Be My Friend
Ch. 4

Disclaimer and notes: I own nothing, just had an idea of how character interactions could have gone in "Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright" and went with it.

"Come in out of the rain, please, sir." Layton fished the keys out of his coat pocket and let the little group inside. Edgeworth delicately shook off his umbrella outside before sliding it into a little container by the mat. "I hope you were not waiting for us long."

Edgeworth entered every room like the Angel of Death, friendly visit or courtroom, and today was no exception. Stern and stiff, the rain hadn't dared to touch him under his umbrella. Eyes of flint glared out from under steel gray locks of hair. He wore a coat and cravat like armor, pulled tight around him and buttoned so as not to afford an inch of skin where it could possibly escape. Phoenix smiled at him, because a smile was really the best defense against a guy like Edgeworth. Layton fell into place at his side, standing close enough to where they could just barely touch if Phoenix leaned the right way.

"Only for a few minutes. I came by taxi." Edgeworth stood in the doorway, stock-still, as Maya and Luke shed their wet shoes at the door and flitted around him like moths around a lightbulb. ("See this guy? We got him off a murder charge once!" "Cor!") "Mr. Cantabella was quite insistent on getting you as his defense attorney, and was refusing to cooperate with the police until we had a concrete answer from you personally."

"Well, good for him," said Phoenix. "My answer's still no. Hey, kids..."

Phoenix's weight shifted, cocking one hip to the side, hand resting on the hem of his pocket. "Why don't you tell Edgeworth all about the London Dungeon?"

Maya and Luke's eyes snapped to Edgeworth, gleaming in the low light, and the well-dressed prosecutor flinched as if struck. "No! That is entirely unnecessary-!"

"Mr. Edgeworth, it's great! You start out in this black tunnel-"

"And they put you in a boat with all the other people in the line-"

"And everything's covered in this huge fog and you can't see-"

Layton watched, stunned, as Edgeworth locked up under the attentions of two children. "Oh my... We've made Mr. Edgeworth quite uncomfortable."

"You don't know Edgie back home." Phoenix patted Layton's back between his shoulder blades. "Getting a little embarrassed sometimes is good for him. Gives us time to make a pot of tea, yeah?"

For any discomfort he had, Layton seemed to perk at the idea of tea. "An excellent idea, Phoenix. If you would join me in the kitchen?"

"Sure! Kids, table! Tea soon!"

As Layton and Phoenix ducked into the kitchen, a flurry of stories followed behind them, dragging an increasingly anxious Edgeworth in their wake. Phoenix stepped back and let Layton put a kettle on. It was his kitchen, after all, only fair. Besides, it felt good to hide away from work for a few more minutes...

"You seem familiar with Mr. Edgeworth," Layton asked, not looking up from the kettle.

Oh, goodness, was that the littlest hint of gentleman jealousy? Phoenix was almost flattered. Mostly he hoped he was misinterpreting things, because jealousy seemed unbecoming on Layton. Maybe it was anxiety instead. The best answer, whatever the question was, was the truth. "Miles Edgeworth and I have known each other since..." Wasn't there a word for this. "Prrrimary school?"

Layton made a noise like realization and nodded, smiling. Phoenix was just glad he got it right. "Yeah, since Primary school! He's the reason I got into law. Now sometimes we have cases together. I'm defense, he's prosecution."

"Aaah, that would explain the casual nature of your interactions." Layton smiled and moved much easier now. Anxiety, Phoenix thought. "He does seem a rather reserved type compared to you and Ms. Fey."

"Yeah, he's like that," Phoenix noted. "Nothing malicious about it, he's just kind of a stiff."

Edgeworth's voice pierced through the quiet of the kitchen. "Wright, I am in no mood to be banished to the children's table!"

Phoenix shouted at the door. "Well do you want your tea or not, Edgeworth?!"

"I came here to make sure you hadn't been kidnapped again, not to hear traveler's tales!"

"Woah... now that I didn't expect to hear." It took a lot to get a straight admission of concern out of Miles; if he was offering it up in front of others, he must have been serious. Phoenix caught Layton by the shoulder and held on tight. "I've gotta hear about this, meet you in the kitchen, okay?" He pulled the professor into a quick hug, thumping him across the back, and raced out to hear the rest of this. As he rounded the corner, Layton stayed in place.

Layton kept a cluttered kitchen, the walls lined with pottery and papers and corkboards with clippings. Maya and Luke had their mouths full of cakes that Phoenix hadn't seen in a shop in London yet. He faintly suspected that Edgeworth had bribed them with confections out of his own pockets just to keep them quiet for a moment. Phoenix sat in a chair across from Edgeworth, sandwiching Luke between him and Maya. "Okay, say that again about the kidnapping?"

