boxolawyers | (no subject)

Current Mood: content
Current Location: Edgeworth's Apartment - Balcony

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(no subject)

Who: Miles Edgeworth, Phoenix Wright
What: The No Consequences virus turns out to be conveniently timed.
Where: Edgeworth's Apartment
When: Non-canon DDD, Christmas Eve 2020

Under these circumstances, the view was surprisingly enjoyable. With his third glass in hand, it was easy enough to let his vision lose focus as he stared down at the city below, blurring the scene just enough so that the street, festooned with garlands and covered in gaudy decorations, became only a painting of lights, brilliant and non-specific.

Edgeworth glanced over at his companion; Wright had far more reason to enjoy the sight, and his gentle smile testified that he was doing just that. Edgeworth's lips quirked in return, the smallest flash of movement on his pale, otherwise impassive face, then he turned back to the view, leaning more heavily on the railing and taking a sip of his wine.

This did seem to be well on the way to becoming a tradition.

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A prospect Phoenix would have been more than happy with under normal circumstances, but the knowledge that it wouldn't make a difference tomorrow did make the occasion a touch bittersweet.

Idly swirling his second glass of wine, he turned to Edgeworth with a small smile. "It's a nice night, huh?"

Edgeworth offered only a soft hum in return, still intent on the scene below. It was a while before he looked up, and when he did it was a while longer before he could pull his attention away from the lights reflected in his companion's wide eyes.

"A nice enough night, when one has the proper attire," he finally responded, a hint of teasing in his voice.

Briefly, Phoenix wondered what 'proper attire' for Christmas Eve was, but as a chilly breeze blew by and seeped through his jeans and thin hoodie, he was sorely reminded.

Suppressing a shudder, he folded his arms across his chest and took a small sip of wine, hoping the alcohol would help generate some heat.

"It wasn't this cold when I left my place," he muttered.

“I suppose that’s a more valid excuse than I had last year,” Edgeworth said, with an elegant shrug. In the midst of lifting his glass, he glanced over at his companion again, questioningly. “We can go in. We’ve been out here long enough.”

Phoenix took one last look at the city below, admiring the view for a moment longer before giving a slight shrug.

"I'm not too cold yet," he said, turning his gaze on the man beside him. With a smirk, he added, "But if you want to go inside, I won't object."

They should, he supposed. The chilled numbness in his fingers said as much, but...a few more minutes wouldn’t matter, especially not after tomorrow. Just then, it was the lights that mattered, the way that strand draped around the balcony above them was sending colors dancing across dark hair and skin that hadn’t quite lost its late summer tan. Edgeworth watched his companion for a moment, lost in his study.

Finally, he gave a gentle shake of his head and turned away.

“In a bit, then. I’m not eager to start on whatever vapid holiday fare you’ve chosen for us this year.”

Phoenix stared back under Edgeworth's scrutiny, his expression growing more questioning as the seconds ticked by, but by the time he was about to ask if something was wrong, the other man turned away. Phoenix studied him a moment longer before doing the same.

"They're not 'vapid holiday fare'," he protested with mock indignation. "They're classics."

“Classics as defined by...people who are excessively fond of vapid holiday fare? Wright, your first selection contained the line ‘It’s a bit nipply out.’” He flashed his companion a smirk, drawing his arms in against his chest as he did so. The temperature had held steady most of the evening, but the wind was considerably stronger than it had been when he came home that afternoon. Now that it had been brought to their attention, it seemed to be increasing by the minute.

"That doesn't make them any less classic," Phoenix argued. "Besides, I have something different in mind tonight."

Edgeworth cocked an eyebrow, intrigued (if only marginally so). “Something that doesn’t involve singing elves or gratuitous, amateurish attempts at humor?”

Phoenix opened his mouth to respond but then quickly shut it, scratching his chin in thought.

"I don't know," he said honestly. "It's been a long time since I've seen 'It's a Wonderful Life'..."

“Wright, really,” he snapped, wrinkling his nose. “Do you have to pick the one holiday film, above all others, that has infected the social culture so extensively that even I, regrettably, know it almost by heart?”

