madimpossibledreamer

Also, I know you haven't bugged me about things in forever, ~lonelysouls, thanks. I'm guessing that if/when I can get P2 on Vita, it'll definitely help my muses.

Main Points:
Ace Attorney AU
Chapter III
Summary: Edgeworth adapts as best he can.
Word Count: 1,142
Rating: K+

Edgeworth glanced in the direction of his old friend and found the man in complete shock. (Wright, I'm sorry. I didn't realize...) Then again, he could hardly be expected to understand the thinking of a man he'd technically never met. The slight concussion probably helped him accept everything more readily. (Otherwise, I, too, would likely be in just as much confusion.)

(It's been a long time...Phoenix. Too long. I missed you.) The mere fact that he was willing to admit so much, even in his own mind, reinforced the impression. The fact that he was willing to be so...sentimental...

He didn't count the Prosecutor Wright he'd met. That man had been Prosecutor Wright, nothing more, nothing less. He'd borne little resemblance to the child he'd met so many years ago. Von Karma...if he hated anyone, he hated that man, who had taken so much and so many people from him. But perhaps...if anything, this was a second chance.

He smiled, a somewhat wry smile that conveyed the exhausting amount of emotion he was feeling at the moment, and pressed a button. Instantly, the noise from the visitor's gallery was self-contained, a fact that it would probably take the visitors a little time to realize. The Judge could suddenly hear him just fine, and vice versa. "Your Honor," he stated quietly, without the flair, the frills, even a bow or gesture. "This court cannot fulfill its function for the moment. A reassessment of the cases must be made. To some, certain cases will have not yet reached their conclusion, and yet by this point their perpetrators may already be in prison. Others may have committed the exact same murder. Clues may have been altered, and crimes may have happened somewhat differently. Further investigation will be required, a fact that no doubt means the police department will be quite busy. As such, all trials will need to be postponed until they can be properly reassessed, and thus an unintended vacation may be in store for us all."

Suddenly he felt tired and swayed a little, eyes drooping and wanting to stay closed. Hopefully it was merely the exhaustion from the events of the day catching up to him.

"Understood," the Judge boomed. "I will make a report to the city, and you should go back to your home and get rest you obviously need."

Edgeworth nodded, leaning surreptitiously on the desk in front of him. He turned to Maya, ready to leave, but was interrupted.

"Mr. Edgeworth?"

He sighed, losing interest quickly as he stayed on the edge of consciousness. "Yes, your Honor."

"...I haven't had a vacation in a long time. What do I do with one?"

He fought the urge to bury his head in his hands and never look up again. "I like to read and occasionally watch a little television. Though I'm not certain I'll be conscious long enough to do much of either of those things."

"Thank you, Ace Attorney Edgeworth." (I haven't honestly earned that nickname, your Honor, but I doubt you'd listen to logic.) "Take care of your health."

He'd made it to the front doors of the courthouse before he heard an almost familiar step. He knew it all too well, but only before in a stately, arrogant pace. Prosecutor Wright didn't run anywhere.

A brief smile tugged at his lips. "You took your time, Wright."

He turned to see a huffing, disheveled Wright grinning a goofy smile at him. He felt suddenly dizzy, not from the headache that was threatening to spread, but from the sudden intrusion of his past. All of a sudden, they were in fourth grade again. This was the Phoenix he'd known so very long ago, the Phoenix he'd written to in the hopes of his return. And now, the boy, the friend, had returned.

Before he could restrain the frankly mortifying impulse, his hand had reached forward on its own, ruffling through the bouncy spikes he'd missed so much. The look on his friend's face instantly changed to concern. "E-Edgeworth, are you okay?"

The short laugh that left his lips surely indicated his need for sleep. "I've never been better, thank you, Wright." It would feel strange to let the name Phoenix fall from his lips just yet, after all. Besides, the slight bit of space might be what they needed to renew their friendship, since each was likely very different than either remembered. He frowned slightly, tracing the throbbing spot on his head. "Though I think my headache is inclined to disagree."

It seemed the other man was feeling just about as hysterical, as he started laughing, too. Edgeworth joined in after a moment, and they laughed until they were out of breath and were forced to clutch onto the railings to keep their balance. The magenta-clad defense lawyer paused between huffs of breath, the trace of a smile still on his face, just as Mystic Maya and Mystic Pearls caught up with the two. "I'm afraid I won't be much for company at the moment, but...if you liked....what I mean to say is..." Why was he getting flustered now of all times? Not for the first time, he cursed his complexion that all too often mocked him, and his words for failing him in the same manner.

"Mista Nick! Does that mean we get to go to Mista Edgey's house?" Miss Pearls was jumping up and down, as she often did when she got excited, and he mentally thanked her for the distraction as he smiled down at her. She got slightly nervous and hid behind Phoenix, which made him chuckle slightly.

"Does it?" Wright asked seriously, meeting his eyes.

He needn't say anything, and felt a wave of gratitude. He nodded once, short, perhaps a little curt and abrupt, but this Wright might actually understand. From the gratitude and repressed excitement in the man's eyes, he most certainly did.

He turned to Wright to ask if the man's driver was available, even opened his mouth to ask. But then he mentally kicked himself. Of course not, this wasn't Prosecutor Wright. Fortunately, another young attorney was available. He probably should have been memorable, considering the shock of white hair, but then, practically everyone working in the law system had memorable hair, and at the moment Edgeworth couldn't be bothered. It was a bit of a tight squeeze, fitting the whole group in, and the attorney was pathetically grateful for the request and trembling at the presence of such celebrities.

Edgeworth chose the passenger seat without a second thought, and glanced briefly at the scene in the back-Maya with Pearls practically on her lap, talking excitedly, and a certain spiky-haired lawyer grinning fondly at the two of them. He buckled himself in and then dozed off, and for the first time in a long time, his sleep was peaceful.