Edgeworth huffed as if Phoenix had asked him to repeat the entire story, but he was pretty sure he hadn't heard it a first time. "If you had kept better track of your phone battery, you would have known by now-"

"I haven't been able to charge it for two weeks! I forgot!"

"That's exactly the point!" Edgeworth's hands stayed clasped firmly on the table as he spoke. His fingers linked tight as if they were all working together to keep themselves from fidgeting. "You went off the radar for two weeks, disappeared from all of London on the same day as the world-renowned professor of archaeology at Gressenheller University. For two weeks, untraceable, unable to be contacted, and within hours of finding you, the news explodes with stories about a hidden research facility that experimented in memory erasure and brainwashing!"

"Wow..." Phoenix ran his fingers through his hair shyly. "You're keeping better track of the story than I am!"

Maya mumbled through a mouthful of cake roll. "Aaaaw, he loves you!"

"He musta been really worried about you, Mr. Wright!" Luke added.

"Yeah, he's the best friend a guy could ask for," teased Phoenix. "A real pal."

It was either rage or humiliation that was turning Edgeworth's face beet red. Phoenix was fine with both. "That. Being. Said. The Legal League of Attorneys was not happy about your mistreatment. I will be prosecuting the case myself, upon their request."

Layton came back from the kitchen with the tea in a proper china tea set. Phoenix had never seen one used before! Maya and Luke were much more used to the sight and poured their own cups, as did Edgeworth after politely thanking and greeting Professor Layton, hello, yes, names, Prosecutor Miles Edgeworhth, apologies for the abrupt entry, gentleman gentleman gentleman. Layton took the seat on Phoenix's other side, and Phoenix greeted him with a little bump of their shoulders. The professor smiled a little easier and sipped away at a cup of tea while Edgeworth continued.

"Knowing that you won't be defending the client, however, means that I can't ask the League to extend your stay..."

"Nick, take the case!" Maya yelped. "I don't wanna leave yet!"

"... past the next few days." Edgeworth took another, calculated sip from his cup. "If you like, I can have your flight booked for you while you enjoy what's left of your time here."

How perfectly reasonable. Phoenix was expecting much worse news if Miles was willing to track him down to Layton's house. "That'll help a lot. I'll look up some flight times tomorrow and get back to you on the cell."

"As long as you charge it..."

"Where even is my phone?"

It was quiet. Phoenix and Edgeworth shared a look. Both looked to Layton, who shrugged shyly.

Phoenix realized he was waiting for one of Maya's quips about his forgetfulness and looked to Maya.

Maya and Luke had drooped to the point where their heads touched the table, tea half-drunk and long forgotten.

Phoenix chuckled deep in his throat and put his tea away. "Maya, go to bed."

Up she sprang like a daisy in snow. "But I'm not asleep!'

"You have a lot of sleep to catch up on, I'm sure..." Edgeworth finished off his cup and stood. "I'll call a taxi and make my way back to my hotel."

Phoenix was standing too, scooping Luke up into one arm and, after a little juggling, an increasingly lax Maya into another. "I'm gonna put the kids to bed, Layton. Can you keep Edgeworth company, please?"

Layton nodded and stood last, gathering up the empty teacups. "Certainly. I will see you shortly."

Edgeworth didn't move. Layton didn't either, sizing up the other man until he heard Phoenix's feet going up the stairs. Edgeworth followed the noise, and once the stairs were cleared his gaze snapped to Layton's.

They sized each other up for a few pregnant seconds, assessing each other and finding the other worthy.

"You speak German?" Edgeworth asked in his adopted tongue.

Layton paused only a moment, the skill long unused in casual conversation, but still present. "Yes, fluently."

"I've been very worried about him since he disappeared," stated Edgeworth.

Layton nodded. "I can tell. He speaks of you very affectionately."

"He acts the same way around you." Edgeworth did not smile, Layton was sure of that. But there was a wry curve to his lips that might learn to be a smile, if he let it grow. "He makes friends easily, but I've never seen him get so close to someone as fast as this. You're very lucky that he likes you as much as he does."

Layton blushed across his nose, self-consciously covering his obvious tell with his hand. Well, if Mr. Edgeworth was going to put it so bluntly... "I wasn't sure if that was his natural friendliness or him simply being..."

Edgeworth searched for a word. "Forward?"

Layton shook his head. "American."

Phoenix heard the two of them laughing from downstairs, but wasn't sure why. He was just happy about it, and maybe a little jealous. He wished he could make Layton laugh out loud like that.

Phoenix and Layton only stayed up a little while longer. The news was nothing much that they didn't already know. Phoenix changed into his pajamas- meaning his underwear and an old nearly sheer t-shirt- and made himself comfortable on the couch once again. Layton bid him goodnight while squeezing his fingertips. It was still raining outside, heavy and unending, and the sound of thunder kept Phoenix company all night long.