Phoenix grinned sheepishly. "...It's a classic?"

Edgeworth watched him blankly for a few moments, but his irritation finally broke with an exasperated roll of his eyes.

“More so than the other one, I’ll admit. At least I can be reasonably sure it won’t contain any tasteless lines about women’s nipples,” he muttered, as he leaned heavily against the railing again, his arms resting on the cold metal.

Even with that promising prospect to look forward to, he was already resigning himself to cutting their time on the balcony short soon. His suit jacket had become more of a hindrance than help, seeming to only heighten the chill in the air as it passed through the cold fabric.

Phoenix snorted in a failed attempt to stifle his laughter. The words 'women's nipples' were not ones he'd ever expected to come out of Edgeworth's mouth, and the one and a half glasses of wine Phoenix had drunk only made the fact that they had all the funnier. He cleared his throat, but an amused smile lingered.

"I think that'd be a safe bet," he said.

Edgeworth glanced up at the sound, startled until the smile on his companion’s face made him realize what the noise had meant. Hesitantly, he allowed an answering smile, small but genuine, to cross his lips.

“You know, when I signed on as a friend, I don’t recall ‘must endure bad films’ being listed under the job description.” As he said it, the wind suddenly picked up, blowing his bangs across his eyes. He gripped his arms more tightly, leaning slightly toward Wright in an effort to mutually blunt the force of the gusts.

"It was in the fine print," Phoenix answered with a smirk. He noted the way Edgeworth was holding himself and thought he must look much the same. It was definitely getting chillier...

An amused snort of laughter issued from Edgeworth, and he matched Wright’s smirk easily. “The one time I neglected to read it, of course. I might have saved myself a great deal of trouble.”

"But then you'd have missed out on the great benefits." The response was almost cheeky, and Phoenix knew it. In fact, he had a suitable grin to accompany it.

The playfulness seemed to escape Edgeworth. The look he threw at his friend was indeterminable, almost somber, and he held it for a long time. Heedless of the strangeness of his own stare, he studied his friend’s familiar features, subconsciously memorizing them as he’d done hundreds of times before.

The plot of the film they were about to “enjoy,” if it could be called that, suddenly ran unbidden through his mind, taking on a frightening, wondrous new meaning.

“And what a tragedy that would have been,” he finally managed to get out, and there was a weightiness underlying his wry tone.

Phoenix's smile faltered at his friend's words, unsure of what they meant but certain he had somehow hit a nerve. He averted his gaze in response and looked down on the city once more.

"Well, at least you won't have to worry about it tomorrow," he said after a moment, trying to make light of the subject. The humor wasn't quite there, though.

“Thankfully.” The view apparently forgotten, Edgeworth continued to watch him, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Phoenix hummed in response and idly tapped his glass, suppressing another shiver as yet another breeze blew by. Thinking it was about time to seek shelter from the cold (and from the awkward silence that inevitably threatened to overtake them) he turned towards Edgeworth, intent on motioning him to the door. The other man's look gave him pause, however, and he frowned in question.

"What's wrong?"

Edgeworth had no idea what possessed him to move, but only the freedom of knowing the act would mean nothing was able to keep him slowly going forward. They were already close; closing the distance between them, even at such a pace, happened quickly. Before his own actions had completely sunk in, his face was hovering centimeters from Wright’s, his eyes averted to his companion’s lips.

Edited 2009-10-29 05:21 (UTC)

It wasn't until Edgeworth was mere centimeters away that Phoenix realized what was happening. Immediately, his stomach dropped and his mouth went dry, but no matter how loudly his mind screamed in protest, he couldn't bring himself to move or say anything.

He stood stark still, stunned into silence, his mouth twitching in a vain effort to form words.

Consequences or no, Edgeworth didn’t want to allow the situation itself to be more uncomfortable than necessary. Those words wouldn’t be any he wanted to hear, he was quite sure of that. So he simply stopped them from coming, leaning forward the last few centimeters to silence his friend.

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