Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Edgeworth woke slowly for a change. Warmth coaxed him from sleep even as he buried further into it to escape the morning, and he gained gradual awareness of a few peculiar things. For starters, his blanket was very heavy and uncharacteristically cozy, though he couldn't complain about that. Then, he noticed the warmth his nose had pressed into smelled good, albeit...unfamiliar. That wasn't his detergent or cologne at all. Finally, when his bed's mysterious heat source shifted and breathed out a tired noise, Edgeworth cracked an eye open. 

He was instantly met with tanned skin and stubble, alerting him jarringly to the fact that he was tucked directly under the chin of one Phoenix Wright. Further inspection revealed his own traitorous arm had wrapped itself around the man's torso - the blanket that separated them previously having been pushed down to his waist in the night. Small mercy was in how said blanket tangled his legs together, stopping him from laying himself out completely on top of Wright. 

Edgeworth quickly started formulating an escape plan. He didn't know how deep of a sleeper Wright was, so he opted to be more safe than sorry. In practice, his extraction technique started painstakingly slow. How was he to remove his weight from on top of a person without waking them?

“…Baby,” said the person in question, the sleepy rumble of Phoenix’s voice actually tangible with how close they still were. “’m already up, you don’t have to sneak around.”

The pet name had Edgeworth's face burning immediately - Wright seemed to have a knack for that. Edgeworth pushed himself up on his arms to pull away from him, but he only succeeded in looming over Wright. Getting a full view of all his groggy glory had stopped him dead in his tracks. If he had to take a moment to appreciate the pretty man underneath him, it was nobody's business but Edgeworth's, anyhow.

That hesitation was all it took for Phoenix to open his eyes, gaze easily trailing down over where Edgeworth’s now-untucked shirt had a few buttons loose. Phoenix wet his lips, flashing teeth as he focused back on Edgeworth’s face. “You’d better stop looking at me like that, if you actually plan on getting out of bed.”

"Wh- What?" Edgeworth didn't, in fact, stop looking at him like that. Confusion lifted his brow weakly, but he was much more focused on committing as many of Phoenix Wright’s details as he could to memory.

“Christ,” Phoenix laughed, more at himself than anything. “It’s flirting, sweetheart. Tastefully suggestive flirting. I could delve into the implications, but I don’t really wanna scare you off.”

Edgeworth watched Wright's throat bob as he spoke and swallowed in response. But without replying aloud, he fell back onto the bed, no longer touching Wright where he could help it. His arm lifted to rest across his eyes, blocking out the light that crept through his curtains, and also conveniently masking his pink cheeks. His mouth twisted minutely into a grimace.

“I don’t actually have any expectations, just so you know,” Phoenix informed him, folding both arms behind his head. “I’m well aware that you have little to no experience. You’re just fun to mess with.”

Edgeworth moved his arm then to fully glare at Wright. Suddenly, he was more angry than embarrassed, yanking the blanket back up and over himself with a frustrated grunt. Turned away and hidden from the world, he screwed his eyes shut as if to force himself back to sleep.

Phoenix hummed, closing his own eyes again in turn. “That being said,” he amended, “if at any point, you happen to get curious…”

"Has anyone ever told you that you're an asshole?" Edgeworth bit rhetorically from under the covers.

“Oh, absolutely,” Phoenix answered anyway. “You’ve called me a whole number of things, over the years. I definitely like some more than others.”

Edgeworth turned and pushed the blanket down for the sole purpose of giving Wright the most withering, unimpressed stare he could muster.

It wasn’t hard to sense Edgeworth’s gaze on him, but Phoenix still waited a few seconds before opening one of his eyes, shooting him an easy smile. “That’s the first time you’ve sworn at me, isn’t it?”

"And it won't be the last, I hear," Edgeworth griped right back. "I guess you just have a way with people."

“Yeah. I’m an especially big hit with perjuring witnesses.” Phoenix closed his eyes again, though the smile stayed on his lips.

Edgeworth gave a short hum of underwhelmed acknowledgment, continuing to look at Wright, despite himself. The man's eyelashes were unfairly long, fanning over his cheek delicately and shading his under-eye bags.

“Can feel you staring,” Phoenix murmured, not sounding remotely bothered. “…How far are you from Eldoon’s Noodles?” he asked, completely unprompted. “I’m craving somethin’ salty.”

Edgeworth didn't stop looking at him, expression just shifting comfortably back to annoyance. "I've never heard of that place," he shot down.

“’Course you haven’t,” Phoenix blew air past his lips. “Mr. Moneybags. You ought to support more local businesses.”

"I do," Edgeworth protested, "support local businesses. But I choose high quality over slop, isn't that common sense?"

“Don’t be a dick,” Phoenix complained. “The Eldoons have been running that stand for decades. It’s slop, sure, but regulars get treated practically like family. My kid loves it.”

Edgeworth rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say. Wh-" He bolted up, leaning on his elbow. "You have a child?"

“Yeah,” Phoenix casually confirmed. “…Her dad was a defendant of mine. I took her in when she ended up with nowhere to go.” He opened his eyes, this time to look at the ceiling. “If it’s 2013, she’s actually already been born. That’s crazy.”

Edgeworth hummed in agreement that time. "That's...very good of you. To take someone in like that."

“She saved me more than I saved her,” Phoenix excused. “She’s been my light since I got her.” His face tensed up a bit, and he admitted, “I’m starting to get worried about the logistics of this timewarp shit, the longer I’m here. Makes me think I should leave a note for Mia or something. Tell her to tell me to call a babysitter in twelve years.”

"Might not be a bad idea," Edgeworth agreed. "But wouldn't your daughter be about twelve, then? I'm sure she can sort herself out for what has only been one night, so far."

“Trucy’s a teenager now, yeah, but still,” Phoenix shrugged. “She’ll get into trouble herself if nobody’s there to get into it with her.”

"It's sweet that you worry. I'm glad Miss Trucy has such a doting father," Edgeworth teased. "Though I'm afraid an endeavor to secure someone for her to get in trouble with would cause more problems than it might solve."

“See, this is why I’m not writing to ask you to look after her,” Phoenix countered with a grin. He conceded quickly enough, though, admitting, “I’m kidding. She loves you. Almost broke your glasses when she was ten.”

Edgeworth gave Wright a mildly disappointed frown. "Glasses. Thank you for letting me know to look forward to that," he droned. "In any case, I'm sure she'll be fine. There's no sense worrying about your own conjecture. You'll get home when you get home, handle it from there."

“Mh,” Phoenix agreed, slowly letting his eyes slip back shut. “…Maybe I should leave the note with Eldoon,” he joked. “Then we have to eat there.”

"Drop the note nonsense," Edgeworth reprimanded. He sat and thought for a moment then, fighting in his own head before he sighed in defeat. "If your beloved noodle stand is close enough, we can go. Otherwise we're ordering in, alright?"

As it unsurprisingly turned out, Eldoon’s Noodles was far further out of the way from Edgeworth’s upscale apartment than it would be from Phoenix’s future office space. 

“Fine, fine, alright, no salty slop,” Phoenix sighed his defeat. “We can get takeout, I guess.”

Edgeworth would say he tried to tone down his victorious grin, but he didn't. He dialed his go-to brunch restaurant and ordered for the both of them after showing Wright a copy of its absurdly pricy menu. Once he thanked the person on the other line, he hung up with too much pride for someone who had only won breakfast. 

"Don't be too disappointed, Wright, you're still getting free breakfast," Edgeworth reminded, ever smug.

“But my craving remains unsatisfied,” Phoenix bemoaned. “…Not that all hope is lost,” he mused. “I can think of something else I might get to eat that’s salty,” he winked right at Edgeworth.

Edgeworth grimaced, his nose scrunched in distaste and no small bit of confusion. His intuitive understanding of the fact he'd just received another come-on and the inability to parse exactly what it meant could not connect in his mind. So, he left it at face value and waved Wright off. "You did just order breakfast."

“The joke was about oral sex,” Phoenix explained nonchalantly. Then, with a posh sort of lilt, “Cunnilingus.”

"Ngh- Will you quit that?" Edgeworth pointed at Wright's face despite their proximity, being in the same bed. "Is sex all you can think about? This is the fourth time you've mentioned it since we met yesterday."

“You’ve been counting?” Phoenix smugly rebutted. He nudged Edgeworth’s finger aside with the back of his hand. “You know, the more you stare at me and blush when I touch you and trip over yourself at the mere mention of sex, the more the evidence would point to you being the one who’s… Shall we say, preoccupied.”

"Objection: Irrelevance," Edgeworth retired his pointer finger to instead rest his head on his hand, propped up by his elbow on the mattress. "Your behavior is what is being called into question. Your insistence on making inappropriate comments and jests is completely unprovoked, regardless of the reactions you needle out of me." Ironically, despite his otherwise stern demeanor, Edgeworth's face was tinted pink yet again.

“Mm,” Phoenix was just watching him, freely taking in the details of Edgeworth’s features. “So the problem is that they’re unprovoked?”

"Well, I certainly haven't been asking you to make vague passes at me and then laugh immediately after," Edgeworth added, brows furrowed.

“Ah,” Phoenix nodded. “So you’d prefer that I be serious and specific.”

"Ugh," Edgeworth rolled his eyes to the ceiling as he dropped himself back on the bed. "You're impossible."

Phoenix gave a small hum, still looking him over. “For what it’s worth,” he clarified, “I’m not laughing at your expense. Inexperience isn’t anything to be ashamed of. It’s just a funny contrast to what I’m used to, from you.”

Gray eyes flicked back over to Wright questioningly. "What you're 'used to'?"

“You being very eager to jump my bones, yeah,” Phoenix explained.

Edgeworth scoffed and looked away again. "I hardly believe that," he lied.

“Oh, please,” Phoenix snorted. “By now you have to have noticed the level of familiarity I have with you. Face it, I know my way around.”

Edgeworth frowned at the ceiling, teeth dug gently into his bottom lip in thought. "You keep implying our... Proximity in the future. Are we-" He struggled to choose a word. "Are we dating?"

Phoenix went a little quiet then, as if he hadn’t actually prepared to be asked that question.

“It’s complicated,” he said slowly. “You spend the vast majority of your time out of the country, and I don’t even have my badge anymore. We still…work together, and see each other sometimes. And yeah, things tend to happen whenever we do. But I don’t know.” He kept his face straight, the only indication of internal conflict being a small line between his brows. “I don’t know what we are. You’d probably call us friends.”

Edgeworth assessed Wright with a quiet hum. He noted his hesitance - the vulnerability not unexpected from a question like the one being posed, but intriguing to see nonetheless. 

"That does indeed sound complicated... And you appear to be dissatisfied with it," he prodded.

“I’m plenty satisfied, Miles,” Phoenix drawled, purposefully making eye contact with him. “Believe me, I don’t have any unfulfilled fantasies I’m waiting to test out on you. Especially not emotional ones,” he actually wrinkled his nose in distaste. “There are reasons I don’t cross certain lines with your future self.”

"Fine," Edgeworth allowed, not quite sated in his curiosity of his prospective relationship with this peculiar man, but willing to drop it with what he'd gotten. "I suppose I'll learn the details myself in due time. That is, if I don't sidestep our reunion in the first place. Problem solved," he joked in his dry way.

