Chapter Text
"Wow, look at that fox! Its ears are HUGE!"
"Nonsense, Wright. That's just a fennec fox, and its ears are larger
so that it can hear its prey in the sandy desert."
Phoenix giggled to himself. God, his face was so cute when he did
that, the prosecutor thought as his hand became intertwined with
Wright's all-too-familiar fingers. Phoenix always had the most smooth
skin, in stark contrast to the dry and cracking palms he had; he put
copious amounts of moisturizer on every day, but it never seemed to do
anything.
"Why don't we go look at the rocks and gemstones?" Maya had always
wanted Phoenix to see them; the only nice looking ones he had ever
seen were the teardrop-shaped ones he always saw around the mediums'
necks.
Edgeworth snapped out of his trancelike fixation on the attorney's
fingers and looked around the open exhibit hall; they had just
finished looking at all of the other mammals and reptiles in the
museum, and it wasn't like he'd had anything better to do. All the
files on his desk had been signed and cleared away, and he didn't have
another trial or meeting until next Tuesday.
"That sounds good. You lead the way."
Phoenix obliged, but didn't let go of the prosecutor's hand just yet.
It was so subtle, the way he had gracefully wrapped his fingers around and
under Wright's left arm. They climbed the sleek marble staircase onto
the second floor, painfully aware how much attention two grown men
holding hands had to have been getting. As the unlikely duo reached
the elaborate entrance to the rocks and minerals exhibit, Wright could
only gasp as they were face to face with a gorgeous purple crystal.
Purple, he thought to himself. The color you get when you mix red
and blue.
_______________________
Miles finally had the decency to let go of the blue attorney's smooth
palm. It felt weird to be holding his enemy(well, enemy in court)'s
hand, but after moving it away from his rough palm he wanted nothing
more than to get it back somehow. But he knew it was impossible, at
least right now. If I keep this up, he might actually think I LIKE
him. More than as a friend. That thought made him shudder, returning
him to his surroundings. They were in a dimly lit exhibit room, the
only solace other than the blue knight next to him was the dim lights
illuminating the gemstones and minerals in their perfectly polished
glass cases. Miles noticed the shiny purple crystal the blue knight
was gazing adamantly at.
It was beautiful, no doubt. But it seemed like an eternity before
Phoenix remembered Edgeworth stood there, his head just at the right
height to lean on the crimson jacket. There were still more, probably
many more valuable and gorgeous precious gemstones for him to fawn
over. Wright turned to the prosecutor, gave a small nod forward with
a grin, and the pair of them moved on to the next room, one filled
with many rambunctious children no doubt on a school trip.
It seemed pretty normal; this museum was catered towards an all-ages
audience after all. But then there was a low rumble, one clearly
coming from an overhead speaker. Edegworth whipped around to see the
grade schoolers sitting on a bench watching a short film on tectonic
plates, complete with folded buildings and heaps of seismograph papers.
It immediately sent him whirling back to that time, the one
that changed his life forever. He could barely keep his composure.
"E-Edgeworth, you okay? You look pretty pale--"
His heart seemed to stop. Edgeworth looked nothing like okay.
"Wright, l... I have to go. Bathroom."
It took the crimson clad man faster than what he thought was possible
to fling the family bathroom door open and locked it behind him.
Public bathrooms were terrible, but at least family facilities are the
only consolation. It was spacious, and you could cry just about as
loud as you wanted because nobody would assume it came from anything
but a baby getting its diaper changed.
It all collapsed on him at once. The
panic attacks and terrifying flashbacks returned, in full force no
less, and he was shivering so much he laid there in the fetal position
on the colorful tiled floor panels, tears streaming down his face.
_______________________
Phoenix barely had enough time to register what had happened before
Edgeworth was gone. Gone forever, he thought. Like the last
time. He must have went to the family restroom, as whenever
anything about earthquakes came up previously Edgeworth couldn't do
much but lie in a ball on the floor--a position all to embarrassing
for the easily flustered man in a tiny stall.
"You alright in there, Edgeworth?"
No response. He couldn't bring himself to move even an inch.
"E-Edgeworth?"
No response. More tears poured down his already soaking cheek.
"Miles, can you let me in?"
No response.
Until the thought crossed his mind that he had only heard Wright say
his first name once back in grade school by accident.