he knew the sky had long since darkened, and he was still in the records room, poring through Fey and Co’s old cases. Changing the name on the door was easy enough - he just had to call upon his art school background and buy some paint - but legally transferring ownership of his deceased Chief’s law office was proving to be a little more tricky. The civil judge was just as quiz-happy as the trial judge he usually worked with, meaning he had to bone up on Mia’s old cases. The ones she did before he became an attorney.
He sighed and paged through another affidavit. Before he read more than one word of the next document, he cocked his head, hearing distant footsteps. Who could be here so late? He had heard some commotion upstairs, but it wasn’t terribly surprising for people to be around late at night... They usually didn’t come into the records room, though. A recent bad experience he’d had in this room with a taser flickered to his memory and he shuddered, peering into the dimness beyond the desk lamp he was using to read.
Just beyond the pool of light, a figure appeared, clad in a somewhat disheveled-looking wine-colored suit and cravat. Phoenix recognized the man, “Edgeworth?” he muttered.
The prosecutor started, “Oh, Wright, it’s you.” His voice was low. He gestured loosely with his right hand, which held a file, “Just returning this file.” He said, “I got distracted.”
“Working hard as always, eh, Edgeworth?” Phoenix’s voice was sympathetic. Edgeworth had gone through a tough time recently, what with being put on trial for murder. Then he’d gone right back to work as if nothing had happened. Phoenix was a little worried for him.
“Hmph,” Edgeworth said, and turned to reshelf the file.
Phoenix didn’t move to get up, but he called out to the man, “You-you’re all right, aren’t you, Edgeworth?”
Edgeworth’s head drooped, “Mhmm. Fine,” he muttered.
“You don’t sound fine,” Phoenix said, his eyebrows knitting.
The prosecutor sighed and leaned heavily against the shelves, “I’m not. ...There’s something going on...”
Phoenix cocked his head, “What do you mean?”
Edgeworth shook his head, “No, no, nevermind, it’s nothing.”
Phoenix stood up, holding out his hand, “Don’t be so secretive, Edgeworth. It’s not good for you.”
The prosecutor turned to look at him. He smiled faintly, “You’re a good friend, Phoenix.”
Something in his manner struck Phoenix as off. For one thing, he couldn’t remember the last time Edgeworth had called him by his first name... For another, something was just... weird about his attitude.
Edgeworth stood up, running his hand through his hair. “I want to tell you something...” He made a few small steps forward.
Phoenix nervously stood up, shifting his chair back, “Wh-what is it?”
A smile passed over Edgeworth’s face, “I love you,” he said, making sure to enunciate the words precisely.
Phoenix’s heart beat out of time with his mind, his head struggling in vain to make it through the words Edgeworth had just said. “Y-you what?”
Edgeworth leaned onto the desk, coming into the narrow shaft of light the lamp cast on the room. He poked the desk emphatically as he repeated himself, “I love you. You are my... BEST friend.”
A familiar scent wafted up to Phoenix from his BEST friend’s general vicinity. He cocked an eyebrow quizzically, putting together two and two. “Edgeworth, that thing that’s going on...?”
A lopsided smile, “Yeah...? Oh, yeah, yeah,” he stood back up as he mumbled, “S’upstairs. Sort of a New Year’s party... thing.”
Phoenix crossed his arms with a wry smile, “And there’s alcohol at this party, isn’t there?”
Edgeworth nodded unsteadily and laughed. Phoenix heard an unmistakable hiccup. “That man in the orange suit...” He paused and frowned, “...Ah, Chief Detective Gant. He kept handing me drinks. He’s higher than me in the ech-“ He frowned again, clearly irritated by his audible smushing of the sibilants in the word, “...hierarchy, so I didn’t want to offend him by refusing.”
Phoenix crossed his arms, more amused than anything, “Uh huh.”
“Well, what’d you exp...” He gritted his teeth, irritated at his inability to pronounce, “It’s a party.”
“Well, I’m down here doing work. I didn’t even know there was a party.”
Edgeworth looked melodramatically sympathetic, his head wobbled in a disappointed kind of way, “You should come up,” he said slowly, “There are a lot of people who would love to see you.”
Phoenix shrugged, “I’m not sure I made many friends in the prosecutor’s office with my last case. Our last case...”
“Oh yeah.” Edgeworth’s eyes were more than half lidded as he said that, “I forgot about that.”
“Good.” Phoenix said, smirking, “Now you won’t be driving home, will you?”
Edgeworth’s head shook emphatically, “No, no, no, no, no,” he repeated too many times, “I got promised by Gumshoe that he would show me how to get home on the bus.”
Phoenix nodded. “That’s good. I’ll help you up the stairs and back to your party.” He offered an arm, and Edgeworth slumped against it, hiccupping softly.
“Thanks,” Edgeworth said as Phoenix guided his wobbly self up the stairs, “You’re the best, I really do love you.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Phoenix said with an indulgent chuckle, supporting what felt like more than half the other man’s weight, “I love you too.”
Rating: PG
Characters: Edgeworth and Wright
Time Period: After 1-4 but before 1-5
Words: Almost 1000
Thanks again to silverwind9 for edit help.
