Ha! Told you I'd have a quick update!

Anyways. A bit of this is kind of... graphic, because of Larry's active imagination. Just to let you know.

This story's gonna be a LOT longer than originally planned, because of Trials and Tribulations... and Apollo Justice, of course. -waves a flag for new plot material-

Cool. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 8

March 17

1:15 P.M.

Hospital

Larry snatched Ema's notebook and pencil away, then sat on a nearby bench and started scribbling furiously, the tip of his tongue poking through the corner of his mouth. Finally, he stood up and presented the notebook with a triumphant look on his face. The others clustered around it and began to read what Larry had written.

'The room is still. Everything seems to be holding its breath. The others have gone, and it is just the two of them. They have been locked in a room together, but they don't mind so much anymore, as long as they are with each other. Their feelings have been held in for so long, they feel that they are about to burst.

Phoenix Wright reaches up to touch the pale, soft skin of Miles Edgeworth's cheek. They both shiver at the feelings that shoot through them. They feel giddy, astonished, uncertain.

It is Miles who boldly cups Phoenix's chin and presses their lips together. He moans, and Phoenix's eyes shine with passion. They embrace, and their lips separate, then meet again, passionate and full of desire. Their lips part... their tongues dance. Phoenix fumbles with Miles' cravat as Miles moves the kisses to his neck, sucking gently. Phoenix whimpers, which excites Miles all the more. They murmur to each other, expressing their love, and revealing all that has been kept in the dark. They push each other's coats off and get to work with unbuttoning the other's shirt, desperate for more skin-to-skin contact. They kiss again, and the shirts are free. Miles pushes Phoenix down onto the nearby bed as they run their hands across the other's chest, sighing in delicious pleasure. Phoenix pulls Miles down for another kiss. Miles obliges, then moves the attentions of his mouth to Phoenix's torso. Phoenix cries out as Miles' tongue brushes against the skin near his waistband, his arousal...'

The little story became more and more graphic. Too shocked to turn away, they continued reading until the end, with Pearl asking at frequent intervals what this and that meant. Ema finally looked up, closed the notebook, and whacked Larry over the head.

"If you're really that into porn, go write smut or doujinshi for a fandom."

"What makes you think I'm not?" Larry grinned deviously.

"That's sick, pal. It's not gonna work anyways," interrupted Gumshoe. "We need something less... forceful."

Pearl just looked confused. Maya shuddered at the thought of her little cousin being corrupted even more.

Ema bit her bottom lip thoughtfully.

"What we need..." she decided, "is to get one of them to admit his feelings, out of his own mouth. The other one needs to hear him say it, as well; they'll never believe us otherwise." The others nodded. "They need to be caught off-guard in a situation that they are comfortable with."

"Which is...?" Larry mused. Pearl frowned. There must be something…

March 17

5:02 P.M.

Hospital

A pair of blue eyes blearily flickered open. The man in the hospital bed groaned and shifted slightly.

'My head is killing me…' As he tried to sit up, the room whirled. With a groan, Phoenix Wright replaced his head on the pillow and shifted his body, only to be greeted by the sight of a familiar man, slumped over in a chair.

"Edgeworth?"

Miles didn't answer, and his heavy breathing evidenced that he had fallen asleep.

"Miles?"

"Hmm?" Miles shifted. One eye opened slightly, then the other. "Wright. You're awake."

"Now who's stating the obvious?" A disdainful snort from the other man brought a slight smile to his face. "What are you doing here, Miles?"

"Waiting for you to wake up," Miles replied, making an invisible adjustment to his cravat.

"What happened?" Phoenix asked. "I'm all dizzy… and my head hurts… and I'm in the hospital, apparently."

Miles sighed.

"I was running a few errands, and I heard a commotion in a nearby alleyway. I went to investigate, and I found you and the body of a dead woman. I was a bit… panicked, so I ordered onlookers to call an ambulance." He closed his grey eyes in weariness before sitting up straight and adjusting his cravat again. "The readings of your CT scan show that you are suffering from a concussion. You need plenty of rest, and you should not engage in strenuous physical activity. I don't think that should be too much of a change from your current schedule."

Phoenix's brow furrowed in irritation, then softened.

"You were... panicked?"

Miles didn't say anything for a while.

"I thought... that you were dead, Wright. As you may have noticed, I don't have many friends. It seemed like DL-6 all over again. I couldn't bear losing someone else close to me."

"But... you... waited… all this time?

"Don't be so astonished," snorted Edgeworth. "Would you have done the same if I were in your present situation?"

"O-of course," stammered Phoenix.

"There you go," stated Edgeworth. He sighed. "Wright... do you know how I found you?"

Phoenix raised an eyebrow.

"Heh, I've been practicing this so I can be all haughty like you."

Edgeworth tried to conceal a smirk.

"Seriously, Wright. I found you holding a knife, which was covered in blood. It looks bad for you, Wright. They will probably take you to court after your injuries are mostly healed."

Phoenix bit his lip, eyes widening.

"But... that's not what happened! I didn't kill her..."

"I know you didn't. But that's what everyone is going to see. What really happened, Wright? Do you remember?"

Phoenix took a deep breath.

"I was on my way to buy some groceries. I heard a noise, so I went to see what was going on. There was a figure... a woman, I think, holding that knife and standing over the body. She turned around, but her face was cloaked... then she approached me, and… pain… my brain was rattling… then everything got black…"

Edgeworth listened to all of this, vowing silently to find this woman and make her pay.

"Edgeworth? Why is your fist clenched like that?"

Edgeworth relaxed slightly.

"Headache."

Phoenix tilted his head, concerned.

"You need anything?"

"You're hardly in a position to get me anything, even if I needed it." He clasped Phoenix's shoulder. "Don't worry about it."

Suddenly, everything was too much for Phoenix. He felt like he could sleep for a thousand years. Pillowing his head on Miles' hand, he sighed softly and closed his eyes.

"Hey! Wright…" Phoenix didn't answer. He had always been quick to fall asleep. Murmuring slightly, he shifted and hugged Miles' arm.

Miles, needless to say, was at a loss. Of course, it was entirely inappropriate for Wright to be behaving like this, but he couldn't help it, and he looked so peaceful.

'Should I leave, or should I stay?' As the thought crossed his mind, Phoenix hugged his arm more tightly.

"Don't leave me," he whispered, a pained look crossing his face. Miles knew that look. It was the one that he himself wore when he woke up from a nightmare.

'Well, that decides things.' Miles nodded and settled himself comfortably in his chair. By the looks of it, he would be there for a while.