[RL: You got some splainin' to do - Friday, September 5, 11:00AM | Phoenix; Larry; Edgeworth]

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix paced the apartment in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that were supposedly his. While they did look like something he’d normally wear, he hadn’t recognized anything, and even more worrying, there was no sign of the sweater Dollie knitted him anywhere.

Sighing, he stopped in the hallway and fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. Miles (or ‘Edgeworth,’ as he evidently preferred being called) had said that Dollie was indisposed for some reason, but refused to give Phoenix any details beyond the fact that she was safe and well. It was frustrating, to say the least. Lunchtime was rapidly approaching and he would have been preparing to spend the next half hour with her under normal circumstances. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much he could do from here, especially given the fact that he didn’t know where ‘here’ was nor did he have any clue what could have possibly detained her. But Edgeworth had asked Phoenix to trust him and Phoenix did.

He stood in the hall for a moment, nervously chewing the inside of his cheek. More than ten years had passed since he last saw Miles; there were so many things he wanted to tell him and even more that he wanted to ask him, but waiting like this was a nerve-racking, necessary evil. He hoped his friend would arrive soon.

With another sigh, he went back to pacing.



((OOC: Backdated to the first day of the mental regression virus, around 11AM.))

Comments

[samuraiprosecutor]

"I've got a great deal of work to attend to..." Edgeworth gave the door another sidelong glance, and idly fidgeted with his keys as he trailed off for a moment. When he finally returned Wright's gaze his brows were pulled together and raised slightly, and a soft smirk played at the corner of his lips. "Work which is more important than whatever sub-par film you two would subject me to."

[probablythebutz.livejournal.com]

Larry stood and backed away, looking oddly triumphant as the familiar theme music for Austin Powers began to play on the menu screen. He flashed a quick grin at his friends and then resumed his position on the left end of the couch, DVD remote in hand.

[samuraiprosecutor]

"Case in point." Edgeworth rolled his eyes, and projected his voice over the loud, chipper music. "If I were willing to forsake my duties, it would only be for a film with more to offer in the way of entertainment value. Fortunately I'm not willing to, so it's a moot point."

[attorneyatlol]

The theme music had actually lifted Phoenix’s spirits a little. Returning his attention to Edgeworth, he inclined his head toward the couch with a slight, almost boyish smile. “Are you sure?” he pressed, unable to keep the hope out of his voice. “It’d be like… like old times.”

[samuraiprosecutor]

It was almost disingenuous, as if his friend was simply feigning his lack of awareness; the effect was doubled, tripled by each small, familiar element of the setting, everything that served as a forceful reminder. Edgeworth's brows furrowed, but one corner of his lips quirked up slightly. "The virus isn't providing enough of that?"

[attorneyatlol]

“Not with you,” Phoenix replied, but then quickly added, “And Larry.” In his mind, he’d seen Larry a few weeks ago, and had been seeing him on a somewhat bi-weekly basis for the last couple months. It was nothing compared to the twelve year gap that separated him from Miles, but Phoenix didn’t want Larry to feel left out, as his friend was wont to do. “Please? You don’t have to stay for the whole movie…”

[samuraiprosecutor]

Edgeworth tensed, and let his eyes drift to the screen. 'Dr. Evil' was currently consulting with his henchmen, and Edgeworth wrinkled his nose slightly at the actor's heavy-handed approach to comedy. Staying seemed less appealing with every moment, but Wright's earnest plea still rang in his ears. Finally he dragged his gaze back almost guiltily to meet his friend's eyes.

"Wright, we'd spend the entire time staring at the television screen. It isn't as though my presence would make a difference, under those circumstances."

[probablythebutz.livejournal.com]

“Sure it would,” Larry cut in, rolling his eyes. “We wouldn’t be able to hear the movie, for one thing…”

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix shot a disapproving frown in Larry’s direction before turning back to Miles. “It’d make a difference to us,” he insisted. “There’d be an empty seat on the couch.”

[samuraiprosecutor]

Edgeworth mimicked the frown with a fierce glare at the side of Larry's head, until Wright brought him back to the conversation with a truly stunning excuse.

'Dear God...'

The line was hackneyed, excessively sentimental, and so damnably earnest it brought a pang to Edgeworth's chest. Only Wright could... He shook his head, and for just a few moments a soft chuckle escaped him. Finally he tilted his chin up and met his friend's eyes. "I have no intention of missing out on work for this." He nodded at the television, then held Wright's gaze for another, longer pause.

"Ruining Larry's enjoyment of this, however, might conceivably be worth my time."

[probablythebutz.livejournal.com]

Larry, who was busy reciting lines with the movie—“Crazy, baby. Give me some shoulder!”—did not respond.

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix stifled a chuckle; he had the distinct feeling that Miles’ intentions were going to backfire on him, but he opted to remain silent. With a smile, he nodded toward the couch once more, closed the short distance, and took his place on the cushion next to Larry. Once settled, he looked up at Edgeworth expectantly.

[samuraiprosecutor]

There was a moment of painful familiarity, a memory superimposed on his two friends, the couch, even the ridiculous dialogue emanating from the television. A slight frown briefly passed over his features; by the time he took his (once customary) place on Phoenix's left side his expression had smoothed out, becoming a look of the mildest interest.

[attorneyatlol]

The smile never left Phoenix’s face, and in fact widened when Miles sat beside them. The only thing that could have made him happier in that moment was if Dollie had been there with him, but he certainly wasn’t going to complain. He turned his attention toward the movie and watched.

Aside from Larry’s occasional character impressions, a comfortable silence had fallen over them, although the more… risqué parts of the movie left Phoenix a little stunned. Had they really watched this when they were kids…?

Once the initial shock abated, though, he found himself enjoying it if only for the nostalgia, and about an hour into the movie, he cast a sidelong glance at Miles to gauge the other man’s reaction. The glance turned into a full on look, however, and it wasn’t until a few moments passed that he realized he was smiling again.

[samuraiprosecutor]

Aside from several moments of bafflement or horror--the resurfacing of their home movies earlier in the year had given him only an inkling of the type of humor they were in for--Edgeworth found no need to feign his disinterest. The level of comedy fell far short of his usual standards, and he spent half of the movie simply pondering how the filmmakers managed to maintain a PG-13 rating. Eventually his attention began to drift, often redirecting his focus to a more in-depth, critical survey of Wright's apartment or shooting Larry an occasional, irritated glare over his antics, but he always returned to the television, solely because there was nothing better to occupy his time with.

When Wright began to stare at him Edgeworth was falling into yet another spell of general apathy, and the feeling of being watched took a while to register. He turned to find his friend smiling warmly at him; Edgeworth stared back, his brows furrowed quizzically, and didn't speak.

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix responded with a slight shrug and then turned back to the movie, his smile still in place.

It was really nice to see Miles again.

[samuraiprosecutor]

The shrug did nothing to quell his curiosity; he continued to stare across the couch, both Phoenix and Larry in his line of sight. Once again nostalgia was creeping up on him, bringing memories that were bitter in their sweetness, and if it weren't for the reassuring weight of his friend sitting warm and solid beside him, he suspected he would be regretting his decision to stay.

It seemed like a very long time before Miles was able to turn back to the movie. The end wasn't much further--his recollection of the film's events was sorely (or perhaps fortunately) limited, but simply judging by the time that had passed they had only about a third left. Suppressing a sigh he settled back in his seat, leaning as far away from Wright as he could manage on the tiny couch, and dragged his focus back to the film.

Mercifully, the rest of the film passed in a companionable silence.

-End-