Even more dryly, somehow, Phoenix answered, “You can certainly try.” He looked away and sort of clicked his tongue, flattening it against the roof of his mouth. “Yo,” he pivoted, “d’you have an extra toothbrush?”

Edgeworth blinked at the change in topic, but nodded. "Yes, actually. They're in the bottom drawer under the sink. Do you need me to show you?" He was already sitting himself up before the offer had even been accepted.

Grinning up at him, Phoenix countered, “Do you want to be in an even more enclosed space with me?” 

"I just don't have much faith that you won't get lost," Edgeworth denied, giving a small smile of his own. "Or that you'll put anything back where you found it." With that last assertion, he did get up. Edgeworth stretched, free from his blanket confines, and waited for Wright to follow so he could lead him to the adjoined master bathroom.

Phoenix obliged, but turned around as soon as he’d passed Edgeworth, lifting his hands to his shirt. “To make sure I behave…” he hummed, dexterously doing up each of the buttons that had come loose in his sleep.

Edgeworth smacked Wright's hands away before he could fix the last button, instead doing it himself. "You call that behaving?" He scowled, red, before waltzing off to the bathroom. 

Once inside, Edgeworth flicked on the lights, then pulled open the bottom drawer of the dark cabinetry under the sink. He sifted through the meticulously organized, travel-sized toiletries and produced a handful of items. Set on the counter one-by-one: A pink toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, mouthwash, and - cheekily - deodorant.

“Sure that’s everything?” Phoenix quipped, not a second after Edgeworth had stood up for good. “Maybe you should bend back over.” He’d collected everything into a pile, though, looking over it all. “Thanks,” he concluded, genuine. “I don’t even know when the last time I flossed was.”

Wright masterfully avoided getting smacked as Edgeworth changed focuses after being thanked. "You're welcome," he put his hand on his hip. "Admitting things like that isn't very attractive, you know."

“Yeah?” Phoenix’s attention was now on removing the packaging from the toothbrush, haphazardly tearing it out before running it under the faucet. “Good thing you find me incredibly attractive regardless.” He got the toothpaste ready next, applying it to the bristles before going right to brushing his teeth, undeterred by his audience.

Edgeworth walked right out of the bathroom in response, shutting the door rather loudly behind him. He breathed a heavy sigh to calm his heart outside the door, lingering just for a moment. Then he exited his room, switched the TV on to the morning news, and sat on his couch to wait.

When Phoenix eventually emerged to join him, he was prodding repeatedly at his cheek, grimacing a little every time he pressed too hard. “God, my gums are sore,” he complained, heading straight to the couch. “Is the food here yet?”

"No, but it should be any minute now." Edgeworth stood and passed by Wright, headed towards the bathroom himself. "I'll let you answer the door when it is."

“Oh, you’ll let me, huh?” Phoenix chuckled, retrieving his hoodie from the back of the couch and slipping it on almost ritualistically. He plopped himself down, snatching up the remote to start browsing other channels. “Jesus,” he muttered, “I forgot it’s 2013. …Ohoho, fuck yeah. X-Files rerun.”

Edgeworth took his time with his morning routine. He washed his face, went through every step in his skincare and oral care regimen, and even fixed his hair. By the time he exited the bathroom and began changing into a clean, unwrinkled version of his previous attire, he was sure the food had already arrived. 

As he stepped back into the living room, Edgeworth looked almost ready for work. Never mind that it was his day off.

“Welcome back,” Phoenix greeted, his mouth half full. “Your sad breakfast quesadillas are here.”

"My-" Edgeworth searched through the takeout bag and retrieved his box of crepes. "Would it kill you to just say things as they are?" He sat down next to Wright and started organizing the pieces of his order, setting up his tea and fruit on the table as if he were at the very restaurant the delivery had come from. 

Phoenix, meanwhile, was already a good way through his own Croque Madame, skillfully keeping any egg yolk from dripping onto his hoodie. “I can butcher a French accent, if you want.”

"I do not, thank you," Edgeworth shot a look at Wright over the lid of his tea as he took a sip. Methodically, the fruit disappeared from its cup, then the mini salad, and then the crepes, one small bite at a time. Edgeworth stacked up the empty recyclables as he went.

At a certain point, Phoenix had resigned himself to simply watching Edgeworth eat, leaned against the arm of the couch with a lazy air about him. 

“Did you do your hair?” he belatedly asked.

"I see you didn't," Edgeworth threw right back. He stood and gathered up the garbage from both of them and organized it between the bins in the kitchen.

“I did, actually,” Phoenix corrected, watching him go. “It’s just hard to tell. I only ask because today’s definitely your day off.”

"And what makes you say that?" Edgeworth challenged with no real heat; he knew what evidence he'd left. Still, opposing Wright seemed to come as second nature. His hands rested on his hips, comfortably facing the other man.

“We woke up naturally, so no alarm,” Phoenix started. “No immediate rush to do your morning routine. Case files left in your bedroom. Food ordered in. And, finally-” he gestured to the TV, “you put on the news.”

"Very well reasoned, but you forgot one glaring detail," Edgeworth waved his index finger at him, unabashedly haughty. "You're still in here, instead of kicked out to the curb."

Phoenix’s eyes caught on the mannerism, and they narrowed slightly, like the shadow of a wince. “So?” he dismissed. “That doesn’t have anything to do with you not having work. Unless we’re going back to the fact that you did your hair, in which case - absolutely, yeah, my presence is an important detail.”

"If I had work," Edgeworth spelled out condescendingly, "do you think I would just let you loiter around my home? You would have been on your own-" he glanced at a clock in the kitchen, "-about three hours ago, now."

“Yesterday, you told me I’d only be allowed here one night,” Phoenix said directly. “Full stop. Is that still the case?”

Edgeworth crossed his arms, frowning at him. "Do you want me to kick you out?"

“No,” Phoenix easily replied. “I want you to let me stay.”

Wright's candidness wiped the expression off Edgeworth's face. "Hm." He took a moment to think. "If you have to. It's not like I need the couch at night, anyway... And should I require them," Edgeworth looked at the wall, "your grounding techniques are useful to me and are acceptable repayment."

“Don’t make it transactional,” Phoenix immediately stopped him. “None of that was or will be to get something out of you.”

Edgeworth leaned against the kitchen counter, looking at Wright with tentative fondness. “…Alright," he agreed.

Phoenix dipped his head forward in a loose nod. “Alright,” he echoed. “Now come back over here and watch some X-Files. You’ll like Scully.”

"Fine, just a second," Edgeworth stopped by his room first, grabbing his abandoned case notes before he joined Wright on the couch. He flipped through them, resuming his commitment of the information to memory.

It was less than a minute of Edgeworth reading before Phoenix started looking over his shoulder, brazenly peeking at the file.

Edgeworth jerked away as soon as he noticed, holding the papers close to his chest with a pointed glare. "You don't have clearance to look at these, Wright."

Phoenix just grinned. “The details of that case became public record eleven years ago,” he reminded. “Don’t worry, though, I won’t spoil anything.”

Edgeworth grumbled to himself and shifted until he was facing Wright fully, hiding the papers anyway. "Watch your own files, or whatever your show is," he gestured petulantly to the screen.

“Mm…” Of course, Phoenix did nothing of the sort, actually moving to mute the show only to angle himself toward Edgeworth in turn. He leaned his elbow on the back of the couch, propping his chin up on his hand as he comfortably looked on.

Eventually, Edgeworth had to scowl at Wright over top of his work, punctuating the expression with a disgruntled noise. "Are you just going to stare at me the whole time?"

“I can leer at you instead, if you’d prefer.”

"I wouldn't." 

Rather than continuing to read, Edgeworth stared right back, albeit more grumpily than Wright was watching him. They stayed like that for maybe half a minute, Phoenix tapping his fingers against his jaw in a shapeless rhythm.

It was offhand, nearly rhetorical when Phoenix finally asked, “You’ve never even been kissed before, have you?”

Edgeworth's retribution was swift. The files in his hands slotted back together into a stack, fan-like, so he could smack Wright over the head with them. Paper wouldn't hurt at all, but it delivered Edgeworth's red-faced point. "Honestly!"

“That’ll be a no,” Phoenix snorted as he brushed the papers away. “I told you,” he went right back to his previous spot against the couch cushions, “there’s no shame in it. I just figured I’d ask, for clarification’s sake.”

"And exactly why would you ever need clarification on a subject that personal, Wright?" Edgeworth buried his face back into the notes he was determined to continue not reading.

“’Cause I’ll be more mindful about it, if it’s your first kiss,” Phoenix smoothly replied.

Edgeworth peeked over his files just enough to let Wright see the death glare he was giving him. The effect was lessened significantly by the firetruck shade of his face, though.

“I won’t make you ask,” Phoenix told him. “But I won’t force you, either. It’s still up to you.”

"How considerate." Edgeworth's voice dripped with disdainful sarcasm. He lifted the papers again, his barrier between them.

“Miles,” Phoenix instructed, voice calm, “put down the case notes.”

Edgeworth scoffed. The files stayed up.

“You aren’t reading them,” Phoenix pointed out. “You’re hiding. Put them down.”

"Maybe I'd be able to read them if you weren't so intent on distracting me," Edgeworth argued.

“If you didn’t want to be interrupted, you’d be at your desk, or in your room.” Again, Phoenix instructed, “Put them down. You don’t have to look at me.”

Edgeworth smacked the files down into his lap, looking at Wright directly, as if to prove a point.

Phoenix’s lips quirked into a smile. “Good.”

He reached out, not bothering to keep his fingers from brushing Edgeworth’s thigh as he took hold of the case notes, picking them up and setting them aside. Once he was facing Edgeworth again, it was with the slightest decrease in distance between them.

“I want you to close your eyes,” he said.

"Why?" The useless question snapped out of Edgeworth's mouth, despite how obvious Wright's intentions were.

“It’ll give you less to worry about,” Phoenix answered. “I’ll guide you. Close your eyes.”

Edgeworth's eyes slipped shut of their own accord. His mouth pinched in a frown, not trusting himself to speak.

Phoenix took care not to silence his movements as he leaned in and lifted his hand, slowly cupping Edgeworth’s cheek. 

“My other hand is here,” he said, lowering his palm onto Edgeworth’s forearm. “If you get uncomfortable, or you need to stop for any reason, just pat me twice and I’ll back off. Okay?” he checked.

Edgeworth swallowed, cracking an eye open only to immediately squeeze them both back shut. He jerked his head once in an affirmative.

“Good,” Phoenix murmured, stroking Edgeworth’s cheek with his thumb. Soothing. “Now just follow my lead,” he said softly, starting to lean in, “and don’t forget to breathe.”

The kiss was slow to start, just a soft press of lips, entirely chaste. Phoenix kept himself still so Edgeworth wouldn’t feel the scratch of his stubble, coaxing his head into tilting just subtly as his fingers found the shorter hairs at the nape of his neck.

After an initial sharp intake of air, Edgeworth did forget to breathe. His mouth remained still against Wright's as he adjusted to the feeling of his lips against someone else's. He finally exhaled as he gave into tilting his head as directed, the change inviting him to slot their lips together properly and soften the hard line of his mouth. Slowly, his hand found Wright's, still steady on his other arm, and rested on top of it for support.

Phoenix made a small, pleased sound, quiet and low in his throat. His fingers curled in Edgeworth’s hair, hinting at some buried impulse he had to pull. But in practice, he stayed gentle. 

