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The sound of the train rumbling down the tracks was comforting, calming Miles' state of mind. At the moment, he was lying comfortably on the upper bunk of the train's bedroom car. His bags rested at the seat below him, which he had abandoned earlier in favor of the mattress above to sleep, preparing for the ride which would last into the early hours of the next morning.
"Sleeping already?"
Miles cocked an eyebrow as he peered down at the lower seat opposing his, where a certain defence attorney was sat, splayed out in fatigue.
"Yes," Miles answered, laying his head back against a pillow. "We won't be there for another six hours, at least. I might as well get some sleep."
Phoenix shrugged and his brows creased in thought. "I should probably go to sleep too, I don't want to sit here without any company or anything."
"Lonely?" Miles asked with a knowing smirk, not even bothering to look over again.
"You're the last person in the world you should ask me that," Phoenix quipped with a smirk.
Miles didn't respond, and Phoenix pouted. Oh, well; it was a wonder he had managed to keep up the lighthearted chitchat for even that long. He supposed he shouldn't ask for much more.
The present trip was the result of Miles' decision to pay a visit to Kurain Village to finally inspect that infamous channeling technique he had heard so much about. Phoenix, suggesting that he accompany him, had, in his haste, booked a round trip which involved several hours of tedious waiting. So instead of reaching Kurain directly, (a mere two hours of travel) they would have to stop at the other destinations before reaching the village.
Phoenix had received an earful, but Miles supposed there was nothing he could do about it now. He actually made conversation with Wright for most of the trip. Besides, if he hadn't pretended to look busy, he might have had to make conversation with other people. Women people.
They always had some matter to discuss with him, for some strange reason...
"Excuse me?"
Phoenix turned in surprise at the woman's voice. "Oh, hello. Can I help you?"
"Yes, you see..." The woman looked off to the side and bit her lip. "There don't seem to be any other spare beds on the train, and my daughter is narcoleptic, and she's suffering a spell. I know it's a lot to ask, but..."
Miles frowned. Why couldn't the woman just give her daughter her own bed?
But Phoenix was quick to agree: "It's no problem."
The woman let out a sigh of relief and smiled brightly. "Thank you very much, sir."
She went back down the aisle to collect her daughter, and Miles sat up to glare at Phoenix.
"Where are you going to sleep now, Wright?" Miles asked, tapping his bunk impatiently with one of his fingers. While it was very kind of Phoenix to offer, there was one obvious problem: he now had nowhere to sleep.
Phoenix laughed at the look Miles gave him. "Isn't it obvious? Scoot over, Edgeworth!"
"Wh-what!?" Miles' hand on the bunk slipped as he was caught off-guard. "Do you really think that I would...?"
"It's no big deal... Come on! There's room and everything!" Phoenix pointed to the space next to Miles. Indeed, the top bunks were rather spacious. The chairs had armrests which would make sleeping on them impossible.
"That room would be my personal space," Miles hissed. There was something strained in his voice as he continued to glare at Phoenix.
"Unless you want me to sleep on the floor..." Phoenix gave the carpet a somber look. "Looks like it's just you and me tonight, floor. Tell the dust mites they've got company."
"For God's sake, Wright..." Miles rolled his eyes at his friend's dramatics. He really did find the man impossible sometimes.
"Thanks!" Phoenix took Miles' reluctant sigh as approval and climbed up from the bottom seats to the top, prompting Miles to scoot over a smidgen to keep some space for himself.
There was silence as Phoenix settled in.
...Well, this was awkward.
"I don't have any pillow," Phoenix complained suddenly. "This thing is rock hard and it's giving me a headache..."
Miles snorted. At least the man's idiocy would keep this from getting too awkward.
"It's probably just those ridiculous spikes you're sleeping on." Miles rolled over onto his side to hide a smirk.
"Hey, don't diss my hair. I know you're jealous and all, but come on," Phoenix said smugly. "I thought we were past that stage."
"I don't know why I put up with you."
"...So can I have your pillow?"
"No."
Phoenix sighed. "Fine..."
He sat up to pull off his waistcoat, bunching it up into a cushion for his head. There. That was more like it.
