Rising Uncertainty

Out Of The Blue

Phoenix sighed quietly as he thought about the events that had transpired last week. He hasn't spoken to Miles since and he had a sinking feeling that something was wrong with his friend. He was still slightly hurt by his words but he knew Miles hadn't meant it. Especially after that phone call. He just wanted to make sure he was okay.

'Maybe I should visit him...'

Phoenix bit his tongue and scolded himself. If Miles wanted to talk he would have tried to contact him already. Maybe he was over thinking things. Plus, it was raining.

He cringed as thunder practically shook his apartment. He was over the storm already even though it had just started. It seemed as if the world didn't want him to think about his friend. He just wanted to figure what was happening with Edgeworth.

Phoenix jolted when he heard his phone ring. He quickly grabbed his phone and answered without looking.

"Edgeworth-"

"Nick! It's me, Maya! Why would Edgeworth be calling you from my phone?" She asked.

"Oh, I... uh... I didn't check to see who was calling so I thought that maybe..." he trailed off and chuckled. He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Are you expecting a call from him or something?" She asked curiously.

"Well, yes- well no- sort of?"

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you two working on another case? How come you didn't tell me! Who's our client-"

"It's not about a case. Well, it sort of is and sort of isn't. It's just frustrating, you know?" He sighed lightly and shook his head. "It's not important. What's up?"

"Oh, right! Pearly made you something and wanted me to call and tell you about it!" She said excitedly.

"She did? What is it?" He asked, sitting down. He bit the inside of his cheek when more thunder crashed outside.

"She made you a bracelet with a bunch of beads and strings-"

"Mr. Nick! It says 'Nick' on it!" Pearl interrupted happily.

"Aw... that's nice Pearls! I'll wear it whenever I can," he said with a gentle smile. He knew she couldn't see him but he couldn't help it.

"Thank you! Mystic Maya said that- that you would like it! She was right!" She said happily.

Thunder roared outside and Phoenix sighed.

"Is it storming where you are Maya?" He asked.

Maya was at the beach with Pearl, taking a break for a bit. Phoenix thought they deserved it after all and was happy to hear that they were having a good time.

"Nah, it's really nice here. I heard the thunder through the phone- it sounds pretty bad." Maya said.

Phoenix was getting ready to respond when there was a sharp knock at his door.

"Who could be out while it's storming like this...? Maya, I'll call you back. Someone's at the door."

Maya said her goodbye and hung up.

Phoenix put his phone down to answer the door and nearly gasped when he opened it. Miles was standing outside his door shivering. His clothes were soaked and it looked as if he had been standing in the rain forever. He was wearing his usual outfit except his burgundy suit jacket was missing. His shirt clung to his skin and his vest seemed to be restricting his breathing slightly. His hair was dripping and his skin was wet with rain. He was breathing a little hard and his hands looked like they were shaking. He wasn't looking at Phoenix and seemed to actually be avoiding looking at him.

Phoenix stared at him with wide eyes for a few seconds before his brain caught up with him.

"O-Oh Edgeworth, you're soaked!" He said when he finally regained his composure.

"Ngh... you think I d-don't know that, Wright?" He shivered again and grumbled to himself.

"You'll get sick like that," Phoenix continued, ignoring him. "You must be freezing! How long have you been out in the rain?"

"...A little over an hour-"

"Over an hour?!" Phoenix shouted.

Miles flinched and bit his tongue. He wasn't speaking anymore. Phoenix huffed and grabbed his arm, pulling him inside the apartment. He was freezing! How could Miles neglect his own health like this.

"What were you even doing in the storm? You have a car!" Phoenix fussed. "Take off that vest, it's obvious it's effecting your breathing."

Miles looked at him for a second before doing as he was told. The moment the vest was off he seemed to breath better. He stood there catching his breath as he shivered more.

"Wright, I apologize for turning up out of the blue on your doorstep." Miles rolled up his sleeves and closed his eyes for a moment. "I... I didn't know where I was at first and when I recognized my location I went to the closest place I knew which happened to be your apartment-"

"What do you mean you didn't recognize where you were?" Phoenix asked, making sure Miles didn't change the subject.

Miles didn't answer and grabbed his elbow. He looked away and bit the inside of his cheek.

"Did you... run here...?" Phoenix asked slowly. Miles lack of an answer told Phoenix what he needed to know. He was going to ask more before he realized Miles was shaking even more. Now that he was somewhere safe, he was getting over his adrenaline rush. The cold was finally setting in and his nose stung. It was a slight struggle to breath properly since he was still catching his breath.

"Oh shit! You're freezing!" Phoenix got up again. "I'll go get you something warm to wear-"

"No... It's alright. I-I'll be-"

"Edgeworth, I'm not going to let you freeze because you're being stubborn." Phoenix said as he went into his room. He heard Miles grumble lightly and smiled to himself.

Phoenix returned a few minutes later with sweatpants and a hoodie. He looked at the couch where Miles was sitting and cleared his throat.

"Edgeworth, I got you something to change into."

Miles turned around before standing up. He looked at the outfit and then at Phoenix before nodding.

"Thank you," He said as he reached for the outfit. Phoenix held it out of reach. "Wright-"

"Promise me you'll talk," he said.

Miles hesitated before nodding. "I promise."

Phoenix handed him the clothes and showed him to the bathroom where he could change. He returned to the living room and picked up Miles' vest so he could put it in the dryer. He'd put the rest in when Miles was done.
He sat down and sent a quick text to Maya explaining that it was Miles and it would be a bit before he was able to call her back. He had a feeling that Miles would need his undivided attention.