Even when the kiss naturally broke, Phoenix just pressed another to the corner of Edgeworth’s mouth, ducking down soon enough to mouth along his jaw.

“You’re doing so good, baby,” he praised, muffled a little against Edgeworth’s neck. “Just breathe for me. You’re alright.”

Edgeworth swallowed hard and automatically angled his head further to the side, exposing his neck better to make room for Wright. He tried to focus on breathing almost as much as the instant addictive quality of Wright's lips on his skin, with faltering results. Unconsciously, his grip tightened over Wright's hand.

“That’s it,” Phoenix murmured, still speaking between soft kisses to the underside of Edgeworth’s jaw. “Just like that. I’ve got you.” He let his hand slip closer to Edgeworth’s chin, thumb moving to trace along his lower lip.

Edgeworth's eyes fluttered open again as he made a disgruntled noise. His lips parted, welcoming Wright's thumb only to hold it firmly, for a moment, between his teeth. He didn't bite hard - just hard enough to get his attention. "Do you ever stop talking?" he bullied as soon as he released Wright's finger.

In swift retaliation, Phoenix latched his teeth onto Edgeworth’s neck, exerting enough force with his hand to hold him in place as he sucked a mark into his skin. Once he’d soothed it with his tongue, he let Edgeworth move freely again, lowly warning, “You should really try to watch your tone, sweetheart.”

A high-pitched yelp left Edgeworth without permission at the feeling. The sharp pain and heat, unexpected and then instantly missed when Wright let him go. 

"Or what?" Edgeworth's voice was breathy, but still stubbornly prideful, "You'll bite me again? Bark, maybe? Play dead?"

“I’ll leave another mark if you ask me to,” Phoenix asserted, breath hot against Edgeworth’s neck.

"Then do it," Edgeworth ordered. He let go of Wright's hand to ball his fist up in his worn hoodie instead.

“That isn’t what I said, is it?” Phoenix’s fingers wove their way back into Edgeworth’s hair. “I told you to ask. Make another demand and I’ll make you beg, instead.”

Somehow, Edgeworth found it in himself to laugh, short and mocking. "As if you could," he fiddled with the thick fabric in his hand, not pulling Wright in but not letting him go. "I think your ego could do with some cutting down, and I'm more than happy to oblige."

Phoenix just hummed, tugging Edgeworth’s head into tilting by his hair. He flattened his tongue against the fresh bruise, exhaling slowly, letting it linger. 

And then he stopped entirely.

In place of the steadiness and certainty of all his touches until now, Phoenix’s kisses became abruptly feather-light, lips only barely gracing Edgeworth’s skin. This softness wasn’t mindful, like it could have been before. Instead, it became clear that Edgeworth was being denied something.

Edgeworth huffed unhappily after a few moments of this gentle attention. It wasn't overwhelming like the previous kisses, but it still didn't allow him to calm his breathing completely. He slipped his arm from under Wright's hold and grabbed that plush hoodie with it too, tugging Wright into him with both hands. "If you're trying to bore me into submission, it's not going to work," he breathed.

Phoenix nipped pointedly at Edgeworth’s throat - just the briefest moment of something more before he went right back to gentleness. He was moving, though, slowly but surely guiding Edgeworth onto his back. “Ask,” he repeated.

Edgeworth went down with only light resistance, his knees spread of their own accord to allow Wright between them. One of his hands unhooked from the sweater once he was flat on the couch, opting instead to wrap his cold fingers around the back of Wright's neck. "Not likely," he shot down again.

Phoenix barely even tensed, perhaps already having come to expect the frigidity of Edgeworth’s touch. His own hands trailed slowly down Edgeworth’s sides, stopping to rest firmly on his hips. “You really think this is convincing?” he challenged. “At all? You think I haven’t had you exactly like this more times than I can count?”

He let his teeth drag down the column of Edgeworth’s throat, tantalizingly slow. Then, right above his collar, he left another kiss. “I know just how badly you want me to mark you, baby,” he said. “I’ve seen how pliant you get once you’re covered in my bruises.”

Edgeworth tsked indignantly. "Unfortunately, my counterpart might have gotten soft with age. But you're dealing with me right now." He slipped his hand up and into Wright's hair to tug him backwards, looking him in the eyes. "I don't know anything about pliance. It's up to you to convince me, not the other way around."

“You really are one stubborn fucking brat,” Phoenix snatched Edgeworth’s hand out of his hair, swiftly pinning him down by both wrists. “But you’re right. You don’t know anything.” He lowered himself enough that their mouths were realigned, noses only just shy of brushing. “You won’t even acknowledge what’s right in front of you.”

"All I see," Edgeworth struggled in Wright's grasp to no avail, "is an arrogant ass, too used to being coddled to follow through without a bit of pretty begging." He leaned up just to finish his sentence against Wright's lips.

“And here I thought you were lost in my eyes,” Phoenix hissed. “Didn’t realize you’ve just been looking at your own reflection.”

He caught Edgeworth’s bottom lip between his teeth, tugging at it for a moment before he let up. “…You think you can talk about arrogance,” he muttered. “You, with your way paved straight through law school, dropped right into the courtroom, nobody daring to go beyond a few petty taunts and jokes at your expense. The only reason you think I’m a pushy, entitled bastard is because I don’t do what you say.” His grip tightened on Edgeworth’s wrists, almost twisting the skin with how hard he was holding him. 

“You think everyone’s beneath you,” he continued, voice low. Almost threatening. “You think you’re owed the world’s submission. But you aren’t,” he practically growled. “And you certainly aren’t owed mine.”

Edgeworth was struck silent. His chest heaved labored breaths, pupils blown wide as they flitted around every detail in Wright's heated expression. He shifted his thigh, brushing it along Wright's until he could hook his leg just barely around him, a vague invitation. 

"So," he spoke in almost a whisper. "'Turnabout is fair play', is it?"

Phoenix narrowed his eyes, but he’d already adjusted his position, better aligning their hips on what may very well have been a reflex. “‘Fair’ isn’t the word I’d use.”

Tugging against the discomfort of the pressure on his wrists, Edgeworth raised a brow. "What word would you use, then?"

“I’d use a different phrase altogether,” Phoenix dismissed, openly snippy. “You make it sound like this all comes down to some personal vendetta. Like I’m doing it out of spite. But putting you in your place is just a fucking public service.” He held Edgeworth down even harder still, putting more weight on his wrists. “It’s what you deserve.”

"Ow," Edgeworth complained. His teeth ground together, glaring up at Wright.

“Do you want me to let go?” Phoenix goaded.

Edgeworth held his tongue. He kept frowning, but it was starting to turn into more of a pout.

“Ask,” Phoenix repeated, one final time. “Nicely. And I’ll loosen my grip.”

Edgeworth sighed through his nose and kept staring until he couldn't anymore. He dropped his head to the side and seethed at the floor. After stalling for as long as he could, he muttered an unintelligible response.

“What was that?”

"You know, my first kiss isn't turning out to be very romantic," Edgeworth dodged, still looking at the floor.

“Miles.” Voice firm, Phoenix offered, “One word, and I won’t make you ask again.”

Edgeworth turned and searched Wright's eyes for a moment. Then he sighed and leaned up, stretching his shoulders so he could speak against Wright's mouth again. "Please," he pressed a kiss to Wright's lips. For good measure, he repeated, "Please." The second time was quieter, more genuine than the snark of the first.

Just as he said he would, Phoenix released him, gracing his thumbs lightly over both of Edgeworth’s wrists, repetitive and soothing.

He brought their lips back together in a silent reward, gradually lowering his hands back down to Edgeworth’s sides. “…Very good,” he praised in a whisper, staying in Edgeworth’s space. In a softer form of his earlier goading, he asked, “Do you still want me to mark you? You can just nod or shake your head.”

Even after being let go, Edgeworth's hands followed Wright's, ending up resting on his forearms. He leaned in to steal another gentle kiss. The sudden change in atmosphere bathed him in warmth, and he could only nod at Wright regardless, his eyes almost half-lidded.

“Okay, baby...” Phoenix kissed him again, just briefly, before letting his lips trail back down to Edgeworth’s neck. He started just a little below the first bruise, leaving another - albeit lighter - mark there as his hands moved in tandem to start unbuttoning Edgeworth’s shirt from the bottom. “Gonna let me leave some on your chest?”

The feeling of Wright's teeth tore a low groan from Edgeworth's throat. His hands stayed where they were even as Wright moved his arms around. "Ah, yes," he quickly confirmed. "Please."

Phoenix hummed his approval, parting the curtains of Edgeworth’s button up the second it was undone. With a subtly more fervent energy, he started sucking at Edgeworth’s collarbone, one palm raising so he could rub slow circles into one of his nipples.

Edgeworth's hands traveled up to loop around Wright's neck and keep out of the way. He arched his back to push into the hand on his chest as his head tilted back more dramatically, soaking up the attention. Hardly subtle, he adjusted his hips in thinly veiled discomfort.

“I know, honey,” Phoenix soothed, not even needing to look at Edgeworth to have a clear understanding of what was going on. “I know,” he kissed the latest bruise, “but we shouldn’t move too fast. I just need you to be patient, baby. Can you do that for me?”

Being in the state of undress that he was, Edgeworth's blush was visible damn near half way down his chest. He dropped one hand from Wright's neck to drape his forearm across his eyes. Edgeworth's only answer was a low groan muffled by his pursed lips.

“If we have to stop, we’ll stop,” Phoenix reasoned, thumb still circling Edgeworth’s nipple. “I’m already tempted enough as is…”

Edgeworth lifted his arm to peek at Wright. "Why do we have to stop?"

Phoenix breathed out the smallest laugh. “You’re still new to all this,” he reminded. “I’d rather you have time to process than end up regretting it all later.” He slipped his palm down a little lower, absently trailing over Edgeworth’s abdomen. “Also, as a guy with a dick? Unresolved boners suck.”

"Sure..." Edgeworth moved his arm from his face and rested it on the couch. "So we're going to just— hang out, until you think I've had enough time to consider you bedding me?"

“I was thinkin’ you should have some water, too,” Phoenix added.

Edgeworth huffed a laugh. "Considerate of you." The hand that was still hanging off of Wright moved to cup his stubbly cheek. Edgeworth's thumb brushed over the skin just beside his lips, moving back and forth.

Phoenix’s mouth quirked up, head tilting easily into the touch. “If it bothers you, I’m not opposed to shaving,” he established.

"...It's alright," Edgeworth decided after a moment. He probably wouldn't be giving any sappy cheek kisses, but lips were fair game. With that thought, he moved in to steal another peck. He stayed up then, propped on an elbow. "I suppose I should start on getting presentable again."

Phoenix drew back in kind, relaxing back against the arm of the couch. “‘Presentable’?” he teased.

Edgeworth rolled his eyes and removed his legs from Wright's lap so he could stand. Then, he leaned over Wright with a hand braced on the back of the couch, pressing one last kiss firmly to his lips. 

"I'll be a moment," Edgeworth excused himself to his room, where he stayed for several minutes to fix his hair, tuck in and re-button his shirt... And change his underwear. 

Upon reentering Wright's view, Edgeworth went straight to the kitchen. He poured two cups of water and brought them to the coffee table at the couch, making sure to place two coasters down under them. Edgeworth sat a polite distance away from Wright, as if they hadn't been intimate just earlier.

