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Chapter 4

Through the Hour Glass

Edgeworth chickened out in the end—Phoenix half expected it. In fact he was surprised he managed to get Edgeworth to follow him all the way up to the O-13 level to watch flight ops with him. Phoenix gazed longingly in disappointment as Edgeworth put his Khakis back on. He'd pulled his NWU pants back on, but stopped to brood in disappointment while Edgeworth buttoned his stupid shirt.

Phoenix crossed his arms and stared at Edgeworth's face, hoping those eyes would come up and meet his. But the other man seemed very intent on getting properly dressed. Edgeworth was still scarred—in the end those walls he built to protect himself are what drove Phoenix to run off and 'Join the circus' as Edgeworth had so aptly described it. They were still there.

So why follow me? Phoenix watched Edgeworth cinch his belt and then check that the gold-finished brass-buckle was in line with his shirt and pants.

"You look skinny," Phoenix said.

Edgeworth looked up at him for only a moment before turning his attention back to his uniform, "The food here is terrible. If I don't just fall down some hole somewhere or get smashed in something or electrocuted or irradiated to death or blown off this boat—I just may starve."

Phoenix raised an eyebrow and laughed at him, "It's not so bad."

"Says mister rock star fighter pilot," Edgeworth said.

"Aw, are they working you too hard in the legal department?"

"Hardly," Edgeworth slid his hands into his pockets, "But I still get turned around on here and I can't ever seem to get to the mess on time. If they didn't have midrats..."

Phoenix doubled over in laughter, "Oh man. You poor thing! Didn't they assign you a sponsor?"

"Yes, of course."

"Why aren't they helping you out? They're supposed to show you around."

"She... She did," Miles frowned, "But all of these passages look the same."

"Wow, you need help," Phoenix was still grinning at him. Not only did Edgeworth seem very perturbed by his situation, but his ears had reddened and his brow furrowed.

"Don't get upset," Phoenix said, "I could probably show you around. I don't fly every day. So I can usually find some free time."

Edgeworth glared, "During the work day?"

"I'm sure you can take some time away from kicking out fat kids and recording masts to learn the ship."

"But we agreed to—"

"Yes, we did," Phoenix crossed his arms, "But you said we ought to try and be friends too."

"Yes, very well.

"Do you want to see my plane?"

Edgeworth shot him an offended look. Phoenix paused for a moment and then laughed,

"Yeah... Phrasing... Sorry, I meant my actual plane, the one that I fly."

"I suppose that would be interesting; but I probably can't today."

"You'll love it! I mean, she's basically a modified Hornet—just like the ones—"

"Don't start talking to me about airplanes," Edgeworth said and crossed his arms, "I'm still getting used to the ship stuff."

"Okay, sorry," Phoenix grinned.

"Do you really have nothing to do today?"

"We got to keep up with PMS," Phoenix said, "So yeah. I'm just hanging out today."

"Do you want to sit in my work space? That way we might—"

"No way," Phoenix said, "What are you up to anyway? We could just stay here and… you know… catch up."

Edgeworth was studying the pictures he and Larry had taped to the wall, "I don't know."

"No," Phoenix said, "You're right. It's too soon..."

"No, I just—"

"What?" Phoenix found himself close to him again. Lost in that stormy gray stare, "Miles..."

"Why didn't you ever come home?"

Really? You have to do this now? Phoenix shook his head and looked away, "I don't know. Things have been going so fast—I guess I never found the time."

Edgeworth was frowning at him, those gray eyes looked so profoundly sad.

"Nothing personal..."

"It certainly seemed personal," Edgeworth ran a hand through his hair, "You never once called or wrote..."

"I was busy," Phoenix tugged at his own spikes he had to look away from that face, "I'm sorry. I didn't think you needed the distraction..."

"You could've at least called," Edgeworth said, "I find it highly unlikely that you of all people were so focused on your work that you couldn't once call home."

Phoenix smiled, "I guess I was trying to outdo you—in my own way."

"Everyone missed you, Nick," Edgeworth put his head down, "That whole town was sad you left. You were loved."

"Yeah," Phoenix said, "Well there was one I couldn't really get a straight answer from..."

"So it was my fault?"

Phoenix startled and turned to look at him, "I didn't—"

Edgeworth faced the wall again and Phoenix could see the sinew in his cheek jerk as he clenched his jaw.

They'd been friends since they were kids—since before they could remember. Their shared childhoods seemed richer for their companionship. Then Edgeworth's father was murdered—it happened at the courthouse, under mysterious circumstances. They were both nine.

Edgeworth had gone to a home for a few months—first an orphanage then a foster home nearby. It seemed that they could still be friends—they'd be okay. Then Edgeworth was swept off to Germany with some guy that Edgeworth's dad used to work with—or something. He was gone for ten years.

Phoenix had all but forgotten him. Especially since he'd been forced to survive the jungle of Junior High and High School all on his own. Phoenix knew it wasn't Edgeworth's choice, or his fault—but it was easy to slide into resentment all the same.

