A/N: I didn't error proof. Omg. I'm sorry in advance.

Sound Effective
.11 Embrace

"These shoes feel…awkward."

"They're great shoes though," Phoenix assured, as he put the dress shoes in the box while Miles tied up the ones he'd just been brought and walked around in them.

"I feel like I'm going to fall over. Why are they shaped like this?"

"They're toning shoes, but I find that they're really good for contouring to feet. You have high arches, so these will keep you from having to put insoles in. And stairs will be a snap."

Miles let out a dry snort, "You sound like a shoe salesman."

"I swear by them. I don't have a fancy car to ride around in, so I do a lot of walking and bike riding. These shoes are always in my backpack when I'm out. It's not like they're cheap shoes…well, to you they may be. But they're Sketchers. Those are relatively hip shoes."

"Go grab you a pair, and let's go."

"I already have a p-"

"Argue with me. Do it. I dare you."

The other man gave a weak grin and held his hands up defensively. "Okay, okay. Stop giving me the cold glare. I'm not arguing."

"Well hurry up then," he pointed at him, "I have a few things I'd like to do after we leave here."

The other man left as instructed and gathered what he was told, as well as the other shirts that Miles said he was okay with. In addition, he pulled one more and hid it between the others. He'd enjoy that amusement later on, so for the time being, he thought it best not to mention that little addition. It was a small start, but maybe this would make the rigid man relax a little more. He was a little worried about his mental state, even if Miles was back to acting like nothing happened at all. It wasn't uncommon for the stoic man to pretend he didn't have problems.

"Okay, which shirt do you want to leave out of here in?" Phoenix asked walking back.

"I suppose the blue one will do," Miles answered, standing to pull his wallet from his pocket, slipping a card out of the holder. He noted the lack of hands Phoenix had free and simply stuck the corner of the card in the man's mouth, so his teeth would hold it. "You go buy, I will go change." He took the blue shirt from the top and one of the pairs of pants from over his shoulder. He carefully pulled the tags from both, and slipped them just above the card, also to be held in Phoenix's mouth. "Do not worry; I believe you can do it."

Phoenix made a mumble that served as a reply and left for the desk as Miles headed in the direction of the bathroom. Part of him wanted to follow him after the last time, but he didn't want to scare Miles either. Well, not 'scare', but make him uncomfortable.

He stalked carefully to the checkout counter and was greeted by a lady with an apprehensive smile. She must have heard about what happened on the farther side of the department store. He wasn't surprised she seemed uneasy. Anyone would with a mad man possibly running loose.

"Hello there, are you ready to check out?"

"Yes ma'am," was what he attempted, but it came out more like a muffled mess of sounds. He place the items in his hands on her counter and reached up to take the card and tags from his mouth. "Ahem, yes, ma'am. Sorry for that. I had my hands full. Haha," he grinned. "Oh, I also have these two tags. My friend is gonna wear those items out, so he wanted me to bring the tags for checkout."

"Oh that's quite alright. You were with the man in the magenta suit, correct?"

"Yes. He's also got the real shoes in the box here. The ones that are in it are his other ones."

"Not a problem. I have all I need here for the tags." She smiled as she rang each item up. "All of these on one ticket?"

"Hm? Yes ma'am."

"I was just making sure; you've got different sized articles in here."

"I trust what he put in the pile. And I know what I picked out is right. So if there's a problem, we'll just bring them back."

She continued to ring up the items laid out and placed them into two large bags next to her, separating the, by size. "The total comes to 664.08."

Phoenix's jaw slid open a little at the total and he handed the card over blankly. He never imagined spending that much money in one run. Well, the shoes were a hundred bucks a pair, but the rest of that still added up to a pretty hefty number. Miles was a high maintenance man, though. So somehow, the more casual man didn't think he would even flinch at the number. He did just buy a condo, after all.

"Here's your card back," the cashier's voice brought him back to reality. "If you'll sign here for me, please." She handed him a pen and a slip of paper.