“We can cuddle, y’know,” Phoenix offered, leaning forward to retrieve his cup and to unmute the TV. “Unless you want to leave room for Jesus.”

Edgeworth choked briefly on his own sip of water. He cleared his throat to the side, into his sleeve. "You're ridiculous," he said between muffled coughs.

“I’m funny,” Phoenix decided in refusal. He downed about half his water before setting the glass back on the coaster. “Come on,” he coaxed, stretching one arm out over the back of the couch to leave space for Edgeworth to move closer. “I don’t bite. Not in this position.”

"Yes, hilarious," Edgeworth deadpanned back at him. After a moment's hesitation, he did move closer to Wright. He didn't quite know what he was doing, but he managed to lean stiffly against Wright's side.

With a soft laugh, then a softer kiss to Edgeworth’s head, Phoenix wrapped his arm around him, squeezing in a similar way to the night before. “Just relax, baby. You don’t have to think so hard. Watch X-Files,” he gestured loosely to the screen. “Develop a kinship with Scully. Get overly invested.”

Edgeworth scoffed without heat, but tuned in to the show anyway. His mind wandered, but he did his best to pay attention to the episodic nature of the plot. Eventually, he relaxed completely in Wright's embrace, snarking a comment or two at the screen from time to time. 

"I will admit, I enjoy this 'Scully' character," Edgeworth noted at one point.

“Told you,” Phoenix hummed, absently petting his hair. 

“…You should take more time for yourself,” he suggested then, abrupt but genuine. “After I get beamed up again. Even you have to recognize that this is better than being on edge and work-focused every second of the day.”

"I have a reputation to uphold, Wright," Edgeworth sighed. He leaned into the hand in his hair. "I am a student of Prosecutor Manfred von Karma; I don't have any room to slack. I can't make days like this a habit, or else I risk tarnishing his name as well as my own."

Phoenix’s jaw clenched of its own volition at the mention of von Karma, though he kept what of his body Edgeworth was aware of from reacting otherwise. “…So what?” he prodded, his voice carefully toneless.

Edgeworth paused for a second and glanced back at Wright with a strange look on his face. "If you know my...'future self' as well as you say you do, then you know I owe my life to him. He took me in when I lost everything and instructed me in my law studies himself. I can't repay him by throwing all of that away and disgracing the von Karma reputation with my failure, even by association." 

Through his impromptu speech, Edgeworth tensed up again. Something in his instincts tugged him back into work-mode, making his hands itch.

“Taking care of yourself isn’t failure,” Phoenix told him, just a bit quieter. “It’s…efficiency.”

"I'm taking care of myself efficiently already," Edgeworth argued. "I have detailed meal plans, scheduled gym visits, and I make sure to sleep at reasonable times." 'Usually' went unsaid. "I don't make any excuses to slack on my work, Wright, and I'm not going to start now."

Phoenix sighed. “…Maybe once I’ve made you come a few times, you’ll change your mind,” he mused, only maybe joking.

Edgeworth shook his head and lightly smacked Wright's leg. "I sincerely doubt that it will." Then, after a pause, he quietly added, "But you're welcome to try."

Phoenix chuckled into Edgeworth’s hair, though he still sounded a bit distracted. “No big regrets or second guesses, then?”

"No. But maybe we should wait a few more years, just to be sure," Edgeworth dryly joked. "...And you?"

“And me?” Phoenix echoed teasingly. “I was on board from the second I learned that you lived here.”

"Charming," Edgeworth snarked as he turned more fully towards Wright. "Are you sure you're alright?"

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Phoenix looked down at Edgeworth’s hair as he played with it.

Edgeworth lifted his own hand to run it through Wright's disheveled spikes. "You got a bit agitated about my work just now. I'm not sure I understand it."

“I’m opposing counsel,” Phoenix excused. “Call it second nature.”

"Hm." Edgeworth didn't sound quite convinced, but occupied himself elsewhere by looking at Wright's lips. "So you admit to seducing me for the sake of distracting the prosecution from his current cases?" 

“Sure,” Phoenix allowed, “but with the prosecution’s wellbeing in mind.”

"The prosecution appreciates the defense's concern," Edgeworth leaned up into Wright without taking the extra step to kiss him. Yet.

“I can see that,” Phoenix gave him a little smirk. Then, playfully, he kissed Edgeworth’s nose.

Edgeworth's cheeks got a dusting of pink, and he pulled Wright in properly with his hand in his hair. He took his time instead of leaving it at a peck, kissing him slowly and purposefully as he learned how to apply the kind of pressure that felt best against his lips.

Again, Phoenix’s fingers curled a little tighter in Edgeworth’s hair, though he didn’t try to take the lead again. Letting Edgeworth experiment. 

…To a point, anyway. Phoenix worried Edgeworth’s lower lip with his teeth, soothed it with his tongue, then broke away to propose, “Wanna try somethin’ gross?”

Edgeworth squinted at him, then raised a brow. "If it's 'gross', why would I want to try it?" He let his free hand rest against Wright's chest.

“’Cause it’s hot, too,” Phoenix elaborated. “Mostly, it’s just gross in theory. Mostly.”

"..." Edgeworth stared for another beat before giving in. "What is it?"

Phoenix clicked his tongue. “Ever heard of French kissing?”

"I never noticed that the French kiss differently..." Edgeworth doubted.

“No—” Phoenix snorted, “No, it’s like… French fries. You know, how ‘French’ is in the name but it’s not actually a French thing?”

"Just tell me what it is already, Wright," Edgeworth tugged tetchily on his hair.

“I wanna stick my tongue in your mouth,” Phoenix rather eloquently explained.

Edgeworth gave him a withering stare for a few good moments before rolling his eyes. "I do actually know of that...'accessory' to kissing. I've simply never encountered the term." He straightened himself back up and nodded, "Very well, then. I'm willing."

“Mm,” Phoenix looked him over, eyes already half-lidded. “I have a feeling I should mute the TV again, in that case. I kinda want you in my lap for this.”

Edgeworth cleared his throat, flustered, and looked away. He extracted himself and procured the television remote to turn the program off entirely. Then he looked to Wright, unsure of how to go about the etiquette of lap-sitting.

Phoenix gave him a lazy smile, beckoning him closer. “Thighs on either side of me,” he guided. “Sit like you’re kneeling.”

Following those instructions, Edgeworth placed one knee at a time on the couch around Wright. His hands, one on the wooden frame and one on Wright's shoulder, supported him as the cushions dipped under his weight and he sat square in the lap beneath him. He shifted until he was comfortable, and moved to rest his hands on either side of Wright's neck. "Is this okay?"

Phoenix wet his lips, palms splaying over Edgeworth’s thighs as he got settled. “That’s perfect,” he confirmed. A little slyly, he raised one hand to cup Edgeworth’s chin, once again running his thumb along his lower lip. “Gonna behave yourself this time?”

Edgeworth bared his teeth for a second, but closed his mouth again. Instead of biting this time, he caught the tip of Wright's thumb on a small kiss. "Just get on with it," he sighed. With no shortage of sarcasm, he added, "Please."

“Mh…” Phoenix pulled Edgeworth in closer with his other hand, grabbing his ass while he was at it. “You remember how to make me stop, right?”

"Tap twice," Edgeworth confirmed with a jolt, somehow not expecting the handsy move. He settled into his new position, flush against Wright, and dove back into kissing him again. He remained closed-mouthed, though, awaiting Wright's lead.

Phoenix didn’t press on right away, choosing to let Edgeworth linger in what he was still just barely familiar with now. Slowly, though, he pushed his tongue against the seam of Edgeworth’s lips, coaxing his mouth into opening. His fingers curled around the back of Edgeworth’s neck, guiding him to angle his head as he pressed his tongue against the other man’s, muffling a small groan into his mouth.

Edgeworth's hands slipped forward to splay over Wright's back, relaxing against him completely. Kissing was another matter, though. Wright's noise kickstarted Edgeworth's heart, and suddenly that sound was all he wanted to hear. Edgeworth approached this new skill with intense focus, his eyebrows pinched slightly. He followed the lead of Wright's tongue, determined not to be a slacking partner.

…Phoenix pulled back with a breath of a laugh, eyes still half-lidded even as he thumbed excess spit from the edge of his lips. 

“As flattered as I am by the enthusiasm,” he advised, “you don’t have to be that…active.” He smiled, brushing some hair away from Edgeworth’s face. “I think you’re overthinking it.”

Mortified, Edgeworth ducked his head with a grimace. "That's very likely. I didn't expect it to be...well. Ninety percent tongue, ten percent lips. And you're right, it is gross." He peeked up at Wright through his bangs. "Can we try again?"

Phoenix just chuckled, leaning in to press a soft kiss to Edgeworth’s cheek. “Of course,” he assured once he’d pulled back. “As many times as you’d like.” He winked.

Edgeworth didn't waste any time reprimanding Wright for that. Instead, he swallowed, gathered his nerve, and kissed him again. This time, when Wright opened his mouth for him, Edgeworth slipped his tongue past his lips more lazily. He focused on enjoying the slick feeling and the heat instead of winning it. He carded a hand through Wright's hair, cradling the back of his head as he got the hang of it.

That got another pleased sound out of Phoenix, his grip tightening unthinkingly on Edgeworth’s ass. It was like he was still trying to pull him in closer, minimizing the space between them even when there wasn’t any space left.  

It wasn’t long before a telltale hardness started pressing against Edgeworth, and Phoenix broke away to pant, “Shouldn’t have put you in my lap.”

Edgeworth left another breathless kiss on the corner of Wright's mouth. "On the contrary, I think we're getting right where we need to be, don't you agree?" He looked past his own heaving chest, down to where he was pressed directly against the curve in Wright's sweatpants. Edgeworth watched, fascinated, as he experimentally moved his hips forward and back along the length of it.

Phoenix grunted, his jaw falling open and head tilting the slightest bit back. “I— know you’re new to this,” he exhaled in a rush, “but all you’re doing is teasing me with that.”

"Well, that's alright then," Edgeworth quipped, taking in the look on Wright's face. He made sure to keep watching him as he repeated the 'tease' just a fraction harder.

Phoenix’s jaw tightened, a curse hissed near-unintelligibly through his clenched teeth. “…You’re really gonna go this route, huh?” He huffed, “Fine.”

All brute force, he grabbed Edgeworth by both hips, halting his movements just to dictate them himself. Every time he dragged Edgeworth into grinding down on him, he gave a reciprocal grind up, getting far more friction than before, even through several layers of clothes. 

“This what you wanted?” he gritted out. “On your overpriced couch, of all places?”

Edgeworth was gasping with every firm roll of their hips, only able to hold onto Wright through each shock of pleasure when they slotted together just right. Even through his panting and preoccupation with watching everything about what Wright was doing, he still managed to retort, "We are not having sex on the couch."

“I wasn’t planning to,” Phoenix bit back. Unconsciously, his head tilted forward, lightly brushing Edgeworth’s shoulder as he tried to control his breathing. “God,” he huffed with a now-involuntary grind up, obviously fully hard at this point, “you’re gonna drive me crazy.”

Edgeworth turned his face to rest his cheek in Wright's hair and to catch his breath as well. He squeezed his thighs around Wright's lap and kept himself securely against that tent. "Bed, then?" he proposed, voice breathy and tentative with no small degree of hope.

