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"Oh... no going here, I guess."
Phoenix's voice was awkward - perhaps even worried - but Miles had a feeling this was going to happen soon anyway, so he was not too surprised. That didn't mean he was not in dismay, though. He just wished it was on any other day he didn't have to go to court for work.
His only method of traveling up and down a building was now completely off the table, due to some damaged cracks between the stairs. The lights were also briefly flickering for a bit as the people there worked hard to get the stairs back into better condition. Everything else seemed fine but since the place was already barred from being entered as there were construction workers there, he supposed he had no other choice except to... use the elevator.
Great... perfect.
"It's fine," Edgeworth said with a slight tremor in his voice, as if trying to convince himself rather than Phoenix. "We'll just take the elevator instead. It was bound to happen one of these days - might as well let it be today."
Lies. You know beyond any shadow of a doubt that you'd rather not have it happen on any day of your life at all.
"Miles..." Phoenix said, as if he's trying to tread lightly, but the chief prosecutor ignored him.
"Let's go, Phoenix," he said, swiftly turning around while moving his head away, refusing to show any hint of fear or trepidation on his face. "If we're out earlier, we can catch the movie you were glancing at the other day."
"Ah... right," the defense attorney replied, lightly clearing his throat as he caught up with Miles in an instant as they both walked away from the stairs and made their way to the elevators. "It's just a movie about... some girl waking up in a world full of trolls. Not... internet trolls, but... you know."
"Yes, I understand."
On any other day, he would've cut Phoenix off as soon as he finished the first part of his sentence - not because he's rude; it's to save the attorney's breath - but today was a different day. Just the mere fact that the stairs were no longer available... threw him off guard quite vividly, but he was always as composed as ever on the outside. Very few people would know that he's feeling that same nauseating feeling he felt every time he had to use the elevator, and even very fewer people would ever have the courage to say something about it to him. Phoenix was one of those rare breeds who'd dare call it out, but he was also kind enough to not say anything when he knew Edgeworth was going through it silently. The prosecutor found himself valuing those little simple things in Phoenix more and more as the days pass them by and they spent more time together.
It was as if... he was a guardian of some sort for Miles; a being whose entire purpose was to protect him in any way possible. That was probably a bit too self-centered of himself to say, and he silently apologized to Phoenix in his thoughts for reducing him to such a role, but he genuinely meant no harm by it when he felt those feelings. It wasn't as if he was looking down on Phoenix - if anything, he secretly and not-so-secretly admired the man more than anyone would think - but it was just the fact that... Phoenix never seemed to let him down. Did he have his moments where he was behaving irresponsibly, irrationally, or foolishly? Yes, plenty of times, but that wasn't the same as deliberately going out of his way to break a mental picture that Miles had internally painted of him within his mind.
Phoenix had done his wrongs, but there was no way Miles could ever consider him a bad person.
Maybe that was just his subconscious bias speaking. He knew that his feelings for the other man could get into the way of rational thinking - and, truth be told, it always got in the way of rational thinking - yet, he couldn't help but feel as if his biased mind was not untruthful. Phoenix had been chasing him since... what, they were nine-years old? And until today, at a time when they are both in their mid-30s, he was still being a constant source of light whenever Miles felt he was drowning in his own darkness. Still helping him. Still chasing the truth and justice alongside him. Still caring for Miles in a way that no other man or woman - who weren't his literal family members, such as his biological father or his adoptive sister - has ever done for him in his entire life so far. He held a special place in Miles's heart.
Perhaps he could've conveyed those particular... feelings for the other man in a better way, but Miles was not exactly a man who wore his heart on his sleeve. He's been getting better over the years, but he was still a far cry from being as emotionally vulnerable, intelligent and expressive as Phoenix was. Still, what he could not utter in words, he speaks through action, and action always spoke louder than words. He often displayed that he cared for the defense attorney through financial means: paying for Phoenix's rent, hospital bills (because the spiky-haired lawyer had an unfortunate knack for getting into those situations), treating him to various things that Phoenix wouldn't be able to afford in most circumstances, and everything else.
Money wasn't everything, but if it could give Phoenix some semblance if happiness... he'd gladly spend it. It wasn't as if he was hurting for cash; he had a lot of resources to burn through, and he was spending it on the right person.
"Would you like me to buy the tickets now?" Edgeworth asked, pulling his phone out as they stood in front of the elevators, trying his best to ignore the feeling of his thumping heartbeat and pretending as if the elevators weren't slowly ascending upwards, ready to take them into their metal jaws of death. "If you'd like, I can drive us there almost immediately. I am free of paperwork... for the most part."