The next time they saw each other was at University. Edgeworth was nothing like Phoenix remembered. He seemed broken almost. It took Phoenix the better part of a year to get Edgeworth to climb out of his shell enough to be a friend. Even that always seemed tentative, though. Edgeworth had a lot of issues to work through.

One thing they had in common was the Law. Phoenix started studying law and criminal justice to be in the same classes as Edgeworth. Somehow, Edgeworth had him sold on the idea that being a lawyer was the most logical course of action for Phoenix as well.

In the last couple years of University, Phoenix realized that he never felt as much for his girlfriends as he did for Edgeworth. As their friendship became increasingly romantic—Phoenix began to feel desperate. Edgeworth was not a very physical person—Phoenix needed to be touched.

They were young; emotions ran hotter than they were ready to deal with—so Phoenix ran away. He ran away and chose the most far off path he could think of—he'd decided to be an astronaut. But so far, he'd only been allowed to fly jets.

Phoenix thumbed through the paperback he'd retrieved from his cargo pocket. Edgeworth was still studying the photos.

"Who's this guy?"

Phoenix stretched his neck to see what Edgeworth was pointing at, "That's Larry Butz—I met him at OCS. Then I went Aviator and he went NFO and we went our separate ways until fate put us in the same squadron."

Edgeworth was staring at Larry with his brow furrowed—more so than it had been—Phoenix smiled.

"He's just a friend," Phoenix said, "And only out of necessity."

"And her?"

"That's Dahlia—we… It didn't last long."

"But you kept her picture?"

Phoenix glared at Edgeworth and stuck his nose back in his book, "Why does it matter to you?"

Edgeworth shook his head at the wall, "It's been six years. I'm just trying to make sense of it."

"I don't see why you can't just let it go," Phoenix said—maybe with more open resentment than he'd intended.

"There's this," Edgeworth looked at him directly, "I don't know who you are anymore. You picked the most foolish, daredevil—"

"I'm good at this," Phoenix said, "Just like you're good at—lawyering… No one can lawyer like you."

Edgeworth frowned and crossed his arms.

"Do you want to eat?" Phoenix said, "Before you starve or whatever?"

Edgeworth put his head down and dropped his arms at his sides. Slowly he took his left elbow with his right hand—an anxious gesture he'd kept since childhood. He gave a very pained expression to the wall, but Phoenix could see it in his profile.

"I did do this because of you," Edgeworth said, "I thought—maybe someday we might cross paths—I never guessed you'd be on my first ship. Now—now I'm starting to feel that I'm not quite ready. But I'm not trying to push you away, Nick, please know that."

Phoenix stood and put on his blouse buttoning it slowly, "It's fine, Miles. Don't worry about it."

"You're disappointed."

Phoenix opened the stateroom door with one hand and put the other on Edgeworth's shoulder; he grinned, "I can't help that—you gorgeous thing you. But whatever. I've waited this long—I can be patient for a little longer."

"Thank you."

"I said a little longer."

Phoenix was right—of course. The mess was nearly deserted. He watched Edgeworth ask for double the entrée—which was some semblance of tetrazzini with an unknown protein—I guess a couple weeks with not enough to eat will make even the most finicky person less discriminating. They sat down in a corner underneath the television. Edgeworth didn't speak—he really was hungry—Phoenix stared at him for a while before attending to his own meal.

Phoenix was just finishing up when Larry joined them at their table, choosing a seat beside Phoenix. Edgeworth looked slightly offended.

"Dude," Larry said, "These guys just wouldn't quit. Where's the hot sauce?"

Phoenix put his fork down and stared at Larry.

"How come you're sitting under the TV—you can't see what's going on," and then he looked at Edgeworth, "Oh, hey. Who are you?"

"I'm Miles Edgeworth."

"Oh," Larry paused and then leaned in closer to Phoenix, "Am I supposed to know who that is?"

Phoenix smiled, "He's a frie—the new JAG."

"JAG…?" Larry squinted at Edgeworth, "Oh yeah! How are you man? My name is Larry—Larry Butz—nice to meet you."

Edgeworth shook his hand and nodded in reply to Larry's greetings—if he'd meant to be rude, Larry didn't seem to notice.

Edgeworth looked at Phoenix with those striking gray eyes and Phoenix offered a raised eyebrow in reply. Edgeworth moved those irises in Larry's direction for a moment before fixing them back on Phoenix. Phoenix gave the merest hint of a shrug and smiled.

"So Larry," Phoenix said, "Are you done for the day?"

"No," Larry swallowed a mouthful of whatever they were eating, "I have to go back. I'll probably be there until dinner time."

Phoenix shot Edgeworth a pointed look. The other man closed his eyes and gave his head a very subtle shake. Phoenix frowned slightly.

He decided it was only right to show Edgeworth how to get back to the Admin spaces he worked at. He didn't linger to chat and Edgeworth made no effort to keep him. Phoenix frowned as he headed back toward the mess. Hoping against hope that he hadn't already screwed this up. Edgeworth could be so hard to read sometimes.

He entered the hangar bay with two Styrofoam food boxes. The maintenance space was crowded. He saw Petty Officer Fey talking to a tall burly chief. He frowned.

"Chief," he greeted when he was in earshot.