“Baby, you’ve gotta stop tempting me,” Phoenix’s nails dug a little into Edgeworth’s pants. “I’m trying to be responsible here.” Laying out his reasoning, he listed, “You definitely don’t have condoms. I definitely don’t trust myself to pull out. And fucking you bare is probably a bad idea.” He let out a long sigh. “…Probably.”

"Well, actually," Edgeworth paused, suddenly embarrassed, but unable to get more red than he already was. "I do have condoms." He cleared his throat and looked off to the side, feigning nonchalance.

“Huh…?” Phoenix drew back enough to see Edgeworth’s face, appearing more in disbelief than anything else. “The hell’s the story there?”

"I didn't ask for them, she just gave them to me!" Edgeworth defended, looking at Wright desperately. "And why should I get rid of them if they're perfectly good, anyway? It pays to be prepared," he asserted, trying to end the topic on his own sure footing. And failing.

“She?” Phoenix echoed, bemused and at least a little more in control of himself. “What, did some sex ed teacher pass them out and you held onto them just in case?” He cocked his head. “Nah, too far back…” Narrowed his eyes. Concluded, “A cashier sprinkled them into your bag at a sex shop. You wouldn’t be this evasive otherwise.”

Edgeworth looked like someone had just ripped his case apart in court. "How... Could you possibly have guessed that. Immediately," he lamented. Then he shook his head, quick to attempt to salvage his pride. "Fine, yes, that's how I have them. Are you happy? Can we get to bed now due to these happy circumstances?"

Still mid smirk, Phoenix pulled him into a rougher kiss, biting at his lip with just a bit more sharpness. “…I’m not about to carry you, your highness. Get up yourself while I decide how I wanna pin you down.”

Edgeworth scoffed in his face before extracting himself from Wright's hold. Standing was trickier than he might have thought, with his legs being as jelly-like as he discovered them to be. He used the couch arm for balance as he passed it on his eager way to the bedroom. 

Once he got there, he sat on his bed and reached down to one of the drawers of his nightstand. He rifled through the few items there quickly, before producing a small envelope full of colorful, square, plastic wrappers. He shut the drawer again as fast as he could in an attempt to prevent Wright from being privy to its other contents.

When Phoenix entered the bedroom, he had once again shed his hoodie, looking very nearly composed aside from the obvious bulge in his sweatpants. 

“Jesus,” he cocked his head as he got his first look at the condom selection. “Every color of the rainbow, huh?” He took the envelope from Edgeworth, getting a closer look at its contents. “…Well damn. Assorted sizes and everything.” 

As he predictably settled on the condom wrapped in blue, placing the envelope on the nightstand, he casually instructed, “Take off your shirt.”

Edgeworth raised an unimpressed brow at the command. He didn't object, but undid his buttons slowly. Petulantly. "And you?" he countered, not willing to be the only one half dressed again.

“Turnabout is fair play, eh?” Phoenix gave a scoff of a laugh. “Alright.” 

For the time being, he simply slipped the condom into his pants pocket, pulling his shirt over his head and depositing it… On the nightstand, rather than the floor. Best not to dirty the only pair of clothes he’d come equipped with.

Still, when he followed Edgeworth onto the bed he was still in his sweatpants— not that it mattered, really, as he pressed Edgeworth near-instantly into the mattress. 

“Here’s how we’re gonna do this,” he established. “If you can’t use your mouth, it's the same as before: tap twice, and I’ll stop. But if I’ve got your wrists pinned, or you can’t use your hands for whatever other reason, the safe word can be…” He thought for a moment, then decided, “‘Signal Yellow’. Agreed?”

Edgeworth lit up at the nostalgic reference, momentarily distracted from the intimacy of their position and Wright's bare chest. Slowly, though, his expression shifted to confusion. "Wouldn't 'Signal Red' be more appropriate? Red is recognized as 'stop' already anyway," he reasoned. His eyes began to trail down then, visibly appreciating Wright's body looming over his own.

Phoenix tipped Edgeworth’s chin up with his first two fingers, making him focus back on his face. “It’s a safe word,” he reminded. “Shouldn’t have that much sentimental value.” He decidedly didn’t mention that any association with Larry Butz would be an immediate mood-killer.

That actually made Edgeworth look a little flattered. A tiny smile ghosted his lips and he gave Wright a peck. "Sure. Yellow it is," he agreed. Tempted, then, his hand lifted to trail his fingers down Wright's torso, eyes staying on his face.

Phoenix wet his lips, his own gaze flicking down to watch Edgeworth’s hand as it progressed. Once it reached his abdomen, he tilted his hips forward, prodding, “You don’t have to stop there.”

Edgeworth's eyes widened a bit and he looked down at the offer. His hand traveled further, but stopped at Wright's waistband. He glanced up, swallowed, and then decided against reaching under it just yet. Experimentally, Edgeworth dragged his hand over Wright's clothed cock, and squeezed gently to become familiar with the shape. He rubbed over the head and traced down to the base with curious fingers.

Phoenix’s hips stuttered forward, eyes fluttering briefly shut and lips parting with a small groan. “God,” he practically whispered, voice already sounding strained. “You’re so tentative. I can’t tell if it’s torture or just— fucking hot. Christ. Come on-”

Edgeworth bit his lip to keep from ruining the beautiful picture above him with sass. Instead, he let Wright's words bolster his confidence and took the invitation to squeeze harder, bringing his other hand down to tug the bands of Wright's sweatpants and underwear low enough to slip his hand inside. With no fabric left between them, Edgeworth could finally wrap his hand around Wright properly, giving him a few slow, but firm pumps. All the while, gray eyes stayed trained on Wright's face.

“F-Fuck,” Phoenix’s hips started moving again, meeting each careful stroke with an uneven thrust. His head dipped down, nose nuzzling beneath Edgeworth’s jaw so he could mouth at the bruises he’d already left. “Baby, I need to get my hands on you, too. Feel how wet you are for me.”

Wright's words drew an involuntary shiver up Edgeworth's spine. He picked up the pace of his hand and then paused as he remembered something. As swiftly as he could reasonably manage, he removed his hand, brought it to his mouth and licked a wet stripe up his palm before taking hold of Wright again. The sound of his hand moving against skin was decidedly louder, and Edgeworth couldn't help but notice the new taste in his mouth with a thrill.

“Thank god,” Phoenix muttered to himself, not thinking to comment further. His hands wandered down to Edgeworth’s pants, only for him to be unpleasantly reminded of Edgeworth’s deranged definition of ‘casual dress’. 

With an irritated sound that bordered on a growl, he moved Edgeworth’s hand off of him, holding him down enough to keep him from interfering as he undid his slacks and removed them as quickly as possible. His underwear was next, followed by what remained of Phoenix’s own clothes. And then he was grabbing Edgeworth by his hips, dragging him into place so he could slot himself between his thighs.

“…Jesus,” he exhaled, unthinkingly guiding his cock to Edgeworth’s swollen clit, some precome leaking from his tip as he ground a little against it. “I’d fuck you open if I was sure you could take it. You’re practically dripping.”

Edgeworth clasped a hand over his mouth to muffle a loud moan as his hips involuntarily buckled, rubbing himself against Wright again. His thighs squeezed together as much as they could with the other man between them, as if trying to hide himself retroactively. 

He used his other hand to grasp at Wright's on his hip. His eyes were wide as they looked down, full of arousal, but also a bit of fear. He uncovered his mouth to remind Wright, "C-Condom-"

“I know…” Phoenix griped, even as he gave another small, absent grind against Edgeworth’s clit. “Trust me, if I were that far ahead of myself, it sure wouldn’t be in this decade. I haven’t even opened you up yet,” he excused.

With a considerable amount of reluctance, still, he sat back enough that their hips were no longer aligned. …Then immediately compensated by pulling Edgeworth’s thighs back open. 

“…Not much point in hiding, sweetheart,” he said, a subtle firmness to his voice. One hand slipped over to Edgeworth’s crotch, splaying just above it to circle his clit with his thumb. “It’s pretty damn clear just how bad you want something inside you.”

Edgeworth's hips stuttered as though to get away from the new, steady friction against his clit. He groaned into his hand, eyebrows tilted up with a vulnerable look as he watched Wright's hands with heated fascination. Slowly but surely, his legs stayed splayed open on their own - body language opening both figuratively and literally with want. 

"Hhn," Edgeworth shifted his fingers to whine. "What are you waiting for, then?"

“I’m trying to decide how I’ll make you come the first time,” Phoenix mused, pressing harder on Edgeworth’s clit just long enough to provoke a reaction.

Edgeworth jolted on command, groaning with frustration. He moved his hand from his mouth in favor of running it through his hair instead, tugging at it like Wright was driving him insane. "The first time?" he gritted out, breathless already.

Phoenix’s mouth quirked up in amusement, hand lowering to part Edgeworth’s folds with his middle and index fingers. “Don’t tell me you actually thought you’d only be having one orgasm today,” he teased.

"I thought you were-" Edgeworth lifted his hips to feel more of Wright's hand. "-Exaggerating," he breathed.

“You really have no idea how good you can feel, do you?” Phoenix hummed, looking him over with dark eyes. He slid both fingers into Edgeworth’s cunt, crooking them to press right against his g-spot. Rubbing slow, firm circles there with his fingertips, he asked, “Still think I’m exaggerating?”

Edgeworth gasped sharply and held his breath without thinking. The hand that wasn't buried in his own hair grasped at the bed sheets, nails scratching until he managed to find purchase on them. He arched his back, needing Wright deeper. He only remembered to breathe when he pushed down just a bit further on Wright's fingers, sighing the capacity of his lungs. In delayed answer, he shook his head: no, Wright was not exaggerating.

Phoenix didn’t bother to conceal his smirk, using his opposite hand to hold Edgeworth by the hip and keep him from moving too much.

“…Look at you,” he murmured, thrusting his fingers deeper just to drag them back out, steadily moving against that same spot with precision. “Too much and not enough. You want more, baby? More of me inside you?”

Feeling Wright's fingers deep inside him, even for just a moment, punched the air from Edgeworth's lungs. He became a panting mess then, as Wright went back to rubbing that place that made his brain feel like liquid. He was so preoccupied that he barely processed Wright's asinine question. Looking down at him through the lashes of his half-lidded eyes, Edgeworth's answer was an annoyed, near-growl. "Yes."

Despite absolutely having heard Edgeworth’s confirmation, Phoenix kept thrusting his fingers, not adding anything more or picking up his pace - at least not yet. 

“You think that answer should be obvious,” he lazily observed. “But it isn’t, really. See, this?” he pushed in just deep enough to brush Edgeworth’s cervix. “I could do this for hours. Make you come more times than either of us could count. But I,” he pushed in a third finger, shoving them in as deep as they could go, “am a selfish bastard. And if all you want is more, well... I think I’ll wait until my cock is inside you to actually get you off.”

"F-Fuck-!" Edgeworth gasped, wriggling away in vain as he was held in place on those damn fingers. Reflexively, he clenched around the intrusion, inadvertently making the feeling just that more intense. He shivered and wet his lips to weakly snap an order. "Do something."

“I am,” Phoenix countered rather pointedly, though he was still just prepping Edgeworth more than anything. He at least started keeping the same depth, sometimes just staying as deep as he could inside him to test how much pressure Edgeworth could handle. “You’re opening up for me easily enough,” he amended. “Exercise a little patience, sweetheart. You really don’t wanna rush me.”

