Work Text:
not guilty.
the gavel's bang rings infinitely in edgeworth's mind.
not guilty. he was finally free. free of every accusation, of every haunting memory, of every night interrupted by the faded sound of gunshots. Christmas decorations filled every hallway. everyone looked happy in the victory picture.
he should be happy.
why was he hollow, then?
to the untrained eye, he looked happy in the photo as well. his lips quirked just enough to be mistaken as a smile, and his posture screamed silent neutrality. after all, it was a time of celebration.
"so, should we get a celebratory meal?" maya, kind as ever, offered for all of them to truly commemorate this. based on her knowing look to phoenix, having a celebratory meal seemed to be their tradition. following the mood, gumshoe and larry agreed. a cold wind left with the trio who were, in maya's words, "about to reserve a table and buy the best noodles on nick's money".
ah, right. nick. wright.
phoenix wright, who decided to stay behind with edgeworth, for some reason neither of them could name.
truth be told, edgeworth was shaken. a pretense of neutrality could only hold up for so long. as soon as the trio left, he slowly dropped his shoulders with an exhale while fixing his cravat with trembling hands. everything appeared like a blur. distantly, he thought he heard his subconscious telling him to get it together. or was that from reality? how was he to know when nothing felt real anymore? how was he to-
"-edgeworth? you okay?" he felt a hand on his shoulder, with wright's voice quick to accompany it. "it's stuffy here, isn't it? let's get out of here?"
edgeworth kept his gaze to the floor and responded with a small nod, for he could not trust his voice to keep its composure. thankfully, wright did not push further, instead leading both of them out of the lobby and to the hallway that leads to the stairs.
-=-
not guilty.
miles edgeworth was never guilty, and today, phoenix just proved it.
he's proven it to everyone. he's proven it in court, both for dl-6 and for what happened in gourd lake. he's proven it to manfred von karma, who can no longer escape his faults. he's proven it to everyone.
everyone except miles himself.
miles, who is painfully distraught and is trying to look as if everything was resolved, walked down the stairs with phoenix. the silence was far too deafening. their synchronized rhythmic footsteps were the only sign that they were still alive. occasionally, miles gripped the handrail just a bit too tight, but phoenix did not call attention to it.
things were different, and phoenix could tell. the air felt too suffocating. the steps felt too uneven. the most composed man he knows is holding on to nonchalance and is failing. the ground felt shaky. wait- the ground actually was shaking. the ground-
-=-
the floor was falling. the floor was falling and it was pulling edgeworth in with it. he was shaking at the foot of the staircase, desperately trying to reach for any sign of reality to no avail.
usually, this would be over in a few minutes. the earthquake would subside, and the feelings would fade. this would just be another inconvenience to forget. but this was not the usual. too many memories were resurfacing.
everything was too much.
he frantically gripped at his cravat, clawing at his skin in an attempt to realize that everything would be alright. except everything was not alright. he was unable to breathe and was running out of oxygen. he was running out of air. he was running out of air and he was about to die and so was his father. his father was dead. his father is dead. they're all dying.
why was everything getting too dark? no- he must not lose consciousness. not when any wrong move could kill the life he's known. not when losing control meant death. he can't have anyone else die by his own hand.
endless nightmares. endless futile efforts of keeping everything buried under. now all that's left buried under is his own father.
but there is no time for philosophical questions when tears run down his face as if he was a feeble child. there is no time to think when there is not even enough time to breathe. there is not enough. there is never enough. he was never-
"-hey. you're not there. you're here, with me. can you hear me?"
phoenix kneels in front of a completely broken miles and intertwines their hands together.
"look at me, please. it's over. miles? please?"
red-rimmed eyes look up, and oh, if phoenix could hold miles forever, he would. however, that is not the priority right now. he simply pats miles' back gently, attempting to ground him back.
with his voice breaking, miles whispered.
"it's- it's not. it's not over."
phoenix tried to reason, if only to add normality to the surreal: "i already proved you innocent. it'll be okay."
considering how bizarre everything had been so far, phoenix expected anything else to happen. everything has been brought to light. stoicism is gone. anything could have happened. anything except miles considering their current position as a hug and sobbing into phoenix's chest right above his heart.
he held on to phoenix as if he was the only constant in this world. everything had just been uprooted. for once, can this warmth stay? for far too long he ran from the soul who cared.
so what could miles do but shatter? he was in the arms of the friend he left behind. phoenix worked and gave his all just to find and save him. he showed what truth was. how else was miles to repay him but by showing his truest self — a child still trying to heal?
and who was phoenix to let go? fifteen years of pain. fifteen years of secrets and uncertainty. fifteen years of separation. they have found each other, and they cannot lose each other again. his fingers ran through miles' hair. this was the closest they've ever been, but it was like this has always been meant to be, like puzzle pieces perfectly connecting.
they hold each other closer. in this moment, there is no courtroom. there are no passing glances from other people. there are no footsteps walking by. there was only them, trying to reach out to each other.
logically, phoenix knew they looked like a complete mess. but he cares not for that. he cares only for-
"phoenix- i- i'm sorry-"
he cares only for the very reason why he became a defense attorney.
"don't be. i got you, okay?"
because phoenix worked and waited for so long for a reason — to save miles from the darkness he was trapped in for so long. and sometimes saving someone from darkness meant holding him on the foot of courtroom stairs.
not much had to be said. this is no longer the time for exact evidence, rather, this is the time for vulnerability. feelings never have perfect words. they will never be the perfect comfort to each other.
still, perfection is not what any of them are looking for. someday, they'll accept that what they truly needed was a reminder of why they were fighting. life doesn't stop with an uprooting. someday, they'll heal and regrow.
it only feels this raw right now.