"Courtesy of delegation, huh?" Phoenix asked, a hint of mirth within his question as he stepped closer to Edgeworth's side. "Maybe we can watch something else, too. That movie isn't the only thing showing in theaters; I'm sure we can find something that'd fit our tastes—"
A sudden sound of the elevator doors opening shut Phoenix up as he went from glancing at Edgeworth's phone to looking at the empty elevator, enticing him to enter. He paused for a moment to look at Edgeworth, only to see the chief prosecutor was still staring at his phone, scrolling down the list of movies they'd possibly watch. For any other person, that would've been a relief, but not for Phoenix. He caught the way Edgeworth's hand gripped the phone so tightly, his thumb was going white from the pressure he applied to it. It wasn't a good idea to say anything about it.
Not right now, at least.
It wasn't long until Edgeworth pocketed his phone, glanced at Phoenix for a brief moment before he slowly stepped forward towards the elevator as Phoenix silently followed behind him. The prosecutor reached out to press the button for ground level, only to end up freezing last second as he withdrew his hand and immediately into his pockets, turning to look at the metal wall which showed a blurred reflection of himself as Phoenix led the way by pressing the button for him, but not before a security guard came in as well at the last moment, letting a third party in.
Edgeworth could hear Phoenix saying something to the guard, but he had to tune out the voice of the man he trusted so deeply for the moment if he was going to survive this elevator ride. They weren't too high up from ground level; this would take 30 seconds to a minute at best. He'd probably blink twice before he realized that he was already out of the elevator and into his car as he drove Phoenix to the movie theater, and they could just forget this ever happened. He wasn't trying to sound dramatic, but it was hard for him to not want to think about anything whenever he was in an elevator after everything that happened.
Even almost three decades later, the ghost of Gregory Edgeworth haunted him. He missed his father so much. He often wondered how his life would turn out if he was never cruelly separated from his father at such a young age. Phoenix already told him countless times that there was nobody else to blame for the whole incident except for Manfred Von Karma, and he has long since came to terms with the fact that the guilt which ate him up on the inside for so long was not his to shoulder, but it didn't mean he'd think about it a lot less. His heart still felt heavy, but with a different type of baggage to it; instead of wondering if he truly killed his father in that tiny elevator, he was now often left wondering what would've happened if anything else would've happened that day on December 28th, 2001.
What if his father did not pointed out that Manfred used forged evidence? What if that earthquake never happened? What if they were only stuck in that elevator for five minutes instead for all those hours, leading to the struggle between his father and Yogi? There were so many thoughts running through his mind, and everyday, he struggled with them. Perhaps he'd keep them with him for as long as he lived. The guilt weren't on his shoulders, but the scars were his to own and carry for eternity - until he'd inevitably meet his father again, that is. If he could one day wash away all his worries with an embrace from his father, turning him into that little young boy who admired his dad once again...
Suddenly, he felt a shift on the elevator floor. Before he could even fully process what was going on, the lights within the elevator flickered as he felt the rumbling on the ground get worse and worse. Immediately, he started breathing too fast; too loud. Phoenix turned to him in an instant, clocking that Edgeworth was suffering from a panic attack as he instinctively grabbed the man's hands, forcing Edgeworth to look at his long-time friend with wide eyes as he began to have tunnel vision and just completely focused on Phoenix's face while he was saying something.
"P-Phoenix, I-I...!"
"Hey, hey, hey," Phoenix repeated in a far calmer tone of voice than he should be having. "Miles, Miles, you're alright—look at me, Miles, you're not going to die, okay?"
"I-I think I'm going to...!"
Phoenix, still feeling the rumbling and the fact the elevator was not seemingly going to actually make it to the ground floor in time, immediately pulls Edgeworth into an embrace as he wrapped his arms around the prosecutor's neck and pulled him closer. Edgeworth couldn't even muster the brief thought to resist as he immediately latched on to Phoenix, holding on to him as if he would disappear if he didn't cling on tightly to the defense attorney. The silver-haired man didn't even know if they were going to live or die; he just knew that he didn't want to let go of Phoenix as he shut his eyes tightly, just begging for the whole ordeal to stop.
"There, there... just close your eyes and listen to me, okay?" Phoenix whispered, not even caring that the guard could literally see them. "You're alright, you're fine. You're not there anymore. I want you to just keep your eyes closed until you can breathe a bit easier—can you do that for me, Miles?"
"P-Phoenix, I'm f-feeling..." Edgeworth's eyelids were closed so tightly that he felt as if the next time he opened them, his eyes would hurt. "I-I... help..."