But that slight burn of going just a bit too fast was addictive. Edgeworth could never get this kind of feeling on his own fingers. He stopped complaining, still, opting instead to close his eyes and let Wright's practiced movements pull unhurried moans from his chest. He stopped flinching away too, body melting into Wright's touch like he belonged there.

“Attaboy,” Phoenix quipped, though the low murmur still managed to sound like proper praise. “I’m gonna give you one more, baby,” he glanced up to inform Edgeworth. “Just to make sure you’re ready.” 

As promised, then, he slipped in his fourth finger, moving the slightest bit slower to allow Edgeworth more time to adjust. “…Hell,” he wet his lips, cocking his head as though that could possibly give him a better view. “You just can’t get enough, can you?”

Edgeworth didn't answer. The glare he aimed towards Wright was too desperate to convey any actual annoyance. Wright's fourth finger stretching him almost to the point of pain had forced a whine from his throat, but he swallowed it down, determined to take everything he could get. He released his grip on his hair to slip his hand back over the one Wright had on his hip. Squeezing there was better than pulling his hair out - at least for Edgeworth. Wright might get dull half-moons imprinted into his skin by manicured nails for his efforts.

“You can hold onto me properly,” Phoenix encouraged, dragging his middle and ring fingers against Edgeworth’s g-spot again. “Can touch me however you like, baby, it’s all good to me.”

With a moan muffled by his mouth shut tight, Edgeworth slid his hand further up Wright's steady arm. He gripped above his wrist, clinging just as tightly as his other hand was in the sheets. Edgeworth could feel his body held down this way, feel how his hips bucked against Wright's hands but never got far. He could feel muscles flexing under his fingers to keep him in place, and it was hot. Edgeworth's breath stuttered and he moaned again, breathy and quiet.

“There you go,” Phoenix encouraged, his grip tightening just slightly on Edgeworth’s hip. “You’re being so good, honey, I might just let you come on my hand.” In emphasis, he started curling and uncurling his fingers, stimulating that same place inside Edgeworth at a gradually more incessant pace. 

“Is that what you want?” he breathed. “To be fucked before you’ve even had the chance to come down? I can’t even imagine how sensitive you’d be…” Without slowing down in the slightest, he mused, “Maybe I should make you wait.”

"No- No, don't- Please-" Edgeworth's voice struggled between gasps for air. His hips wiggled as minutely as he was able, squeezed tight around Wright's fingers for any more friction he could steal. He was suddenly close, legs shaking on either side of Wright, tightening around him for support. Edgeworth pleaded with his eyes - though they were almost closed anyway - watching Wright, veiled in thick gray lashes.

“Oh, sweetheart…” Phoenix stole a small kiss, keeping their lips together for the briefest second. “…I just can’t tease you when you look this good.” He sped up properly then, the desire so, so clear in his voice as he goaded, “Go on then, baby. Come for me.”

Edgeworth's voice broke around a drawn-out moan, and his body rushed to obey. The bed creaked as he came, shuddering violently with his back bowed of its own accord. Edgeworth's mouth stayed where it fell open, breathy noises freely leaving him even as his orgasm subsided. The warmth that bathed his muscles loosened his grip on Wright's arm, letting his legs settle back onto the mattress happily even as Wright's fingers kept sparking sharp, pleasurable jolts through his body.

“Very good,” Phoenix hummed, easing his fingers out before moving to grab his discarded sweatpants. He found the condom simply enough, tearing the wrapper open with his teeth… Though not before delivering a one-liner into the plastic. “Missing me already?”

A contented noise was all Edgeworth had to say to that. He watched Wright greedily - admired the way his body moved, uncovered by that sloppy sweatsuit. In particular, he liked how the heaviness between Wright's thighs bobbed in the air as he shifted, and the way his wet fingers were glistening. Edgeworth could stare all day were he not aching in anticipation for more.

Phoenix gave his cock a few perfunctory strokes to tide himself over, head tilting a bit once he started rolling the condom on. “…Okay,” he exhaled, adjusting himself to the feeling of it and settling back between Edgeworth’s thighs. “You’ve used a toy before, right?” he checked in a low hum, guiding his tip along Edgeworth’s slit.

"How did you—? Oh. Right. Yes," Edgeworth answered, much too distracted by Wright between his legs again. He leaned up on his elbows to get a better look, to be able to watch when Wright finally pushed into him.

“Well, a toy only does what you make it do,” Phoenix established, slowly circling Edgeworth’s clit with his free hand. “I’m gonna do what feels good to me. Which means if you want me to stop, you’d better tell me. Because as soon as I’m inside you, baby, I’m done checking in. Understood?”

Wright's hand on him made Edgeworth squirm with overstimulation, jerking his hips and pressing hard against him. "Understood, now stop stalling," he urged, reaching a hand up to wrap around the back of Wright's neck.

“Fine,” Phoenix said, the word just sharp enough to be a final warning. And then he shoved into Edgeworth, filling the space he’d prepared with his fingers and already pushing deeper. 

“…Ah, fuck,” he exhaled, eyes actually slipping shut for a moment once he started to get some proper friction. It wasn’t outright rough, but Phoenix certainly didn’t bother being gentle, hands thoughtlessly wandering to grip Edgeworth by the hips and pull him into each insistent thrust. “God, baby,” he breathed against Edgeworth’s skin, “the way you clench down on me is like— Christ, like you never want me to pull out. You’re like a dream,” he ground forward, keeping pressure on Edgeworth’s clit. “Feel fucking perfect.“

The sudden stretch and overwhelming fullness of finally having Wright inside him drew a strangled, surprised cry from Edgeworth's chest. It was much too fast, but the feeling of Wright fucking him though the dull pain wiped any possible protest from his mind. He clawed at Wright's back with blunt nails and threw his other arm over his shoulders, securely dragging them both to lay flat on the bed. Edgeworth's back bowed, and he dug his heels into the mattress for the leverage he needed to meet Wright's thrusts himself. 

Wright's praise colored his face crimson. It was filthy, but Edgeworth was embarrassed to find that it only made him squeeze around Wright's cock harder. He pulled Wright's face tight against his neck to hide his blush, and felt the man's stubble scrape pleasurably against his sensitive skin. He couldn't form words, but their position allowed every breathy moan to ruffle the dark hair directly by Wright's ear.

A little predictably, Phoenix started to suck more bruises into Edgeworth’s neck, catching skin between his teeth, leaving the deepest marks that he could. 

“You’re mine, Miles,” he lowly declared, not bothering to hide the fact that he was panting. “You’ll pretend you’re not, but— Fuck,” he groaned, cock twitching on a particularly deep thrust. “You’ve always been mine.”

Edgeworth whined in Wright's ear, writhing with every sharp bite to the delicate skin of his throat. His nails dug into Wright's broad back, grasping as he struggled to make use of his vocabulary. "Th-There's that- ah- Arrogance again," he gasped out, determined to argue even in this position.

“You think so?” Phoenix gradually slowed down again, making sure Edgeworth had nothing to focus on but the way he was being fucked. “Think I’m ‘exaggerating’?”

"Damn it," Edgeworth tried to pull Wright into him, using his legs to wrap around Wright's firmly. But to no avail. He groaned and cursed under his breath, forced to take the slow, slick glide of Wright's cock teasing him without real satisfaction.

Phoenix pressed Edgeworth down harder into the bed, tutting his tongue. “You let me in for a reason, sweetheart,” he asserted, grinding against Edgeworth’s clit again. “So fucking stubborn, but you’ve never been able to hide from me. You want me this possessive. Want to be fucked like I think I own you, whether you agree with me or not.” He nipped at Edgeworth earlobe. “You want me to be even more desperate than you are.”

Edgeworth's hands slid up Wright's back, one tangling in spiky black hair and tugging, while the other rested at the base of Wright's neck. His hips pushed against the strong hands holding him down, and Edgeworth grunted a noise of complaint when it did nothing to get him more friction. 

"What I want is for you to stop being so damn cryptic and fuck me," he gritted out, whining involuntarily. The vulgar request was mortifying, but he was impatient. The pressure on his clit paired with Wright doing little more than keeping his cunt full was quickly driving him insane.

Phoenix just chuckled, stubble scratching lightly against Edgeworth’s skin as he angled his head. “Didn’t think I was being cryptic,” he hummed, giving a good, proper thrust, like he had to remind Edgeworth how it felt. As suddenly as it had begun, it was over, replaced again by that slow, maddening drag. 

“If you’re gonna get what you want, you’re going to stop fighting me,” he said, voice slipping back into something authoritative. Something firm. “You’re going to stop denying. Stop evading. Stop trying to save face and let go.” He pressed a slow kiss just beneath Edgeworth’s ear, the affection very nearly absent. “Let me fucking take you,” he instructed, voice a low murmur. “Let yourself be mine.”

Edgeworth could feel wetness drip down to the bedsheets as he squeezed himself around Wright desperately. He almost wanted to give in, body slacking where he held Wright to himself. But that just wasn't in his nature. 

"That's not exactly fair," he protested, voice weak. "It's not as if you're mine, either. You just keep rubbing in my face everything you know about me. It's infuriating."

“…You know me, too,” Phoenix told him, just a bit gentler. Easing Edgeworth into the idea. “You let a lot of things get in the way of it. But you know me. Of course I’m yours.”

Edgeworth shifted his hands to softly hold Wright's scruffy jaw. He pushed tentatively, until he could search Wright's face with his eyes. Edgeworth thought to himself while he looked at him, one of his thumbs brushing back and forth over the stubble beneath it.

Phoenix tilted his head enough to press a soft kiss to Edgeworth’s wrist. “Let yourself be mine,” he said again, holding Edgeworth’s gaze. “Let go. I’ll catch you.”

Edgeworth found himself leaning up, drawn in naturally to the man above him. He was nodding by the time their lips touched, sealing his compliance with a terribly sweet kiss. Pulling back, tender against Wright's lips, he murmured, "Alright..."

“Alright,” Phoenix echoed, giving him a little smile.

At that, he finally started to move his hips again, wetting his lips with a small, approving sound as he felt Edgeworth drip around him with each deep thrust.

Edgeworth pushed his hips as far up as he was able, trying eagerly to meet Wright. He wanted him as deep as he could get him, panting again already. His hands laced together tightly behind Wright's neck, arms going lax as being properly fucked again took the entirety of his mental fortitude. 

“Baby,” Phoenix exhaled, pressing their foreheads together, “you have no idea how much I wish I could come inside you.”

"I- Ah- Have some idea," Edgeworth gasped between steady thrusts. "Personally."

“Mh—” Phoenix brought their mouths together, biting down slightly on Edgeworth’s lower lip as he muffled a groan. “You’re already so wet for me,” he panted, eyes dark and dilated. “I wanna fill you up, make you leak.”

Embarrassment heated Edgeworth's face, but he bit back any petty protest, true to his word. He squeezed his eyes shut, and let Wright's words draw a shiver up his spine. 

As he noticed his mouth had dropped open, letting his moans into the air freely, Edgeworth got an idea. Instead of simply clamping his lips shut, he surged up and started pressing desperate kisses to Wright's neck, allowing them to quickly turn into the beginnings of small, red hickeys. Edgeworth's moans buzzed into Wright's skin as he learned how to leave them more visibly.

