Just like it was for Larry, last night was far from peaceful for Phoenix. Instead of being thrown into an instant triangle with an old love and her marriage-obsessed boyfriend, it was the memories of that stupid little thing he said that made frequent visits to his head every time he had a chance to think clearly. So much that he insisted on Maya and Pearl to tell him everything they knew about channeling and not to spare any detail no matter how boring or unnecessary it may seem. It worked until it was Pearl's bedtime and Maya was feeling a little too tired to continue herself, but not before promising that she'd bone up on the subject and give Phoenix a full report the next weekend.

"Any girl would be lucky to have you. I know I'd be." Those same damn words bum-rushed his head the second the girls' chatter died down. Even turning in early wouldn't make it go away. Had it been this long since he got laid that he'd automatically start seeing his friends as fuckable? Like some close childhood friends of the same sex, both him and Larry had a moments where they indulged in a little mutual masturbation until Phoenix's mom accidentally walked in on them. Thankfully she opted to go the route in telling her son that it was better for him to keep his self-pleasuring to himself later that night than freak out and forbid the two from ever seeing each other again. None of the less, it sure stopped the both of them despite how much he enjoyed it at the time. Phoenix let out another frustrated groan and threw the covers over his head when that memory came back.

Or maybe it was something more? Despite all the trouble that Larry brought upon himself and almost everyone around him, he was always there when you needed him. He stood up for Phoenix when all those other kids ostracized him for stealing Edgeworth's lunch money, was the last minute saving grace in his case against von Karma, and still took the time to actually remember him and his two little assistants' birthdays. Then why was that when it came to love, it automatically made Larry its bitch? A caring, thoughtful guy like him didn't deserve the endless stream of ungrateful girlfriends that only used and threw him away when they grew bored with him. Lord knows he had to listen to Larry whine about each and every one of them the second they dumped him. It made him regret never giving Lotta Larry's phone number when they met at a book store and somehow managed to get her to reluctantly admit that she was there to get a book on how to pick up guys.

Still, there was something deep inside him that was kinda glad he didn't. There it went again. He was tired, that's what was making him think of those things. Yeah, that's it. All he needed was a little aid to help him fall asleep. So he rushed into the bathroom and took a huge swig of cold medicine, hoping it would finally shut his mind up.

"Come on, Mr. Nick." Pearl said the next day as she ran ahead of him as they went to the park.

"Uh, coming." Phoenix said, feeling the last remains of the cold medicine wear off as he tried to catch up with her while maintaining a conversation with Lotta on his cell phone.

"That's real sweet of yah an' all." Lotta said on the other end while some Hank Williams Jr. was cranked up a little too loud in background. "But ah already gotta man."

"You have?" He finally caught up with Pearl and nearly dropped the phone.

"His name's Will, he says he remembers yah."

"Oh yeah. The big guy."

Lotta just giggled at the last part. "Yah don't know tha half of it."

"And I don't want to."

"Well I gotta get going. Good luck with yar friend."

Once again, Phoenix sighed, putting his phone in his pocket. He just hoped that Larry was doing better today.

"Hey Nick." Speak of the devil; there was the source of his late night angsting. As good as it did Phoenix's heart to see his friend back to his normal perky self, it was the familiar face and its owner who happened to be attached to Larry's arm that stopped any relief Phoenix was feeling.

"Miss Kaley." Pearl chirped.

"Hey there, Pearl." Kaley lowered herself until she was face to face with her. "How's it going?"

"I was going to skip some stones," Her voice turned almost shy as she held the lumpy-looking rock she just picked up. "But I'm not very good at it."

"That's because you're using rocks, not skip stones."

"There's a difference?"

"Duh, they're practically different species." She turned to Phoenix. "Say, you don't mind if I borrowed Pearl do you?"

"Go ahead, Larry and I need to talk." As soon as the two of them were out of listening range, he turned to his friend. "What the hell is going on?"

"It's cool."

"She punched you in the face, Larry."

"She apologized."

"Ok. I guess there's nothing wrong with you two being friends."

"Actually." Larry nervously scratched the back of his head. "We're dating again."

Never had the urge to bang his head against first hard surface he could find come so powerfully. "Dating?" It took every fiber of his being to keep from yelling at him. "What about her boyfriend?"

"Hey, calm down, Nick. And people say I spazz-out."

Phoenix sighed and shook his head. "So what does he think about this?"

"He doesn't know. Kaley figures that if she lays low long enough he'll lose interest and find some other girl to stuff all his creepy dreams of marriage on."

"Larry…"

"Come on, Nick." He put his hands on the side of his friend's arms. "Don't look at me that way. This might be my only chance."

"With a girl that's obviously using you?"

"Well I'm not complaining." He sighed. "Ever since Chinami tried to frame you for murder I promised myself that I'd never complain about whatever happens to me."

"I guess that makes sense." Phoenix quickly snapped out of his thought. "But you deserve better."

"Then where is she?" His grip on Phoenix's arms gradually became tighter with each word.

"Larry?"

"I've waited twenty-five years and what have I got to show for it? Constant rejection and the only one that could've cared for me dead before I had the chance to say good-bye."

"Larry."

Unknowingly, Larry began to shake him as his voice's volume nearly tripled. "I don't want to die some bitter, lonely virgin!"

"Larry!" His friend finally stopped. "You're hurting me and people are staring at you."

The combined stares of Kaley, Pearl, and everyone else in the park was more than enough to make him release his grip and back away. "Come on, Kaley. We're getting out of here."

"Ok-ay." She said, weirded-out by her boyfriend's outburst. "See you later, Pearl."

Pearl walked up to Phoenix and tugged on his sleeve. "Mr. Nick, what's a ver-jinn?"

"I'll tell you later, Pearls."

TBC