Miles exhaled in relief. Hopefully the other man would fall asleep now, because Miles felt very awake all of a sudden and he didn't know why; he could've sworn he had been exhausted just a few moments ago...
Silence persisted a while longer. Miles hoped that Phoenix had fallen asleep already.
"Edgeworth... Now I'm cold..."
So much for that.
"Good God, Wright, why are you so needy?"
"I'm not needy! I'm cold!"
Miles sighed again at the man's antics, but sat up anyway, unable to repress a smile (because sometimes Wright really was a thirty-four year old child). He reached into his backpack and tossed something at the defense attorney's face.
"Here," Miles said, lying back down and facing the other side.
Phoenix pulled the thing off of his face, ready with an irritated retort until he realized that it was a blanket and grinned instead. "Wow, thanks!"
"Just use it and go to sleep, already."
"I always knew you cared, Edgey-baby..."
"I will take it back, Wright."
Oops.
"No need, no need!" Phoenix chuckled nervously. "I'll shut up now..." He unfolded the blanket, spreading it out; it was larger than he had expected. He swiftly pulled it over to Miles' side so it covered the both of them.
"What the - Wright?" Miles frowned as he turned to face Phoenix perplexedly.
"Hey, it's your blanket. Just thought I'd share." Phoenix shrugged and lay his head on both of his hands on top of the makeshift pillow, not bothering to look at Miles. He knew the other man was probably going to tell him off for doing something like this.
"Alright," Miles said finally.
Or not.
The only constant was the sound of the train rolling down the tracks and the wind whooshing in through the tiny crack of the open window.
Why was it so quiet?
"You know, I tell great bedtime stories." Phoenix broke into a grin as he turned to face Miles.
"I am sleeping, Wright."
Oh, well, that explained that. Phoenix apologized and sighed, turning onto his back. If Miles was sleeping, there wasn't much he could do but fall asleep, too, so he closed his eyes and steadied his breathing until he nodded off.
Miles hadn't fallen asleep yet, and it had been two hours.
He just couldn't bring himself to do it, what with the flurry of emotions suddenly churning within him. It...it had been there all along, he supposed, but the warmth of the blanket had instigated something in him and Miles couldn't quite place his finger on it.
With a shaky exhale, he turned over onto his side and his eyes fell upon Phoenix's sleeping face. He watched for a while, something stopping him from looking away. He suddenly felt a tapping noise, and Miles looked down to find that his hands were trembling against the mattress.
Slowly, he brought his hand to Phoenix's, resting by Phoenix's head. As he placed them together, the shaking stopped and warmth flooded in, instead.
Then it hit him.
What was he doing?
Under his breath, he cursed his stupidity and extreme lack of sanity, but before he could berate himself too much, his hand was given a reassuring squeeze.
His breath caught and Miles' eyes widened on Phoenix's fingers curled around his own.
What...?
What was he - was he awake?
Miles studied him carefully for a moment, taking note of his steady breathing and placid face. The man was definitely fast asleep.
But then what did this mean? What was going on? What was...? He didn't understand...
He couldn't decide which was louder: the rattling of the train, or the heartbeat roaring in his ears.
But then the feelings settled, and Miles turned his head to face his companion. For many years, he had lived alone with his thoughts, never straying from his work. Then Phoenix had arrived and everything had begun to change. Even now, he couldn't believe what was happening; how could Miles have been so foolish as to let his feelings control him like this?
One emotion, the strongest one, blocked out any rational thought that Miles was attempting to conjure to convince himself this was all a lie: He was content. His nervousness gradually simmered down until everything was quiet again.
For the first time in forever, Miles felt...like sleeping. Not merely tired, but truly sleepy. It was if Phoenix's presence alone was enough to coax him into this relaxed state. Miles had been sure he had insomnia...so why did he feel so relaxed right now? The answer was obvious; it was all Wright.
Everything became clear in that moment, the mess of feelings clearing as he felt the most genuine smile rise onto his face.
If having Phoenix Wright this close when he slept could cure his insomnia, if having Phoenix Wright with him made him smile, if having Phoenix Wright made him feel like this...then it was okay.
It was right.