“Marking me up too, huh?” Phoenix angled himself, allowing Edgeworth free reign. He wet his lips, letting his eyes slip shut. “That’s good. I’m gonna-” he moved one hand down, putting direct pressure on Edgeworth’s clit as he kept thrusting. “God, you sound perfect. Gonna come for me again?” A small shudder ran through him, breathing even rougher as he goaded, “Come on my cock, baby, let me feel you.”

Edgeworth's body jolted, detaching his mouth from Wright's skin with a wet noise and a gasp. "Oh, fuck—" He voice was almost reverent, still somehow surprised by how intense this pleasure could be. 

He bucked his hips against Wright's hand, rubbing his clit how he needed it until he hit that sweet peak for the second time that day. Edgeworth's legs locked around Wright as he shook, clinging tight to him in every way, shuddering around his cock. A whine spilled past his lips, drawn out and wobbly as his orgasm carried on. So again, he latched his mouth to Wright's throat to muffle the noises, his teeth pressing firmly against his pulse point.

Phoenix cursed, trying not to follow him over the edge and well and truly struggling.

“…You shouldn’t feel this fucking good,” he panted, thrusting as much as he could without outright losing himself. “Hell. D’you have any idea what you’re doing to me?” He shuddered out a breath, still circling Edgeworth’s clit. “Any idea what I want to do to you?”

The ebbing of that high had Edgeworth drooping from his hold on Wright again. He shook his head in answer to the rhetorical question as soon as he hit the mattress, silver hair fanning out over the sheets. Despite the weakness in his limbs, each perfect movement over his clit sent a jolt through his body. The shocks of pleasure bordering on pain forced pathetic sounds from high in his throat, over and over until he scrambled to grab Wright's hand to stop it.

Phoenix knocked his hand away immediately, pressing Edgeworth down again with renewed pressure. His fingers went right back to Edgeworth’s clit, relentless. “I wanna keep you like this for hours,” he panted, rolling his hips in emphasis. “Just— fill you up, again and again, make you warm my cock whenever I’m not fucking you. You’re already so damn sensitive…” His touch lightened against Edgeworth’s clit, the pad of his finger only barely stimulating him. “God, just listen to you.”

It was almost gentle how Wright brushed his clit, but Edgeworth was so overstimulated already that it was exactly enough to build him back up again. His hand flew to his mouth to stem the noises he couldn't hold in, Wright's comment having drawn attention to the rather humiliating lack of control he had over his voice. The fingers of his opposite hand grasped the back of Wright's neck, nails digging into flexed muscle for support as his back arched helplessly off the bed with pleasure. Edgeworth pushed his hip against Wright's unyielding grip, hoping faintly for bruises as he whined into his own palm.

Predictably, Phoenix held him harder, simply putting more weight on his hand as he kept up the rough thrusting. “You really think that’s enough for you to save face?” he narrowed his eyes as Edgeworth muffled himself, openly disapproving. Something occurred to him, though, and he hummed, “If you want to keep yourself quiet, y’can always just kiss me.”

Despite his agreement not to fight, Edgeworth was not strong enough of a man to resist rolling his eyes at the suggestion. His vision unfocused briefly, and he couldn't manage more than a flick of his gaze to the ceiling, but the sentiment endured. At the very least, he dropped his hand down to the sheets, freeing his quieted gasps.

“…Come on,” Phoenix goaded, realigning their mouths now that there was nothing left in the way. “You’re still holding back. You don’t have to think right now. You can do anything you feel like doing. Fucking claw at me, bite me, hold me, kiss me. You’re allowed, Miles.” He kissed the corner of Edgeworth’s mouth. “You’re allowed to want.”

Edgeworth felt his heart squeeze painfully in his chest with something he couldn't possibly describe. Fear? Something else? The feeling twisted his features sour, and squeezed his eyes shut. He turned his red face away quickly and pushed at Phoenix's too, for good measure. "I- I-" He grimaced, teeth bared as he struggled to argue.

Phoenix let up on holding Edgeworth down so he could brush his hand away. “Miles,” he said, slowing down his thrusts. “It’s just me. Just us. It’s okay.”

Those gentle words had Edgeworth reaching to grip tightly to Wright's biceps, to anchor himself amidst the wave of overwhelming, conflicting feelings that followed. He swallowed thickly and peeked through his lashes at the man making him feel much too vulnerable in his own home. "'Just' you? Ph-Phoenix Wright, there is nothing simple about you," Edgeworth objected, but his trembling voice held awe, not aggravation.

Phoenix gave him a soft smile, then a softer kiss. “Do you want me?” he breathed against Edgeworth’s lips.

For all that the question could have been smug or at least sultry, it sounded nothing but genuine. Like Phoenix was just asking Edgeworth this of all things, cock still buried inside him.

Edgeworth made a disgruntled sound, softened by the palpable fluster Wright had him in. He wouldn't be caught dead admitting to a whimper, in any case. He flicked his gaze up and around in avoidance of Wright's eyes, but wiggled his hips pointedly. "I should think the answer to that is— fairly apparent," he said, tone low but noncommittal.

Phoenix had to swallow a noise of his own at the added stimulation, though he regathered himself quickly, wetting his lips before he spoke again. “Forget about evidence,” he instructed. “With that, sure, I could tell you what you’re feeling. But that’s not why I asked. So answer properly. Do you want me?”

Wright's lips shimmered, kiss-soft and inviting above Edgeworth. He zeroed in on those lips. Looked into those soft brown eyes, then back again. And finally, something in him snapped.  

He gripped Phoenix by the shoulders and dragged him into a bruising kiss. A pleased, relieved noise buried itself into Phoenix's warmth, and Edgeworth's arms looped around his back possessively. He refused to pull back until his lungs burned for air, until he was forced to separate just enough to pant against that man's infuriating mouth. 

"I do," he confessed. Rushed, as if he needed to say it before he could talk himself out of it again. "Yes. I do."

“Then you don’t need to worry about it,” Phoenix breathily assured, renewing the kiss, if only briefly. “It can be that simple. Just us.”

“…That simple," Edgeworth echoed, recklessly letting go of his thoughts - letting Phoenix 'catch' him. "Just us."

Phoenix hummed his approval, kissing Edgeworth again. Slowly, he let his hands slip down to Edgeworth’s thighs, palms splaying over the underside of both legs. 

“There,” he murmured, tilting Edgeworth’s hips up a bit and angling his thrusts more downward. “Just like that, baby, I’ve got you. Just hold onto me. You-” He ducked his head down, panting against Edgeworth’s neck. “Fuck, Miles, you feel so good.”

He started speeding up then, groaning long and low into the crook of Edgeworth’s neck, stubble scraping against skin. “’M close,” he got out as a warning, leaving a fresh bruise as soon as he finished speaking.

Edgeworth whined high in his throat, pride thoroughly abandoned as he held to Phoenix for dear life. The new angle, pace, and strong grip of calloused fingers over his sensitive thighs overrode anything left in Edgeworth's head besides Phoenix Wright and getting fucked to his breaking point. 

Oh, and one more thing. 

"I want-" Edgeworth gasped. "I want to see you. Your face- Ah- Please."

Phoenix pushed himself up a bit shakily, putting more weight on Edgeworth’s thighs to support the slight change in position. Their noses brushed, breath mingling, and Phoenix’s rhythm started to falter as he took in Edgeworth’s expression. “…You’re always so beautiful,” he whispered, practically without thought. “Every time I see you, no matter how long it’s been, you’re always just—” He cut off with a small moan, pressing their foreheads together a little desperately. “Miles, you’re perfect.”

That tight feeling gripped Edgeworth's heart again. He was beginning to recognize it as a good thing, though - an overwhelmingly happy feeling. He wanted to keep experiencing this wonderful pain that made breathing seem inadequate in his lungs, filling his chest to bursting with fervent energy in its stead. 

"Ph-Phoenix..." The name was on Edgeworth's tongue naturally, affectionately, as he appreciated every intricacy of Phoenix's blissful features. Each beautiful sound that rumbled from the man's throat brought Edgeworth teetering over the brink once more. He whispered Phoenix's name again and again with mindless reverence as a shaky hand dropped urgently to his needy clit.

Phoenix cursed as Edgeworth clenched down on him harder, eyes fluttering shut for a second at the fucking perfect tightness. “God, I want you to come again,” Phoenix implored him, catching Edgeworth’s lips in a loose kiss. “I’m so fucking close, Miles, I want to feel you. Please.”

It was a request very easily granted, especially with how nicely Phoenix asked it of him. Edgeworth's fingers slipped clumsily over his clit with desperation, hot and wet as he chased his orgasm with Phoenix filling him completely. 

It really didn't take much. A few good, firm strokes with his eyes locked on Phoenix's had his other hand's nails digging into that broad back as he shuddered and came again around Phoenix's cock. 

Edgeworth didn't care to keep his voice down, practically shouting with the intensity of his release. His head craned back, exposing his throat elegantly despite the sheen of sweat and ruddy blush his pale skin held. Still, Edgeworth tilted his head to the side so he could watch. Even through waves of tranquilizing chemicals, he was determined to bear witness to the moment Phoenix fell apart.

Phoenix’s mouth was hanging open slightly, his attention focused on nothing but the man underneath him as he desperately chased his own pleasure. When he fell over the edge, it was graceless, hips jerking forward and nails catching on Edgeworth’s skin as he let out a roughened groan. He rutted into him mindlessly until his cock went soft, wrapping his arms around Edgeworth’s middle and collapsing to catch his breath against his neck.

He left a small kiss there, letting it linger for a moment before he mumbled, “You okay?”

Edgeworth rested his cheek against Phoenix's hair with a contented sigh, and nodded. The hand on Phoenix's back trailed up to tuck some of that spiky black mess behind his ear without much thought. "Are you?" he returned lazily, allowing his eyes to droop closed.

“Well,” Phoenix mused, head tilting into Edgeworth’s touch, “I’ve still gotta take off the condom. Inconvenient, since I’m very comfy like this.” His lips brushed the underside of Edgeworth’s jaw.

A hum vibrated from Edgeworth's chest, almost like a purr. "Mmm... Gross," he remarked, not sounding disgusted in the slightest. As opposed to helping, he threw his other arm over Phoenix's back, careful not to smear his wet fingers across his skin as he held him firmly to his chest. Edgeworth was quite comfortable too, it seemed.

Phoenix’s answering laugh was low and sated, and he followed it swiftly with a series of light kisses down Edgeworth’s neck. “I’ll get right back to cuddling you afterwards,” he gently assured. “Make no mistake about that.”

With a sigh and a gentle, parting smack to Wright's shoulder, Edgeworth released him. He left his arms open, relaxed against the mattress. "Cheek."

Phoenix snorted as he pushed himself up, already moving to guide his cock out of Edgeworth. “‘Cheek’?”

"You have an exaggerated self-opinion," Edgeworth recited casually. "'Cheek' refers to your audacity. Gall. Nerve. Insolence-" He grunted uncomfortably when Phoenix pulled out completely.

“Yeah, yeah, I got it,” Phoenix wrinkled his nose as he pulled the condom off, tying it swiftly enough and leaning over to drop it in the near-ish waste bin. As opposed to laying down on the bed, he bracketed Edgeworth with his arms again, recapturing his lips in a short kiss. “I just don’t think it’s all that exaggerated.”

Edgeworth sighed with faux wistfulness, looking to the ceiling as if for guidance in a trying time. "No one with an overinflated ego ever does." He focused back on Phoenix with a small smirk once he finished speaking, always one to bask in his own humor.

