The Stargazers:
Title: The Stargazers
Chapter/s: 1/1
Characters: Phoenix Wright/ Miles Edgeworth
Rating: G/K
Word Count: 1100
Summary: Out here, the stars twinkle brightly – their light not veiled by the city lights far away. The whole sky is covered in a blanket of stars; the enormity of it all is almost overwhelming.
Warnings: None
They drive for hours, far away from the city lights. They pull over at a rest stop picnic area – the only sign of civilization for miles. Out here it's quiet, there's only the sound of the wind rustling through the long grass and the soft hum of crickets. It's dark too; so dark in fact, that they can't see anything more than 2 metres away. The glow of the moonlight allows them to see each other's faces, not much more. The warm summer breeze swirls around them, bringing with it a sense of tranquillity and peace.
They lean against the hood of the car and direct their gazes to the sky. Out here, the stars twinkle brightly – their light not veiled by the city lights far away. The whole sky is covered in a blanket of stars; the enormity of it all is almost overwhelming.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Phoenix whispers, not wanting to disturb the quiet.
Miles hums in agreement. They fall back into a comfortable silence, still in awe at the sight above them.
"To think," Miles starts, "that we are but a mere speck compared to what is out there."
"It's a little hard to fathom, to be honest," Phoenix replies.
Miles huffs in laughter and looks down at Phoenix. "It really is."
The two exchange small, almost shy smiles and turn to look back up at the night sky. Somewhere far away, a bird squawks. A few moments later, there is a chirp in reply. Phoenix moves to sit up on the hood so he can lean back on the windshield. Miles follows suit. The birds fly past them, the flap of their wings fading until they've flown too far for human ears to hear them.
"Hey, Miles?"
"Yes, Phoenix?"
"Do you ever wonder what's out there?"
"What, like black holes and earth-destroying meteors?"
"No!" Phoenix says. It's an attempt at an exasperated tone but his laughter can't be concealed and he winces at how loud he spoke in the silence. "No," he repeats in a whisper, "like aliens or other life."
Miles smirks. "Sometimes," he replies, eyes scanning the night sky.
"I think there are. Aliens, I mean. Do you?"
Miles takes a moment to ponder the question. "Maybe," he responds finally.
"Really?" Phoenix asks incredulously. He turns and looks at his companion, eyes wide in disbelief. "I didn't think you would."
"Why not?" Miles meets Phoenix's gaze. "The universe is a big place."
Phoenix quirks an eyebrow. "You think they've ever come to earth?" he asks in jest.
"How do you explain the pyramids, huh?" Miles' tone is playful. "I'm not buying that the Egyptians could build them all on their own with their primitive tools, while we, in the 21st C, cannot."
Phoenix takes a moment to consider his response. "Hmm… Good point." He nods to confirm this.
They both return to their stargazing. The sky is a black canvas and there are millions upon millions of white and yellow dots painted on to it. It makes Phoenix feel uncomfortably small, insignificant. Yet the beauty of it all quells this feeling, replacing it with content. The moon is full tonight. It's clear enough that Phoenix can see some of the craters on its surface. He begins to draw pictures in his mind by connecting the bigger stars together. He doesn't know anything about constellations; he thinks that's more Miles' forte.
"Show me some constellations," Phoenix requests.
"Ah… I'm not sure I could point any out for you." Miles sounds a little disappointed.
"But you do know some of them, right?"
"Well, yes – "
"Teach me, teach me!" Phoenix interrupts, clapping his hands and chanting not unlike someone less than half his age.
Miles huffs. "You're such a child, Wright," he chides, but there's a playfulness underlying his tone. Phoenix grins widely and Miles shakes his head, trying and failing to hide his smile. Miles pulls his left leg up under himself so he can face Phoenix. He looks up to the sky in an effort to recall the stories his father told him as a child.
"You've heard of Orion's belt before?" He looks back at Phoenix. He can barely make out the nod in the dim moonlight. "In Roman mythology, Orion was the son of Neptune and Queen Euryale, He became the greatest hunter in the world. But," he pauses for dramatic affect, "unfortunately he also had the greatest ego." Here, Phoenix mock gasps. "He bragged that he could beat any animal on earth. And so, of course, he got stung by a tiny scorpion and died."
"And he gets his own star for that?" Phoenix asks, unimpressed.
"Several actually."
"What is the world coming to if a loser like that gets his own constellation of stars?"
"A very bad place, I'd say." They both laugh quietly and resume looking up at the stars. When their laughter dies down, Phoenix speaks.
"Well, I know an ancient Greek story too."
"Mine was ancient Roman, but please, continue," Miles teases.
Phoenix tries to look irritated but fails. "Well…" he begins, "it's about how Zeus punished humanity for trying to overthrow the gods."
"And how did the almighty Zeus do that?" Miles interjects.
"He cut the human soul in two and separated the halves. And thus," he starts dramatically, one finger in the air, "us humans were condemned to search for our other halves so that we could become whole once more. And if we didn't find them, we'd live a life of misery"
Miles shakes his head and rolls his eyes. "If that isn't the sappiest thing I've ever heard, I don't know what is." Despite his words, he has a smile on his face.
The two turn their gaze once again to the night sky. They sit in companionable silence for a long time; it could be over an hour, neither really knows. Phoenix nudges Miles' shoulder with his own to get his attention.
"Y'know, I'd say that you are my other half," Phoenix says in a hushed voice. Miles quietly groans because really, how cliché is that? Phoenix rests his head on Miles' shoulder and closes his eyes, listening to the slow breathing of his friend. They stay like this for a while until the stars begin to fade and the sky is not so black. Phoenix's breathing had long ago slowed down, indicating that he'd fallen asleep. Miles sighs, preparing to move off the hood of his car. He looks down at the sleeping man beside him and whispers:
"You're my other half too, Phoenix."
The End.