"I'm here, I'm here," Phoenix repeated, feeling his heart clench tightly as he heard how vulnerable Edgeworth was. "Now, what I want you to do is breathe in, breathe out. Just as simple as that: breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in—"
"B-Breathe in..." Edgeworth tried repeating, forcing himself to follow Phoenix's instructions.
"—And breathe out," the defense attorney repeated. "Good, you're doing great, Miles. Just keep doing it."
He genuinely tried his best to follow up on repeating Phoenix's words, but as soon as he tried again, the elevator shook as the guard - who's been oddly quiet - yelped loudly when he crashed on to the floor. With the elevator's lights flickering rapidly and them losing their balance, Edgeworth was thrown backwards from the sudden momentum loss as he let out a cry of fear, but before he could brace for impact, he felt Phoenix's hand and arm covering the back of his head as the other man grunted.
It was now completely dark and Edgeworth couldn't see anything, but from what he could tell - in his panic-laced assumptions with very little assessment from how scared he was - it seemed as if he was mere moments away from hitting his head on the elevator wall, only for Phoenix to save him at the last possible moment by placing his arm and hand at the back of his head, cushioning the impact and taking most of the pain. Edgeworth couldn't believe what was happening at this point as he felt Phoenix slowly lay him down on the ground before the lights flickered again.
Now, the elevator's only source of light was a dim one as it seemed to be running on a back-up power generator: specifically activated in cases of emergencies like these. He could now see Phoenix a bit more clearly with the lights finally on, and he saw that the other man was kneeling on one knee, looking down at him in concern and worry. When the other man saw he was still alive, breathing and awake, he let out a huge sigh of relief as he wiped the sweat across his forehead before swallowing and nodding.
"...You're alive," Phoenix said, an audible tone of genuine relief in his voice as he began to check if there was anything else wrong. "Are you hurt? Is your head fine? Do you feel a headache?"
"I-I... I'm f-f-fine," he stammered out in the worst way possible; he hadn't spoken like that since he was a little boy. "M-My head... slightly h-hurts, b-but you cushioned the impact. It h-hurts when I breathe..."
"O-Okay, okay, you're... mostly fine," Phoenix said, pursing his lips as he glanced around the elevator; seeing the guard slowly get up from the ground. "The... u-uh, the headache is normal because you just hit your head, even if I helped soften the blow. I know it's hard for you to breathe, so try—"
Before Phoenix could finish, a monotone voice from the elevator's sound speakers began to speak: "This is an emergency: an earthquake has occurred within the vicinity, affecting the building you are currently in. We have detected the elevator is stuck and have sent help. Help is on the way; please refrain from trying to force the doors open. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated."
The guard frantically pressed the emergency button again and again, to which there seemed to have been no response - other than the ringing noise that echoes when he kept pressing the button. Phoenix held Edgeworth's hands tightly as the prosecutor fought the urge to curl up into a ball and just shed tears. Edgeworth hated having logic being overridden but his emotional side came in full force as he had to drag himself a bit further behind before he sat in the corner, tucking his knees in as he hugged himself; shakily breathing as his watery eyes threatened to make him lose control, forcing him to close his eyes again.
Phoenix wanted nothing more than to comfort him, but with the guard repeatedly pressing the buttons, he had to say something first. "It was an automated message in case of an earthquake," he said to the guard, not even turning around to look at him. "You won't get much else out of it - it already said help was coming, so calm down and save your energy."
"T-There has to be SOMETHING we can do to get out e-earlier!" The guard replied back to Phoenix, pressing about every button he sees in a desperate attempt to get out. "W-We could be sitting here for hours! Help me a bit here!"
"It won't work—the elevator isn't going to magically drop to the ground level just because you pressed some buttons," the defense attorney said as he moved closer to him, wanting nothing more than to wipe his unshed tears away with his thumbs. "Instead of wasting your time, just sit down and wait for help like we are."
The guard completely ignored Phoenix as he tried to then pry the elevator's doors open with his bare hands, and to nobody's surprise, it did not work as the guard was too weak to even make any remote difference to the doors. He then tried to barge into the doors by slamming his shoulder against it, to no avail. It wasn't even leaving a dent or anything - the guy was literally wasting energy, health and safety by exerting force for no apparent reason.
"P-Phoenix..."
"I'm here, Miles, don't worry," Phoenix replied back to him, now deciding to ignore the guard once again. "Can you breathe a bit easier now? Still hurts to breathe?"
