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as all developments in their relationship seemingly occurred, it began with an earthquake.
the quake was sizeable enough, a 4 on the richter scale , the news had reported earlier on phoenix’s old box tv. he could hardly make out the words from the speakers, the speech battling between the grainy feedback from the archaic model and phoenix’s brain yelling at him to go check on miles, dammit!
once phoenix was done waiting for the largest of the s-waves to subside (they were not over with; he was simply too distraught and otherwise impatient to wait for things to calm down completely), he set for walking the distance at a much faster pace than usual, a considerable pace that garnered a few wary glances from passersby that were out and about. ok, honestly, it was a jog; a light one at that, but phoenix felt the inexplicable need to be there with miles at that very moment, and would stop at nothing to do so.
phoenix entered the passcode at miles’ gate, something he had remembered from months ago; a slip of paper pressed promptly into his palm, a number that had meant nothing until miles said its purpose, that it was for ‘emergencies’.
well , phoenix mused as he opened the set of dark stained doors to miles’ house, this certainly warrants an arrival .
as he searched through the foyer, the sitting room, the bar, the kitchen, the guestroom, how many damned rooms do rich people own? , phoenix couldnt help but rile himself up.
i shouldve been there, he thought. he invited me over last night, he said it was too late to walk home but i argued, and i left for nothing, i left and now there was an earthquake and miles is alone and he has so much rampant trauma around earthquakes and-
“ miles ,” phoenix breathed, as he heard faint breaths drawn from somewhere within the office he had just thrown open the door to. “ miles ,” he said again as he rushed to get around the hardy wooden desk on the lushly carpeted floor. “ miles ,” he practically sobbed as he laid eyes upon the impossibly small prosecutor, curled up in a nook of the desk and eyes unseeing and glasses strewn somewhere else entirely, perhaps tucked into a pocket.
slowly and carefully, phoenix dragged his friend to the open floor, the space between the desk and the wall separating miles bedroom and the office. he embraced the unresponsive man as he rocked him slightly, the sniffles coming from the gray-haired man slowly becoming louder and more unapologetic, comforted from his colleague. slowly, surely, he began to blink, any crying subsiding in place for awareness.
when miles finally registered phoenix, he stood up in shock, his flustered and fretful stammering cut short when he was enveloped in such a warm and strong hug that his knees buckled. phoenix chuckled at the reaction, and miles had no choice but to join him, with breathier, teary laughs of relief that made the formers heart tear wistfully. he helped miles stand, eventually, with struggle, and dragged him to miles’ bed just in the next room.
phoenix gently led miles into the large cushioned comforter topping the king sized bed, accidentally subjecting himself to the lulled state miles was already in. just as phoenix opened his mouth to apologize, miles rested his head onto phoenix’s chest, just above his heart, and nuzzled into the black sweatshirt as he wrapped his arms around his torso. the beating of phoenix’s heart surpassed any state it had ever been in, face flushed red in the darkened room, but he nevertheless lowered his arms around his crush; he first did so hesitantly before once again managing a tight hug that warranted more burrowing into fabric and a soft murmur unlike anything that phoenix had ever heard come from an adult miles.
it was warm and soft and everything that could ideally soothe any normal person into a deep, sweet slumber. but, of course, phoenix couldnt just be anyone; while miles snored softly against his chest, phoenix struggled to keep his breathing under control, staring up at the ceiling blankly, too many thoughts running rampant through his overworked and tired head.
for some time, phoenix simply gazed at the popcorn white ceiling, laying there idly playing with miles’ impossibly soft hair. slowly, without his realizing, tears began to trickle down his cheeks, the salt of the secretions stinging his drying eyes. phoenix pondered the reason for the tears as he continued to take too-loud inhalations through claustrophobic nostrils. he tried his best to steady himself, to keep calm, to be silent and still and- this only provoked the panic. phoenix’s chest shuddered with the impact of silent sobs he hadnt realized had started; he began to realize that he was certainly out of it he was becoming. once more, he tried to ground himself and be tranquil as the night outside.
when miles blearily awoke, it was to the faint tremors of the chest he laid upon, quiet, almost silenced sobs that he wasnt meant to ever hear breaking the peace of twilight. his eyes opened eventually, once he decided the pursuit of warmth was overthrown with the investigation on why the hell his pillow was moving.
miles sluggishly moved his head, ready to face his issue with a halfhearted glare and a proper pose readjusting, before he was met with the reality of the fact that there were large hands threaded gently through his hair, and that the unmistakable comforting smell of wright was flooding his nostrils. he rose his head once again, more jerkily, which seemed to successfully wrench wright from whatever reverie he was stuck in.
his misty eyes blew wide, a pure and genuine apologetic expression adorned upon his tear-stained face, heaving stopping too suddenly as he said in mild horror, “oh god, miles, im so sorry, i hadnt meant to- you just seemed so- and i didnt want to- you needed the r-“ luckily, or perhaps not, miles was accustomed to his rivals rambling tendencies, and with his sleep-addled mind, tucked his face in the junction of his partners neck and shoulder. in an equally un-miles-like action, he once more initiated the hug with phoenix, sluggish and slumberous. he grunted as he felt phoenix settle again, prepared to hunker down for the rest of the early-afternoon.
quietly, he heard little gasps right next to his ear, slowly morphing into sniffles before phoenix’s head ducked onto miles’ shoulder, silently crying and tightening his hug. miles didnt know just what to do in the occasion, the years of emotional stunting coming back to bite him in the ass once again as he tried his best to figure out what phoenix was so distraught over, before deciding that perhaps he should just continue being .
and for that moment in time, it was enough.