"Oh hi Mister Wright," Chief said, "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"I promised my maintainers lunch," Phoenix looked around sheepishly, "But there were only two of them when I came by earlier."

Chief wiggled giddily, "Ooh what did you bring?"

"Just some stuff from the grill line," Phoenix turned the boxes in his hands, "You know burgers, fries... Chief what are you doing here? Is something wrong with my—"

"No, no, sir," Chief said with a toss of his head, "we just finished quarters and I was just telling Petty Officer Fey here that she needs to start pushing herself if she's going to make second class. ESWS, JSA, CSADD... She needs to get involved if she wants to stand out—am I right, El Tee?"

Phoenix shot a sympathetic look in Fey's direction, "Give her a break Chief, this is a tough deployment."

Chief waggled his head at him, "Good thing you're not in her Chain of Command, sir."

Phoenix glared at the Chief. Come, on!

"All due respect, sir," Chief said waving a finger at him and grinning broadly. He was such a creep.

Phoenix turned without another word and passed the meal boxes to Fey and then nodded before departing. He glanced back once on his way out and then shook his head. If he could, he'd get her a new Chief. That guy... ugh!

He was headed back to berthing, rolling over the day's events in his head when someone jumped him from behind. Phoenix almost fell over.

"Boogity boogity boo!"

Phoenix rammed him into the bulkhead, "OW!"

"Doug?" Phoenix was surprised when he rounded on the man.

Doug started laughing, "Wow, you are so... jumpy..."

"You're an idiot if you think it's okay to run around grab-assing in the p-ways!"

Doug held up his hands, "Sorry, Nick. I was just trying to scare you—just for fun. I didn't mean anything by it."

Phoenix held out a hand to help him up, "I take it you're not flying today either."

"Nah," Doug said, "And I'm starting to go a little stir crazy. What are you up to?"

"The same," Phoenix crossed his arms, "Just trying to kill a few more hours so I can go to bed."

"There's karaoke tonight in the forward mess," Doug perked up suddenly, "Weren't you coming to that?"

Phoenix shook his head, "I don't know man, I don't really fee—"

"Aw you have to! We got challenged by that asshole Lang down in CIWS."

"Yeah, you guys are going to have to manage on your own," Phoenix started to pull away from him.

"But we were going to do 'You've Lost that Loving Feel—"

"Doug," Phoenix put his hands on his hips and gave him a hard look, "If you're going to beats those OPS clowns, you have to do something new. You can't live in this make-believe world where you re-enact Top Gun over and over again."

"So what do you think we should do?"

"We aren't doing anything," Phoenix turned to leave, "Because I'm not going."

"Hey, is everything okay, bro?"

Phoenix paused, "Why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know, that's why I asked," Doug frowned, "You seem a little touchy today."

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because I just got assaulted in the p-way by you," Phoenix glared at him.

"I said I was sorry," Doug put his head down and slid his boot along the floor in front of him. Oh, come on!

"Don't do that," Phoenix said, "Let me see how Larry's feeling tonight. If he's going I'll go with him."

Doug grinned, "I'll see you tonight, brother."

Phoenix gave him a noncommittal shrug and continued on his way. By the time he entered the berthing corridor traffic had picked up in the passageways. He nodded at a few of the other officers he knew but stayed focused on his destination and avoided conversation.

Larry wasn't in the stateroom when he entered. He frowned at the empty room and then pulled the chair out from where it had been secured under the desk and sat down to take off his boots. His head was swimming with thoughts of Edgeworth while he unlaced his boots; he'd been congenial enough when they parted earlier, but then... Edgeworth wouldn't say anything if he was upset about their... encounter... And that's the problem. That's what he couldn't deal with.

Edgeworth had berated him for not calling or writing, but he hadn't done that either. Well, you joined the Navy—no one had any idea where you were. Phoenix sighed guiltily and pulled off his left boot and let it drop to the floor. He hadn't really made it easy for anyone to track him down. But then, wasn't that the whole point? To get away?

He pulled off his right boot and watched it drop to the floor—and that's when he saw it. A small rectangle of red with a small stripe of yellow and blue in the center. The cloth was wrapped around a metal frame—the National Defense Medal. Well it was the ribbon that represented the Medal.

Phoenix frowned, it must've fallen off of his shirt when they... You should go bring it to him. Yeah, but then I have to put my boots back on...

Phoenix closed his fist around the ribbon and then put it in his pocket. Leave Edgeworth alone for now, you'll scare him off.

He stood and picked up his boots to secure them and then shoved the chair back under the desk. He climbed wearily into his rack and pulled his book out of his pocket and returned to the Battle off Samar. They weren't that far into this deployment. There was time. Patience is a virtue, right?

But patience was so difficult sometimes.

A/N: Thanks for Reading! Grrrrr…. The slow but necessary exposition. In order to get this story to work, some of the history has to change too.

Phoenix and Miles have an eyeball conversation… LOL

Disclaimer: Ace Attorney and all characters are copyright by CAPCOM; I'm just a fan imitating. The stories presented are influenced by the multiple games as well as the comic (Manga written by Kenji Kuroda).