He wordlessly nodded to the latter, to which Phoenix replied with an assuring nod of his own. "Okay, still hurts to breathe... can we take off this cravat, please?" The defense attorney asked again, to which Edgeworth's shaky hands tried to remove it, but failed. The other man then proceeded to gently remove his cravat as Edgeworth closed his eyes, silently wishing this would all end already before Phoenix said something else. "...There. I took your cravat off. Maybe popping some buttons would help?"
The prosecutor couldn't even reply to him properly this time; just shaking and trembling while he hugged his knees tightly close to his chest, eyes shut completely. Edgeworth swallowed as his rapid, uneven breathing caused Phoenix to repeat his instructions again. He felt as if he was light-headed and trapped in his worst nightmare at the same time, unable to escape or do anything that would save him and Phoenix from the torment of being stuck inside of an elevator during an earthquake. Why did it have to happen now of all days...? He just couldn't believe it.
Phoenix, seeing that Edgeworth was not going to do much again outside of just silently repeating his instructions to slowly breathe in, breathe out, and hug himself tightly, decides to stand up once again. Perhaps in any other situation without the security guard present, he'd be a lot more open up and talk about it, but if there was anything he knew about Edgeworth, it was that the man never wants to show even a hint of personal vulnerabilities. Sure, he was currently curling up into himself, but at least he was getting slightly better when breathing. Also, the guard was completely occupied with trying to find an escape, meaning that he wasn't paying any attention to Edgeworth.
"Will you quit that already?" Phoenix asked the security guard, who was still trying to pry the doors open with his bare hands while simultaneously kicking it as well. "That's going to do nothing but cause you pain, leave you with a busted shoulder, and little to no dents on the elevator doors."
"Well, w-why aren't YOU trying to find a way out instead of just telling me what to do!?" The security guard snapped back; though, Phoenix was completely non-reactive. "T-There's three of us! If you two were to actually start doing SOMETHING instead of just hugging and cuddling, we'd be out of here in no time!"
"We are stuck in an elevator, trapped within a building, with a specific instruction given to us to remain calm and not try anything stupid like attempting to pry the doors open," Phoenix bluntly replied back, feeling irritated at the fact the other man called what was meant to be comfort for a traumatized person 'hugging and cuddling.' "There's no other way out except to wait until help arrives."
The security guard seemed to have finally listened to reason as he panted heavily while staring at the elevator doors that didn't open wide. Silently, he sat down on the floor, as if surrendering himself to the fact he was going to have to wait it out just like the rest of them. The only problem was that they weren't sure when help was coming, but for now, it seemed as if Phoenix's words got through the guard's head as all three sat on the floor - waiting to be rescued from this figurative mechanical coffin they were in.
Edgeworth knew he was basically stuck here until help arrived, but that didn't mean he couldn't wish for an early rescue. Somehow, he hadn't shed tears yet, despite coming dangerously close to doing so, but that didn't mean he could hold himself for all day. Phoenix's presence wss a huge source of comfort, but... seeing the defense attorney across him while there was a security guard with them brought back... flashes of that particular day. He couldn't help but think about it every moment he's trapped in this elevator. Once again, Miles Edgeworth was hoping, wishing and praying to be rescued before anything else went wrong.
After some time, he took his phone out as he shakily held the device in his hand. There were no signal, as he expected. It has only been about... 15 minutes since the earthquake and they were now stuck here. Best case scenario, they'd be out of here within another 15 minutes, but that was highly unlikely as there were other people in the building - most of whom were probably far more accessible than they were, so... if he had to take an unfortunate estimation, one hour would be the bare minimum for how much longer they'd have to wait.
That was just the bare minimum. Realistically, it'd take more than an hour - maybe two hours if they were fortunate enough, but it could easily take up to three, four... perhaps several more hours, seeing as the earthquake was quite severe with the way it actually cut the power.
Phoenix noticed his worries were growing larger as the other man scooted closer to Edgeworth, silently letting the prosecutor know that he was not alone and that he'd be here to help him, no matter what. They didn't say anything to each other, but the silver-haired man did took a hold of Phoenix's hand as the defense attorney was slightly surprised but allowed him to hold on to his hand. He wanted to comfort his childhood friend in any way possible if he could, so whatever Edgeworth needed to feel safe and calm - whether it'd be a hug, holding his hand, or to just sit next to him in silence - he'd do it for him in an instant.
Even more time passed by, and despite fidgeting around, trying to get into various positions to get themselves more 'comfortable' in their little metal box they were in, the heat was becoming too much for them to handle. The power generator only allowed them a dim source of light, not comfort alongside it. It had to have been over an hour or something since the last time Edgeworth checked his phone. He couldn't hear anything outside, nor were there any hints or signs that help was coming anytime soon.