“Mhm.” Phoenix kissed him again, just a bit longer this time. Then he challenged, “D’you want to cuddle or not?”

Edgeworth pretended to think for a moment, though his smirk spread slowly into a smile, completely giving him away. "Hm. I suppose..." He looped his arms around Phoenix's neck, entirely flirtatious. "If you insist."

“I do,” Phoenix indulged, giving Edgeworth a smile of his own and another light kiss. 

Carefully, he slipped his arms back underneath the other man, getting settled with his chest pressed to Edgeworth’s abdomen, as opposed to realigning their hips. 

“You smell nice,” he mumbled, eyes closed as he listened to Edgeworth’s heartbeat. “Different to what I’m used to, but nice. Like good soap.”

"What, do I stop using good soap?" Edgeworth prodded, taking back up his duty of brushing Phoenix's hair with his fingers. The head over his heart kept Edgeworth warm in return.

“I’d wager you start using better soap, actually,” Phoenix reasoned. “I’ll have to check. Study your body wash, then interrogate my Miles once I get back.”

A hum filled their space as Edgeworth contemplated something privately. He tugged lightly at a wayward curl atop Phoenix's head. "'Your' Miles?" 

Edgeworth meant it as a tease - an inconsequential jab at Phoenix's phrasing. He was disappointed in himself that his words held just a touch more self-satisfaction than planned.

“My Miles,” Phoenix easily confirmed, relaxing more and more the longer Edgeworth messed with his hair. “We covered that point in depth already, did we not?”

"Not entirely," Edgeworth denied, scrubbing behind Phoenix's ear. "You've assured we have a sexual history, but beyond that, I seem to recall you saying the details are 'complicated'. The way you tell it, we're all but 'co-workers with benefits,' or some such nonsense."

Hidden from proper view, Phoenix frowned, opening his eyes without actually focusing on anything. “…It’s not like he has anyone else,” he muttered. Maybe revealing too much, but he was feeling vaguely spiteful now. “He won’t let himself have anyone.”

Edgeworth could feel Phoenix's expression against his skin, but paid it no mind. "And you do?"

Phoenix tensed under Edgeworth’s hands. “Do you really want to talk about this now?”

"Have I struck a nerve?" Short, manicured nails dragged themselves gently through black hair. "Fine," Edgeworth relented, punctuating it with a kiss atop Phoenix's head.

Phoenix still pushed himself back up, shrugging Edgeworth off of him and hunting for his boxers.

“I’m gonna get water,” he stated. “I can get you some too, if you want.”

Edgeworth sighed and sat up partly to lean back on his elbows, watching Phoenix curiously. "Sure," he agreed, just a bit more careful with his tone. He must have prodded harder than he thought, if the man was vacating, after all.

Phoenix nodded, giving a small, distracted hum as he secured his boxers around his waist. He disappeared into the bathroom without another word, washing his hands - and everything else that needed cleaning - before actually heading to the kitchen.

It was a few minutes past what amount of time was reasonably necessary to get two cups of water, but Phoenix reappeared nonetheless, expression smoothed over since having left. He caught Edgeworth as he was leaving the bathroom himself, freshened up and reasonably un-sticky. 

“Here,” he said as he held out Edgeworth’s glass, already knocking back his own.

Edgeworth reached for the water with an inquisitive brow, but merely held it instead of pulling it from Phoenix's grasp. "Thank you," he began, like he was going to continue, but couldn't find the words he was looking for in time.

Phoenix finished about half his water before he simply replied, “Yeah.” He lowered his own glass, looking down at where Edgeworth was just…keeping his hand in place. “This isn’t the most effective way of holding a cup, you know.”

Edgeworth frowned flatly, yanking the cup back as firmly as he dared without sloshing water everywhere. He took a small sip and placed it on the singular coaster on his bedside tabletop. Then, without a word but a tetchy puff of air, Edgeworth swung his closet door open wide enough to rifle through hangers of finely-pressed work and 'casual' clothes. Eventually, a pink set of button-down pajamas found their way into his clutches, and he began dressing.

Phoenix’s own water was left coaster-less on the nightstand as he abandoned it in favor of laying down, apparently comfortable to just lounge in his boxers. 

“You can say what you’re thinking,” he informed Edgeworth, keeping voice even.

Edgeworth refrained from responding until he was fully dressed in his uncharacteristically delicate pink ensemble. He walked back to the bed when he finished and paused there, avoiding Phoenix's face in favor of looking at the walls. "Are you...opposed to cuddling now?" he asked, arms crossed as he tried valiantly to look like he didn't care about Phoenix's answer either way.

Phoenix, still on his back, stretched his arm out to give Edgeworth space to sidle up next to him. “Just c’mere already.”

Trying not to sigh his relief too conspicuously, Edgeworth finally looked at Phoenix and dropped his own arms. He kneeled on the bed and laid himself down gingerly, so as not to jostle the other man too much, settling into a comfortable position. 

'Comfortable', of course, meaning barely touching Phoenix at all. By no means cuddling of his own accord.

“…Baby,” Phoenix scolded, though it wasn’t quite firm, “we just had sex. I was literally inside you, like, five minutes ago. You can touch me.”

With another, louder sigh, Edgeworth rolled to face Phoenix and pressed up to his side. He propped himself up on one elbow, regrettably putting his blushing face on display as he considered the man underneath him. One hand rested at the center of Phoenix's chest. 

"That simple, hm?" Edgeworth echoed from earlier, eyes searching when they flicked from Phoenix's chest to his face. What he was searching for however, Edgeworth couldn't be sure. The tone in his bedroom changed drastically from when they were actively intimate, and Edgeworth found himself floundering to understand it.

Phoenix held his gaze with what was almost obstinance. “No,” he conceded, speaking slower, like he was pacing himself. “No, I guess it isn’t. That would go against it being complicated, and you don’t seem to want to let this be any way else.”

Edgeworth's eyebrows scrunched frustratedly. "Look, I didn't mean to upset you. You seem to be forgetting that I have no idea what your baggage is with my future self - or my present self, for that matter. Is it not natural that I would try to determine things about that part of my life, especially when you're so ready to tell me about everything else?" His hand slipped from Phoenix's chest down to the bed, cornering him between his arms.

“I haven’t told you about everything else,” Phoenix asserted, his own brows pinched tight. “I’ve made a point not to, actually, because there are a hell of a lot of things you shouldn’t know, and that you won’t know until you get there.”

Edgeworth tsked through his teeth. He stared hard at Phoenix's throat, thoughts and theories bouncing uselessly in his head. "It just doesn't make any sense. It all points to— …But I don't have enough information to understand it," he rambled vaguely, caught up in connecting ideas in his head.

Phoenix gave him a dry look. “Evidence isn’t always everything,” he droned.

That made Edgeworth pull a face, momentarily distracted by the nonsense that had come out of Phoenix's mouth. "Very unhelpful and incorrect, thank you."

“I mean it,” Phoenix insisted. “Even when all the pieces are in front of you, putting them together doesn’t always change something. It’s complicated.”

Edgeworth didn't say anything for a while, reconciling that statement with all the missing pieces he was searching for. He didn't notice himself wilt, just a little. Heavy, with a quiet mourning for a concept he'd only manufactured the shadow of. The tiny hope that he might have some ridiculous notion of romance in his future. How foolish. 

He tried to decide that he should be glad for the confirmation that he was to remain single. After all, indulging in a dalliance was to be led astray from his work - and his work, naturally, was paramount in all things. Really, he wouldn't have the time to pursue anyone even if he wanted to. That kind of waste of energy would be disgraceful…

Phoenix flicked Edgeworth’s temple, effectively snapping him out of his thoughts. “Hey. Don’t go off someplace else. And don’t jump to conclusions based on your interpretation of what I’m saying.”

With an angry frown that was most definitely, actually a pout, Edgeworth brought his hand up to cover his head where Phoenix flicked. "What else am I meant to do? How is one supposed to come to any conclusions without interpreting information? You make absolutely no sense!"

“You aren’t supposed to come to conclusions,” Phoenix spelled out. “Not with this. That’s the point. You aren’t supposed to know.”

"Then, again, what am I meant to do?" Edgeworth dropped his hand back to the bed with a small smack. "Not question any of this? Let you be in my home and my bed without investigating what it means?"

“I don’t know why I’m here either,” Phoenix retorted. Paused. Gently, he reached up to brush the hair away from where he’d flicked Edgeworth, silently soothing it with his thumb. “…But obsessing over all of this won’t make sense of it. Things can be simple. With us, specifically, right now. Can’t we just—” he averted his eyes, neutralizing his expression. “Can’t we just enjoy it?”

Edgeworth's hand cupped gently over Phoenix's on his face. "It's the enjoying that confuses me..." he admitted, voice quieted considerably. His fingers curled to lock their hands together, like he was afraid of Phoenix pulling away again. "But I- ...Yes. I'd like to."

“Then please,” Phoenix met his gaze, addressing Edgeworth with renewed resolve, “try to let this lie. Take it at face value, appreciate it for what it is, and just-” he traced the pad of his finger along Edgeworth’s cheekbone. “Just let yourself be mine. Just for now.”

A lot of things pulled at Edgeworth's logic as he looked into those brown eyes, but there was a clear winner that swept every other argument aside. He gave in once again. Gave in to the warmth that man was offering him, gave in to the greed Phoenix inspired in him. Edgeworth, more than any answers he could conjure up, needed the closeness he could freely take in that moment. 

So he leaned down slowly, the brush of their lips blessedly clearing his mind again. Edgeworth savored the warmth, the softness, and took his time with sealing his quiet assent. He pressed kiss after kiss to Phoenix's lips, each lingering longer and deeper than the last. Exposing the simple hunger he held for Phoenix's affection.

Gradually, Phoenix coaxed his mouth open, tongue pressing against Edgeworth’s with a much more measured desire. Keeping himself at bay to let Edgeworth do as he pleased. His thumb kept stroking Edgeworth’s cheek, though - unspoken indulgence underlying each display of gentle affection. Intimacy initiated for intimacy’s sake. 

When they inevitably broke apart, Phoenix leaned himself up, kissing Edgeworth’s forehead and cupping the nape of his neck. As he lowered himself back onto the bed, fingers woven through Edgeworth’s hair, he said, “Lay down and let me hold you.”

There was very little Edgeworth would like more, if he was already being indulgent. He followed Phoenix down without a second thought. Before cuddling up to his side, however, Edgeworth reached back to the table and snatched up the remote lightswitch. After the room had been significantly dimmed, with the only light being naturally filtered through his bedroom blinds, he tossed that remote blindly to the table (landing it instead on the floor) and tucked himself under Phoenix's chin. Their legs tangled comfortably together, and he let out a contented sigh.

Phoenix’s arms secured themselves around Edgeworth’s shoulders, squeezing slightly, as though to keep him in place. With Edgeworth no longer looking at him, he let his eyes stay open, and stared up, unseeing, at the ceiling. 

Each rise and fall of his chest had Edgeworth moving along with him, providing a comfortable lull that encouraged him to relax. But Phoenix’s own mind stayed sharp - disproportionately alert, despite his repeated insistence that Edgeworth embrace the opposite.

With every passing moment, he could feel the impermanence mounting, encroaching, staying less and less in his periphery. It pulled at him, stretching him thin.

For now, Phoenix’s own words haunted him, damning and definite. 

… Just for now.