He didn't know whether or not he should sign it. Miles gave him the card to use, but it still wasn't his. He didn't exactly want to bring that up to her, but if he signed his name she would probably notice…if he signed Miles's name, he would be committing forgery…

"You can sign it, Wright," came the voice over his shoulder. It was the owner of the card in question. "If anyone has problems, then they can call me up personally." He was adjusting the buttons on his shirt, and brushing the invisible dust off his shoulders. He was probably not used to such clothing to begin with.

"How does it feel?"

"Surprisingly comfortable. I feel like I should be running in these shoes, though."

With a good look, Phoenix noted that Miles had chosen a good combination. The blue shirt wasn't too light and it went very well tucked in with the black slacks and the Sketchers he'd picked that had white stripes on them. He though those shoes looked fitting for him especially. Those long legs belonged to a runner. Those long legs could take on stairs like no one's business too.

"Awesome. You know, you look really charming in casual wear."

Miles coughed to clear his throat and rolled his eyes, retrieving his card from the man's hand. "Don't be absurd." He made a polite bow to the cashier and took the bags, setting one on the floor and rooting through the other. "Hm." He then switched the bag's positions until he came upon what he was looking for: a pair of gray slacks and a rich deep red shirt, very similar to his own, except with shorter sleeves. He turned back to his companions and held them out. "Change."

"Eh?"

"I told you I wasn't the only one being subjected to this. Go. And here are the shoes too. I'd rather walk out of here as both of us casually. You're still in your suit."

"Uh…Thanks. You didn't really need to. I have clothes at h-"

Miles simply pointed in the direction of the rest room, where he had changed.

"You are increasingly harder to argue with as this goes on."

"Good."

Phoenix shrugged in defeat and turned on his way. He did like the colors chosen, though he noted—amused—that the colors between them had been inverted. He wondered if it was a sign as to how much they were different. Somehow it didn't change how much he felt for him.

Those thoughts continued to pool in his head as he went through the motions of changing into another look. He regretted many of the things that led to his temporary fall from legal grace, but just like how he started, he came back for Miles. Somehow, that man had been part of everything he did for eighteen or so years. They'd been pitted against each other, they worked together, he saved Miles, Miles saved him…Miles disappeared…then so did he.

All things that would ultimately be worth the end result. He hoped anyway. He didn't want to let more stupid things set back their lives.

He folded his suit lazily and piled all of his previously worn items together. Without any hesitation he made his way back. His casual steps led him back to Miles, who was sitting on a different bench than the last one, with his back to Phoenix. His shoulder were slightly slumped and he was looking down at the floor. Both hands were placed on the bench as well, so he figured that Miles wasn't messing with his phone.

A strong urge made him move closer to that man, dropping his bag by the other one. His arms found their ways to Miles, and snaked around his neck. Leaning closer, he felt the man's posture stiffen suddenly, but relax once he realized who it was. Phoenix pressed his cheek to Miles's and embraced him from behind. "I know you're not as okay as you say you are," he whispered, "but we're going to figure this all out. You don't need to bottle every bit of it up and hide it away from me."

As if he had been struck by lightening, Miles flinched and closed his eyes. He didn't want to be hit with the trust that Phoenix had this tendency to call out of him, but he wasn't that okay. He had stood in the bathroom, wiping a dead man's blood off his face and out of his hair. A man he'd seen alive moments before.

For the first time ever, Miles didn't shun away from someone's embrace, but instead, simply sat there; taking a moment to relish in the living breathing warmth of another human. He didn't return it, but he didn't need to. His eyes just remained closed, his face pressed to his friend's.

He whispered softly, almost so much that the other man couldn't hear it, "Thank you."

To Be Continued…

A/N: I hope I'm still in character with them. I'm trying to use what I've seen from the games and the manga casefiles. Which…are probably not the best ones to use as far as the manga goes XD