To distract himself, he tried his best to do some mental calculations as to how long it'd take for the firefighters to rescue the hundreds of people within the court building before they themselves would eventually be rescued, but it seemed as if the heat, silence, and the fact there has been no contact with outsiders made the security guard snap as he stood up immediately, repeatedly kicking the elevator doors once more as he also smashed practically every buttons on the buttons display panel while yelling loudly for people to come and rescue him from the elevator.
"HELP! HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME! I'M TRAPPED!"
Edgeworth had already moved to the side prior to that as the security guard completely surprised him while Phoenix stood up, giving the frantic-looking Edgeworth a brief, gentle and assuring smile. In any other moment, he would've felt genuinely calmer after seeing that smile, but the fact of the matter was that the guard had already lost his patience and was now desperate for anything to happen at this point. When Phoenix walked away, Edgeworth could feel his trepidation returning quickly.
The silver-haired man tried to reach out to him. "P-Phoenix, please, sit—!"
Phoenix tapped the security guard on the shoulder. "What in the hell do you think you're doing?"
"WHY DO YOU CARE!?" The guard yelled, having completely lost all sense of control. "I'M TRYING TO GET OUT OF HERE! If you want to die with your boyfriend here, be my guest, but don't drag me into your suicidal fantasies!"
"Suicidal fantasies...?" Phoenix repeated, as if he was genuinely confused as to what the guy was saying. "I think you should calm down. You're not doing anything helpful."
"N-Not doing anything helpful...!?" That seemed to have actually struck a nerve as the guard grabbed Phoenix by the shoulders and started shaking him, making Edgeworth feel as if his heart dropped into his stomach. "YOU and YOUR boyfriend AREN'T being helpful! Your whole plan is to let us die and rot in here! Help isn't coming; we have to do anything we can to stay alive!"
"We're trapped in an elevator, not a remote island," Phoenix bluntly replied, not even perturbed by the fact he was being shaken. "At worst, it'd be a couple more hours until we—"
"A couple of more hours!? Are you out of your fucking mind!?" The guard yelled, shaking Phoenix again and again as Edgeworth could feel himself shaking completely, yet frozen in place out of trepidation. "I'm going to get out of here, regardless if you two live or not! You ARE STEALING MY AIR!"
'STEALING MY AIR!'
That exact phrase brought chills down Edgeworth's spine as all the efforts he put into stabilizing his breathing for the past couple of hours went out of the window almost immediately. Those... exact words were the same ones he heard all those years ago, back when he was still a little boy crying for Yanni Yogi to let go of his father. It was almost as if it was a carbon copy or a complete reenactment of that particular day, except this wasn't just some mere reenactment of the worst day in his life - it was real, and it was happening right in front of his very eyes.
"N-No..." Edgeworth whispered beneath his breath, trembling as he internally pleaded for Phoenix to not escalate any further. "N-Not again... please..."
It seemed as if Phoenix heard that, seeing as he went from being annoyed at the guard to looking at Edgeworth, and when he caught a sight of his friend's wide eyes behind those now foggy glasses from the lack of proper ventilation within the elevator. In an instant, everything clicked within Phoenix's mind: the security guard grabbing him, threatening him, putting his hands on him, saying Phoenix was 'stealing' his air while Edgeworth sat in the corner, watching... it was as if it hit him at lightning speed, but once it did, Phoenix realized that he couldn't take the risk.
They were trapped here. They were running out of air. This guard is putting his hands on him, and he's reminding Edgeworth of the most traumatic day in his entire life, regardless if he meant to or not. Seeing the chief prosecutor actually shake in fear from seeing him in danger and reliving his worst memory made Phoenix snap out of his thoughts as he quickly realized he'd either have to de-escalate or quickly put an end to it so Edgeworth doesn't have to endure this hell for any longer than he had to.
While the guard was yelling at him and shaking him, something within Phoenix snapped when he saw Edgeworth's traumatized expression.
"—Do you hear me!?" The guard yelled, shaking Phoenix once more. "I don't care if you both die—I'm NOT dying with the two of you!"
Phoenix glared at him. "Hey, I'm dead serious—if you keep yelling and shaking me, I'm going to knock you out."
Perhaps those were poor choice of words - not because he was scared of the guard, but because those were literal fighting words, even if he meant it as a way to de-escalate the situation. In any other scenario, that would've made most people think twice, but since this was already a scenario where the guard was delirious out of his mind, all it did was seemingly provoke the guard into believing Phoenix was the enemy instead of someone to listen to.
Edgeworth's eyes widened. "P-Phoenix, don't—!"
