Turnabout Reversal

Turnabout Goodbyes: Chapter Eight

For the second time in a week, Phoenix headed out to Gourd Lake. This time... it was the middle of the day, so no worries about getting arrested for a murder in the middle of the night. This time... he actually wanted to meet the person he was going to see. He shivered as the cool air blustered around him and wrapped his scarf tighter around his neck.

"Hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long Phoenix."

"Huh? No... you didn't Mister Edgeworth. I just got here myself."

"Always so formal... I preferred it when you called me Miles." Call him by his first name... always...? But... the only people who he did that with were Maya and Mia... and their cousin when she was around.

"Ah... all right then... Miles." He smiled softly as he flushed, adjusting his glasses in his embarrassment, "remind me again why we're at this godforsaken lake inside of talking somewhere warm inside like a restaurant."

"My apologies... I thought you'd enjoy the fresh air after being in that cell for so long."

"I didn't say I didn't like it... it's just cold..." So very cold... he should have bought gloves. What a fool he was for leaving my last pair with Maya when he went to visit her last winter. He had never gotten around to buying a new pair... and he was regretting that decision with every fiber of my being.

"Why didn't you bring gloves Phoenix?"

"Don't have any... Maya's got mine..." He raised an eyebrow at Phoenix in confusion... oh... right... he didn't know who Maya was, "my younger sister... she's in Germany. Haven't seen her since last winter and I guess she didn't find them, so I don't have gloves anymore." Miles laughed -more like a giggle really- and he felt his heart begin to pound in my chest. If she was gone... then emotions like this didn't have to be unnecessary anymore... but it still hurt. After not feeling anything for so long... this feeling meant things were going to change... hopefully for the better.

~~~

"You know Phoenix... I've always..." Miles paused, staring out at the lake as he leaned against the fence. He really was beautiful... wait... he always what? Phoenix's heart began to pound even faster as he sighed, "I've always liked you... ever since we first met. For the past fifteen years, all I'd wanted more than anything was to see you again."

"Miles... I've... always liked you as well."

"Promise me you'll never leave me behind like that again... please Phoenix."

"I'll do my best..." He smiled again, brushing a stray hair off his perfect face. He leaned over, pressing his lips to his. They were as soft as velvet and the soft scent of his cologne wafted over him. He wanted to reach out and run his hands through his silver hair, but before he could take any action, he'd already pulled back, glaring at an orange-clad man as the man threw a hotdog at him. Larry Butz... he always seemed to ruin the best moments; didn't he?

"Yo! Edgey! Don't leave me out of the loop!" Miles sighed, bending down and picking up a rock. He chucked it at Larry with pinpoint accuracy, the rock just barely missing the other man.

"I'll have you know I missed on purpose Larry... that easily could have hit you." The two of them began to throw chunks of leaves at each other and Phoenix went to the nearest bench and sat there quietly. He wondered how easy it would be to go back to what he'd had before the Feys. Would it be that easy to leave behind the family that he had found in the ashes of my old one? Leave behind the people he had grown to love? Ah... Maya! He should probably tell her that he was fine. He pulled out his phone, clicking on her number.

"Nick?! Nick?! Omigod! You're okay! Wait... that means... Mom lost! Holy shit! This is unprecedented Nick! Who was your defense attorney?! Nick?! Are you there?!" Maya, of course, as she always did, freaked out as she picked up the phone.

"Isn't it like the middle of the night there? You're going to wake up your neighbors."

"Oh Nick! Thank god! I was so worried about you. Are you really okay?"

"Yes... I'm actually outside right now. I'm perfectly fine Maya."

"Okay... spill the deets Nick. Who defeated Mom?!"

"Miles..."

"Edgeworth?! Wait a minute... since when have you called him by his first name? I thought I was special Nick!"

"Since about an hour ago..."

"Christ Nick... and how long have you known him now?"

"A while..."

"Nick... you love him right? Will he be able to help you... with your emotions and stuff? 'Cause I'd really like to see smiling the next time I come home! Maybe you're not such a hopeless case after all!" She laughed and it made his heart ache that he hadn't seen her in the last year at all.

"Hopefully it won't be too long before you come back Maya. I'll try my best."

"Well, it's night night time for me! Have a good day Nick!" She hung up and Phoenix sighed, smiling at the scene that had played out while he was on the phone with her. Larry was rubbing leaves in Miles' hair while he complained. He laughed to himself. If things could've stayed like that... it would've been nice. But the world was not so simple and his life was about to turn itself on it's head. The next few months would hold the worst experiences of his life after DL-6 and there was nothing he could do to stop them from happening. It was the beginning of the end for everything he had known.