It was late. Phoenix’s digital watch was on the fritz, so he didn’t know how late, but he knew the sky had long since darkened, and he was still in the records room, poring through Fey and Co’s old cases. Changing the name on the door was easy enough - he just had to call upon his art school background and buy some paint - but legally transferring ownership of his deceased Chief’s law office was proving to be a little more tricky. The civil judge was just as quiz-happy as the trial judge he usually worked with, meaning he had to bone up on Mia’s old cases. The ones she did before he became an attorney.
He sighed and paged through another affidavit. Before he read more than one word of the next document, he cocked his head, hearing distant footsteps. Who could be here so late? He had heard some commotion upstairs, but it wasn’t terribly surprising for people to be around late at night... They usually didn’t come into the records room, though. A recent bad experience he’d had in this room with a taser flickered to his memory and he shuddered, peering into the dimness beyond the desk lamp he was using to read.
Just beyond the pool of light, a figure appeared, clad in a somewhat disheveled-looking wine-colored suit and cravat. Phoenix recognized the man, “Edgeworth?” he muttered.
The prosecutor started, “Oh, Wright, it’s you.” His voice was low. He gestured loosely with his right hand, which held a file, “Just returning this file.” He said, “I got distracted.”
“Working hard as always, eh, Edgeworth?” Phoenix’s voice was sympathetic. Edgeworth had gone through a tough time recently, what with being put on trial for murder. Then he’d gone right back to work as if nothing had happened. Phoenix was a little worried for him.
“Hmph,” Edgeworth said, and turned to reshelf the file.
Phoenix didn’t move to get up, but he called out to the man, “You-you’re all right, aren’t you, Edgeworth?”
Edgeworth’s head drooped, “Mhmm. Fine,” he muttered.
“You don’t sound fine,” Phoenix said, his eyebrows knitting.
The prosecutor sighed and leaned heavily against the shelves, “I’m not. ...There’s something going on...”
Phoenix cocked his head, “What do you mean?”
Edgeworth shook his head, “No, no, nevermind, it’s nothing.”
Phoenix stood up, holding out his hand, “Don’t be so secretive, Edgeworth. It’s not good for you.”
The prosecutor turned to look at him. He smiled faintly, “You’re a good friend, Phoenix.”
Something in his manner struck Phoenix as off. For one thing, he couldn’t remember the last time Edgeworth had called him by his first name... For another, something was just... weird about his attitude.
Edgeworth stood up, running his hand through his hair. “I want to tell you something...” He made a few small steps forward.
Phoenix nervously stood up, shifting his chair back, “Wh-what is it?”
A smile passed over Edgeworth’s face, “I love you,” he said, making sure to enunciate the words precisely.
Phoenix’s heart beat out of time with his mind, his head struggling in vain to make it through the words Edgeworth had just said. “Y-you what?”
Edgeworth leaned onto the desk, coming into the narrow shaft of light the lamp cast on the room. He poked the desk emphatically as he repeated himself, “I love you. You are my... BEST friend.”
A familiar scent wafted up to Phoenix from his BEST friend’s general vicinity. He cocked an eyebrow quizzically, putting together two and two. “Edgeworth, that thing that’s going on...?”
A lopsided smile, “Yeah...? Oh, yeah, yeah,” he stood back up as he mumbled, “S’upstairs. Sort of a New Year’s party... thing.”
Phoenix crossed his arms with a wry smile, “And there’s alcohol at this party, isn’t there?”
Edgeworth nodded unsteadily and laughed. Phoenix heard an unmistakable hiccup. “That man in the orange suit...” He paused and frowned, “...Ah, Chief Detective Gant. He kept handing me drinks. He’s higher than me in the ech-“ He frowned again, clearly irritated by his audible smushing of the sibilants in the word, “...hierarchy, so I didn’t want to offend him by refusing.”
Phoenix crossed his arms, more amused than anything, “Uh huh.”
“Well, what’d you exp...” He gritted his teeth, irritated at his inability to pronounce, “It’s a party.”
“Well, I’m down here doing work. I didn’t even know there was a party.”
Edgeworth looked melodramatically sympathetic, his head wobbled in a disappointed kind of way, “You should come up,” he said slowly, “There are a lot of people who would love to see you.”
Phoenix shrugged, “I’m not sure I made many friends in the prosecutor’s office with my last case. Our last case...”
“Oh yeah.” Edgeworth’s eyes were more than half lidded as he said that, “I forgot about that.”
“Good.” Phoenix said, smirking, “Now you won’t be driving home, will you?”
Edgeworth’s head shook emphatically, “No, no, no, no, no,” he repeated too many times, “I got promised by Gumshoe that he would show me how to get home on the bus.”
Phoenix nodded. “That’s good. I’ll help you up the stairs and back to your party.” He offered an arm, and Edgeworth slumped against it, hiccupping softly.
“Thanks,” Edgeworth said as Phoenix guided his wobbly self up the stairs, “You’re the best, I really do love you.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Phoenix said with an indulgent chuckle, supporting what felt like more than half the other man’s weight, “I love you too.”