The guard immediately grabbed a hold of Phoenix's neck, slamming him against the wall as he tried choking the defense attorney out. Phoenix, however, is much stronger than most people thought, so although the guard's grip was tight, he was strong enough to wrestle his hand away from his throat as both men struggled in the ensuing fight. The guard was desperate, trying to take out 'threats' to his life while Phoenix immediately knew this was going to end with either him knocking the guy out or getting choked out in an elevator while Edgeworth watched; adding even more trauma to his friend's vulnerable psyche.
No way in hell was he EVER going to allow that to happen.
Using his strength, Phoenix grabbed a hold of the guard's uniform as he pushed him to the other side of the elevator, slamming him against the wall while the guard tried to push him away. He lost his grip quickly as the guard exerted his strength to push Phoenix back, making them stand in the middle as they were trying their hardest to knock each other out before anything else could happen.
"L-LET GO OF HIM!" Edgeworth's shaky voice yelled out to the guard as he stood on shaky legs and rushed in to intervene. Pulling at the guard's tie from behind, he used all the strength he could possibly muster at the moment to help Phoenix get the guard off him. "LET GO, LET GO, LET HIM GO!"
The desperate repetitions of Edgeworth's demands was there for Phoenix to hear as the prosecutor tried basically everything he could to save Phoenix: holding the guard, pulling him as hard as he possibly could, or even attempting bite the guard at this point. It worked as the guard yelled out in pain, making his grip on Phoenix loosen up as the defense attorney pushed him to the wall again.
"A-AAHH—!"
The guard was immediately interrupted by the fact that Phoenix slammed him to the wall. Quickly telling Edgeworth to move out of the way, he held the guard in place and landed a quick, strong punch to the guard's jaw as the other man slumped over in an instant before Phoenix slowly dropped him to the floor, trying to prevent any excessive injuries. Within barely 30 seconds, Phoenix managed to knock the guard out, possibly earning them a lot more time without constant stress from the frequent yelling or a direct threat to their lives. He swallowed as he panted heavily, feeling like that took a lot out of him.
Turning to Edgeworth, he saw the chief prosecutor was desperately trying to calm himself down as his breathing was way too unstable. The silver-haired man swallowed as he looked back and forth between the guard and Phoenix, completely relieved that the current threat was taken care of.
"Y-You didn't had a choice..." Edgeworth said to Phoenix, slowly moving backwards as his back met the metal wall of the elevator before he slowly slid down and sat on the floor. "It was... self-defense. You saved me. You saved me. You saved me..."
Phoenix was now beyond concerned for Edgeworth's mental state as the man kept repeating it - not in a way that made it sound like he's trying to convince himself; rather, he was repeating it to himself as some sort of mantra. A reminder of the facts and a way to process what just happened. It seemed as if Edgeworth was actually grateful for what he did, but the severity of the situation made him actually lose his sense of inhibitions as he completely burst into tears, taking off his glasses while Phoenix immediately sat down next to him, holding his hand to comfort him.
"Hey, hey, hey, Miles, I'm here," Phoenix said, trying to make Edgeworth look at him as the chief prosecutor could only keep shedding tears while he was trying to calm himself down. "I'm alright. I'm fine. You saved me, Miles. Thank you."
"N-No, I d-didn't," Edgeworth replied, stammering while wiping his tears with the sleeve of his suit jacket while Phoenix pulled him close to his chest as the silver-haired man let himself cry again. "Y-You saved me, Phoenix, but you... oh, how can I ever repay you...? Please, don't ever leave me."
"Miles..."
"Phoenix, please, I'm begging you," Edgeworth repeated, voice almost gone by this point as he trembled and sobbed further. "D-Don't ever l-leave me. I w-wouldn't be able to handle it if you're gone and I was the reason for it. I cannot see you d-die, Phoenix. Not for me. N-Never for me... please, I'm begging you—don't die for me."
"Miles..." Phoenix trailed off, seeing that his... friend was way more vulnerable than ever before. "You won't lose me. You won't ever lose me. Please, don't be sad or think about those things - I won't ever leave you alone."
Edgeworth's tears were silent as he allowed Phoenix to completely embrace him, leaning his head onto the defense attorney's chest as he smelled the faint traces of the same cologne Phoenix wore all the time. It was a constant; something that never changed. That gave him a sense of comfort, seeing as it was a small proof that Phoenix was still here. He didn't lose the fight, nor did the guard pull a baton or a gun out on him - Phoenix was still here.
As he was held in an embrace by his guardian angel, he felt himself lose consciousness - just like all those years ago.
