Prompt: Lonely
Character(s): Miles Edgeworth, Maya Fey
Originally Written: 3.4.2009
He wants to be alone.
He's aware of what Maya Fey thinks of this, but he resolves that he deserves to make his own decisions, even if they're not the wisest course. He couldn't see why she had such a problem with his decisions; if he thought anyone would object to them, it would be Wright.
Coincidentally, they were both returning to their homes after that trial and their encounter at the courthouse was supposed to be brief, but things eventually took their own direction.
"You're leaving?" she had asked, voice laced with bewilderment. "Why would you do that?"
He was merely surprised by the fact that Maya had cared at all, even if her reasons were valid. In retrospect, she had saved his life, and he had saved her from an uncertain fate in prison. Still, to think that she had the audacity to pry into his life was angering.
"Yes, I am."
"But you can't leave! You and Nick—"
"Whatever happened between Wright and I is none of your concern."
Her face twisted into something between betrayal and shock. "How could you say that? You're the reason Nick wanted to be an attorney in the first place!"
Edgeworth turned to her, not knowing whether his expression was particularly cold or not. "That has no bearing on my own decisions, Miss Fey." He found himself unable to be rid of the mildly nagging guilt that proceeded to settle in his conscience, no matter what he said.
Her voice had dropped, something that was surprising even for Edgeworth, who didn't know her particularly well. "But you're not alone anymore, right? Isn't this what you wanted, Miles?" she asked, and he focused not on the question, but that she had bothered to use his given name. She likely didn't even realize it, but her hands were clasped together, pleading for him to listen. But she doesn't wait for his answer before continuing.
"I know what it's like to be lonely. It makes you feel unwanted, like no one cares. Right? And that's how I felt before I met Nick. Even if I had my family, I was isolated from everyone else, and I hated it." She paused, collecting her words. "No matter how hard I tried to convince myself that I was okay, I wasn't."
He could do nothing, save for staring at her. He hadn't thought her capable of such deep introspection if first impressions meant anything.
"That's why you can't leave! If you go now, we might not be here when you come back. If you come back…A-And you might not like me, you probably even hate me because of what my mom did. If you're even listening, you won't remember what I've said." Maya managed a small smile. "You don't have to keep being alone. You might think you're better off being lonely, but it'll come back to haunt you."
He wanted to listen to her words, because he knew damn well that she was speaking the truth. His minimal pride was intact, however, and he couldn't do anything more than to briefly consider them.
Truly, Maya Fey was a great deal more experienced than she had let on.
The words didn't come out as he intended, but he didn't have the thought to revise it. His expression was likely stiff and unwelcoming, buthe knew his words were soft.
"Thank you, Miss Fey," he said quietly before walking away.
He didn't look back.
