A/N: I know, I know. I haven't posted anything in a very long time, and this short thing doesn't really up for it. I'm sorry, I really am! But it's an improvement over nothing, right?
The Judge stared at him, fingering his gavel impatiently. Over on the other side of the courtroom, Edgeworth had his hands clasped, looking somewhat bored, his expression suggesting that he had figured the case out a long while ago. Phoenix was almost convinced that Edgeworth really had done so, and was testing him to see how well he could hold up in court.
The jury was muttering quietly, and Phoenix could hear little snippets of muted conversations. What he heard from them didn't really make him feel particularly confident, though; most of the conversations seemed to be about his nervous demeanor or his hairstyle.
He realized that he was sweating, and breathed in deeply. Think, Phoenix, think! He looked at his evidence, and then flipped through a few papers that had been hastily shoved at him before the trial. His mind was drawing blanks.
Phoenix fumbled with his briefcase, almost dropping it once or twice, then produced a sheaf of paper from the previous day's trial. He rotated the paper a few times before figuring out which way the letters on the page were going. Suddenly realizing how horribly messy his handwriting was, and how little attention he had paid to that witness yesterday, Phoenix hunched forward in a desperate attempt to read the perhaps crucial writing. He abruptly noticed a small doodle of the Judge he had done in the corner and mentally slapped himself for it. The beard was a bit off, and if he could just add another line right there, then…
Wait, what was he doing? He needed to focus. The Judge was fidgeting slightly now, eyes flicking from Phoenix to Edgeworth and back. The jury's grumblings were a bit louder as well, and as Edgeworth watched him with that piercing gaze, Phoenix felt less and less confident.
His gaze fell on the defendant, who was looking at him helplessly. Phoenix blinked, and the defendant shrugged, shooting a pleading look at him. He couldn't waste any more time.
He looked back down at the evidence. It seemed to stare back at him, and he felt so close to finding that link, that contradiction that would drive out all doubts. The time for relentless bluffing and theorizing was over. Phoenix prodded at the papers with the pencil, then prodded at each piece of evidence again.
Maybe if he stared a bit harder…
And suddenly, it all snapped together. He let that familiar feeling of relief flood his mind for a moment, and smiled widely. Phoenix saw Edgeworth relax slightly, and unclasp his hands. He took a half step back, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, and rolled his shoulders back.
He took a brisk step forward, filled his lungs… His right hand slammed down on the desk while the other made a quick motion across his chest and he pointed and he shouted,
"OBJECTION!"