Edgeworth woke up on the hospital bed, feeling completely weak all over his body. Bright, glaring lights were the first thing to greet him, with the next one to be the beeping sound of the heart monitor next to him. Looking down, he saw that his suit had been changed to a hospital gown as he clenched his fist, trying to get some sense of feelings back into his limbs. How long has he been out for?
Right on time, a nurse entered and saw that he was awake. Without wasting much time, she immediately went outside to inform the doctor that he was awake. Edgeworth still felt his eyes were sore and that they were suffering from sensory overload because of the fact he went from being trapped in a dim elevator to waking up in the hospital. He was thirsty and couldn't even speak a word before the doctor entered his room with a clipboard. As if he knew what Edgeworth need, he asked for the nurse prepare a cup of water as he stood next to Edgeworth's bed.
"Mr. Miles Edgeworth," the doctor said, writing down some things. "You've been unconscious for some time. When we found you, you were completely out and suffered from dehydration. Do you remember anything that happened?"
"...E... ix..." His voice croaked out, calling for his guardian angel, but he couldn't speak from how dry his throat was.
The doctor immediately understood. "We'll discuss him later. For now, you need to drink."
The nurse came back with the cup of water as she told him to take slow sips, which Edgeworth weakly complied with. It was a complete relief for his throat as he drank too much and coughed up some of it, leading to the nurse to wipe his mouth with a tissue before she told him to be more careful as she helped guide him while he slowly drank. It was an immense relief that there is air conditioning within his room and he was being provided for water - he felt as if he was weaker than anything he's ever experienced before.
When he finally stopped drinking, the doctor continued. "What do you remember, Mr. Edgeworth?"
"I... was trapped in an elevator after an earthquake occurred," he began to slowly recount as he thought about it. "There were... two other people with me: defense attorney Phoenix Wright, and a security guard I do not know the name of..."
He had to take a few pauses in between recollections as he tried his hardest to just focus on what's important, but the doctor seemed to press further on his state of mind during the whole ordeal. He had to admit the truth: that he was scared. That he was completely and utterly horrified of the thought of dying in the elevator. That he wanted to vomit when he saw Phoenix being threatened and getting into a fight just for his sake. The doctor was writing up everything and making sure that Edgeworth didn't leave out any details.
After about twenty minutes of explanation, the doctor nods. "I see. Very well, Mr. Edgeworth. I'll have to ask you to stay and recover," he said as he began to walk towards the door with the nurse. "Do refrain from adding further stress on yourself; your body and mind cannot handle any more. In the meantime, the police would want a testimony from you, seeing as a fight broke out in the elevator. I'll call them in."
"...Where's Phoenix?" Edgeworth asked, swallowing nervously. "Is... is he okay? Is he fine? Is he hurt?"
"Calm down, Mr. Edgeworth," the doctor reminded, prompting the chief prosecutor to be quiet. "Yes, he is fine. In fact, he is currently being questioned right now by the captain of the police force. We couldn't tend to his injuries before he was dragged off into questioning, but he seemed mostly fine overall."
Injuries... so he was still hurt, after all.
Edgeworth had to swallow down that thought. "Please... may I see him? I need to see him, doctor."
"You have to rest, Mr. Edgeworth."
"Then take him to me," he replied, completely desperate to have Phoenix with him. "The captain, Dick Gumshoe... he works for me. Tell him Chief Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth demands to see Phoenix Wright at the moment."
The doctor sighed but nodded. "...Very well, if that's what you wish for," before he left the room.
After that, it was only him in the hospital room. Edgeworth couldn't contain his thoughts; couldn't keep his emotions in check as he felt himself becoming more and more anxious over time. At least he knew Phoenix was still alive and not dead, but they couldn't even tend to his injuries before taking him into interrogation? What kind of procedure was this? Phoenix did NOTHING wrong, and yet he was being treated as if he was the prime suspect of a horrendous crime? If it wasn't for the fact he was way too eager to see Phoenix, he would've been demanding the names of the officers in charge of this entire incident.
What happened after he lost consciousness? Was Phoenix there all alone, embracing an unconscious man as he waited for help in that claustrophobia-inducing elevator? Did he thought he was not going to make it? What if the guard woke up and attacked Phoenix again while he was unconscious? These are thoughts that he couldn't help but wished he had the strength to dispel without a problem, but he couldn't - he was far too weak to ever be able to do so.
"...Hey, pal."
At that, Edgeworth's head snapped up to the entrance of the room as he saw Dick standing in the doorway, peeking his head through the door. It took him by surprise, but before he could say anything, the captain continued.
