More Than You Think You Are

Chapter 3:

I need evidence!

Phoenix stared at the stupidly smiling faces on the small TV that was just far enough away that he couldn't hear it. He had no idea was going on, but staring at the TV meant he didn't have to stare at any of the other people in the waiting room.

They'd triaged his nose when he and Edgeworth came in—at least Edgeworth was kind enough to fill out the forms. Phoenix glanced around the room, were the hell had Edgeworth got to?

"Jerk…"

They'd given him a rag in case his nose continued dripping or if he started drooling. This was really awkward. All of this over the mention that they might actually be brothers? What's wrong with being related to Phoenix Wright? Edgeworth was such an asshole.

"Wright," Phoenix looked up to see Edgeworth standing over him and almost jumped—where did he come from?

"Geez Edgeworth," Phoenix said turning back to the TV, "Where did you learn all that ninja crap?"

Edgeworth only sighed and stared at the TV.

"Sit down," Phoenix said, "You're making me nervous."

"Don't tell me what to do, Wright," Edgeworth remained standing.

Phoenix rolled his eyes and stared at the TV. After several moments he looked sidelong at Edgeworth. Edgeworth was gnashing his teeth and staring at a window across the room. He looked different, but Phoenix couldn't quite put his finger on—oh.

"Hey, did you go and give blood?"

"I had some blood drawn, yes."

Phoenix made a face and nodded. That explained why he wasn't wearing his jacket, or his vest, or his cravat, but holding them under his arm.

"You actually look like a normal guy without the bib…"

"Go to hell, Wright."

Phoenix grinned and then stopped, "Oww…"

Even smiling was painful in his state.

Edgeworth sniffed and set his bundle of clothing on the seat beside him, and then let the sleeve down over his bandaged arm. He picked up his vest next and put it on before sitting down.

"Did you seriously take a paternity test?"

"No, because I'm relatively certain that I'm not your father," Edgeworth said.

"You know what I mean, don't be a douche."

"People like you like to go around saying things—preposterous things that make no sense. I would much rather see some evidence."

"So you had blood drawn for a DNA test?"

Edgeworth nodded solemnly without sparing him a glance.

"How long will the test take to um… process… or whatever?"

Edgeworth made a show of looking at his watch, (or maybe that was how always checked his watch—all obnoxious and fancy-like.)

'Look at my watch! It's so fancy and expensive,' said the little mocking falsetto in Phoenix's head.

"A couple of hours," Edgeworth said casually while he slid the white cloth of his cravat in his hands.

"Really? I thought it took weeks to get DNA results back…"

"Well," Edgeworth sounded especially snooty now, "To get results-via mail it can take up to several weeks. We usually get ours back in the next day or two. But Meryl is doing this as a favor to me."

"Oh, wow. Meryl, huh," Phoenix said, "And all you had to do was give her a striptease?"

Edgeworth bunched up the cloth in his fists, "I did nothing of the sort!"

"Oh," Pearl had her hands on her cheeks and shook her head with a matronly—albeit adorable—amount of concern, "Poor Mister Nick."

"Are you sure you don't remember who did this?" Maya said.

The determined set of her eyes and the fist on her hip reminded him of Mia for a moment. Phoenix would've grinned if his face didn't hurt so much.

"No," Phoenix lied—no sense in getting the girls all angry at Edgeworth, not yet.

Edgeworth joined them from wherever he'd gone. He was scowling worse than usual.

"Hey Edgeworth," Phoenix asked, "What do you know?"

Edgeworth glared a few moments longer and swept his gaze over the girls before meeting Phoenix's stare.

"It's cool, Edgeworth," Phoenix goaded him, "Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of Maya and Pearls. Edgeworth's frown deepened.

"Aren't you technically an Edgeworth too?"

"WHAT!?" Maya said.

Phoenix and the Fey girls seemed to think the newly uncovered relationship between the two of them reason enough to celebrate at their favorite burger joint. Edgeworth had apologized emphatically, and made his excuses to leave. Saying he really did want to join them, but he had to turn off the iron in his flooding apartment that may or may not also be on fire.

Edgeworth sat in the garage of his building and banged his head on the steering wheel. Why did his life have to be so terribly complicated? Just when he'd managed to find a way to cope and move on, something else strange and utterly traumatic would happen.

"Edgeworth," he sighed into the phone when the buzzing interrupted his reverie.

"What's wrong with you?" Franziska said.

"Nothing."

"When you say 'nothing' you mean it is something really bad."

"No, no I don't."

"So you will tell me if something is bothering you?"

"What do you need, Franziska?"

"Nothing."

"When you say 'nothing' you mean something really expensive."

"Hmm well," Franziska continued unfazed, "My birthday is only two weeks away."

"Yes," he said, "You programmed a reminder into my phone."

"I was only checking."

"Is that the only reason you called?"

"You're angry, Miles. I can hear it in your voice."

"So? You're all the way in Cohdopia…"

"Yes, but," she said, "I could tell… You need to be whipped."

"Really? That's going to calm my anger?"

"You sound happy already."

Edgeworth smirked a little.

"I still don't know how I feel about this," Edgeworth glanced at him from the driver's seat (which was on the wrong side of the car and totally weirding him out).

"What are you worried about?" Phoenix couldn't help it. Edgeworth was really irritating him.

"I don't know what I'll say to her," Edgeworth said.

"Just don't cuss her out and she'll be cool," Phoenix said, "Mom's cool."

"I'm not one for spouting vulgarities for no good reason," Edgeworth said.

"Oh okay," Phoenix said.

"What if she doesn't like me?"

"Nobody likes you Edgeworth," Phoenix groaned and leaned his head toward the window. He caught a glimpse of his own face in the side mirror, he still had that thing on his nose, and the purple bruising under his eyes made the whole thing seem far more serious than it was. Edgeworth had gone silent.

"Don't you have a radio in this car?"

"I don't want the radio, I'm trying to think."

"Can't you think with the radio?"

"I don't want the radio."

"Yeah but—" Phoenix started.

Edgeworth turned on the radio. They drove for a while without talking while the sounds from a classical music station tinkled in the background.

"Mom has been dying to see you, Phoenix said after a while, "You don't have to worry about what to say. Just be there."

Edgeworth frowned visibly but didn't reply.

"Just be honest with her," Phoenix said after some time, "I'm sure she's just as nervous about meeting you."

Edgeworth didn't say anything but Phoenix saw his hands tighten on the steering wheel and the twitch of muscle in his cheek.

"I mean," Phoenix said before the silence grew too heavy, "Isn't there something you've always wanted to ask her?"

Edgeworth grimaced and shook his head.

"We're family," Phoenix said, "You can say whatever you want."

"I want to ask her why she didn't…" Edgeworth trailed off—was he embarrassed? Maybe?

Phoenix stared at him for a moment or three. Edgeworth was really messed up over this. It was like the Hammond Trial all over again.

"Maybe it's better not to ask why…"

A/N: Thanks for reading! Leave a review… Oh please will you? Pretty please?

(Franziska will whip the non-reviewers into oblivion…)

Okay, so now there's evidence to prove it… Let's see what Mom has to say next….

UPDATED JUN2015 – Some minor edits, especially toward the end where I'd had a few complaints. Obviously, I can't please everyone, but I try to fix what I can.