"Don't tell anyone this or else I might be in trouble..." Dick looked around back and forth before continuing. "But... I have who you're looking for. Come on in, pal."
As soon as he said that, the door opened further as he saw Phoenix - still dressed in the same suit - standing there, hands in his pockets. The man looked like he was exhausted beyond belief and that he just went through hell on Earth, yet he still remained as calm and composed as ever as he walked into the room with Dick following behind him, closing the door just in case anyone tried to enter.
"P-Phoenix...?"
"Miles," Phoenix replied back, looking as if he's relieved at the fact he's fine. "You're... fine. I'm glad to see it."
"Hah, you know it, pal!" Dick said from the back. "You know, when I opened the doors to the elevator after the firefighters came in, I saw him carrying you like a bride—!"
"Detective," Phoenix said, as if he's silently telling him not to spill any further. "Please, don't overwhelm him any further. It's been a very long day."
"Oh, yeah... whoops," Dick said, scratching the back of his head as he tried his hardest to not smile at the blush on Edgeworth's cheeks and the embarrassment on Phoenix's face. "Uh, anyway, yeah, hope you two have a good time... see ya soon! Take your time, but remember this, pal: you owe me."
"I'll see to it that you experience more... benefits," Edgeworth replied, nodding to the detective. "You've done well, Captain Gumshoe."
"Alright, I'm out!" Dick said, leaving with a peace sign. "Let me know once you two are done so I can resume the questioning..."
With that, the captain left the two behind in the room as they began to stare at each other. Edgeworth felt his heart clench at the sight of a bruise on Phoenix's throat from when the guard was choking him out. It seemed as if Phoenix noticed his staring, seeing as he immediately readjusted his tie and collar while tilting his head at a certain angle so Edgeworth couldn't see it too well, but the chief prosecutor never forgets what he sees with his eyes.
"...How've you been?" Phoenix asked, moving closer. "When you lost consciousness... I thought..."
"Phoenix..." The silver-haired man whispered, as if he couldn't believe he was here. "You're... alive. You're okay."
"Yeah, I am," the defense attorney nodded. "It'd take more than that to kill me... I think you know that too, no?"
Edgeworth shook his head, feeling his eyes water up again as Phoenix immediately took a seat next to him. He wiped his eyes with some leftover tissues the nurse left him with as he looked at the other man once again, feeling a complex burst of emotions all exploding at once within his heart. He felt grateful, happy, angry, sad, love and care - all at once, and it was hard to describe properly his feelings for Phoenix Wright as the defense attorney grabbed a hold of his hand once again, slowly squeezing it for comfort.
"Don't cry, please," Phoenix said, eyebrows furrowed in sadness from seeing Edgeworth like this. "You're fine. I'm fine. We're both fine. We're okay."
"Phoenix..." He took a shaky breath as he forced himself to calm down as much as he could. "I don't think you understand: I was there again. You were..."
"...I know," Phoenix muttered, feeling guilty for putting Edgeworth through that again. "I know that... I put you through that again, and I'm so, so sorry for that. I don't want to hurt you. I never want to hurt you."
"It's not that you were the one who hurt me, Phoenix," Edgeworth shook his head, clearing his throat so he could speak easier. "It was... there was a chance that you could've died, and I would've been helpless to save you. I wouldn't be able to call for help. I wouldn't be able to do anything. You were protecting me, but... who protects you?"
"...You do," the defense attorney whispered, looking into Edgeworth's eyes. "Your safety is what protects me; your pain is what drives me crazy. If knocking out a guy is what protects your sense of safety... I'll do it in a heartbeat."
Edgeworth... couldn't respond to that. He didn't know what to say. It felt as if... time stopped, just for the two of them as they stared into each other's eyes. Deep down, he wanted this more than anything else - an admission that he mattered more to Phoenix than just as a close friend or a rival. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't overjoyed, but he was not happy at the fact Phoenix was willing to throw his life away like it was nothing when he's far from nothing.
"I..."
"Besides," Phoenix added. "I won't ever leave you. I'll always be by your side, Miles. No matter what, I'll always be there."
"...Forever?" Edgeworth asked, hopeful.
Phoenix smiled. "Forever, and beyond."
The hospital room felt as if there were more colors in there than ever, despite the fact that nothing had changed. Not physically, but emotionally? Everything changed. What changed was what mattered, and what mattered was what was changed. Edgeworth was happy with that trade-off. It was a deal he'd make over a hundred times out of a possible ten. Feeling way better - but knowing they had a lot more to speak about - Edgeworth wrapped both hands around Phoenix's, feeling safe for the first time in a while.
Love and happiness looked good on them.