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Steady Inhale	By : Croik Category: +M through R > Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Views: 3339 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, its characters and settings,
are property of Capcom, and are being used here
without permission.� This fic contains adult male/male content.

Part 2 takes place several
months after part 1.

Steady Inhale
Part 2/4

Of all the reasons to return
to an old, self-destructive habit, Gumshoe was beginning to think that wishful
thinking was probably the stupidest.� He
didn�t smoke at work, or even in his apartment very
often.� But in the five months since
Miles Edgeworth�s disappearance from the prosecutor�s
office�not to mention the city and the country�he�d caught himself lighting up
between shifts, or when he joined the other detectives for an evening
drink.� Whenever he was
in public and there was the chance of maybe someone just happening in�

Now there was more than just
that impossible chance.� Given the
circumstances it might have been too cruel to call it a hope, but he couldn�t
help that his gaze was drawn to the gate with the sound of every passing car.� Even just a glance would be enough to settle
all the doubts in his mind.� He�d smoked
down almost half a pack already during the wait, and time was running out.� If his old comrade was coming at all, he
would not be coming late.

Gumshoe checked his watch
again, and was about to head back inside when a green airport taxi pulled
through the prison gate checkpoint.� He
straightened, but wasn�t able to catch a glimpse of the occupant until the
vehicle had parked and a man stepped out.�
The top of the visitor�s head was enough to convince Gumshoe of his
identity, and ignoring propriety he jogged quickly down to the car.� �Mr. Edgeworth!�

Edgeworth paused, only half
out of the cab by the time Gumshoe was beside him.� He looked surprised and a little uncertain as
he stepped back from the open door.�
After a moment, his expression arranged itself into one of calm
professionalism.� �Detective.�

Gumshoe had been rehearsing
this moment all morning in his head.�
He�d rejected several scenarios and in the end had decided that, if Miles
Edgeworth did appear in the courtyard that afternoon, he would slug him.� Or at least shove him.� He would be angry and indignant for the months
of fearful speculation he and the rest of their colleagues had been put
through, all that frustration from five little words on a crumbled piece of
paper...

That was what he had planned,
but when Edgeworth stared back at him, looking puzzled and�alive, Gumshoe could only grin openly in relief.� All at once, the weight of too many restless
weeks lifted from his shoulders.�
�W-Welcome back, Mr. Edgeworth,� he said lamely.

Edgeworth sighed, but he was
smiling slightly as he closed the cab door.�
�How did you know I was coming?�

�I, uh, had a hunch, Sir,�
Gumshoe replied, scratching the back of his neck.� His tone sobered once more when he remembered
why they were both really here.� �I
didn�t think you oughta come alone, y�know?�

Edgeworth lowered his eyes,
but only momentarily.� �That�s�thoughtful
of you, Detective.�� He paused.� �Could I trouble you for a ride afterwards?�

�Y-Yes, of course,� Gumshoe
answered instantly.� �I would�a picked you up, if you�d told me you were
coming.�� He made a pouting face
briefly.� �No reason you should pay cab
faire in your own hometown, right?�

�Thank you.�� Edgeworth thanked and paid the cab driver
before starting, with Gumshoe beside him, into the state prison.

Gumshoe had spoken with the
guards earlier about his intended visitor, and so the pair were
forced to pause for only a fraction of the time it usually took for security to
pat them down.� Edgeworth must have
noticed the courtesy but he didn�t comment on it.� In fact, he didn�t speak at all until they
were past the guards, walking the long hall toward a single green door.

�I heard Mr. Payne handled
the trial.�� Edgeworth kept his gaze
straight ahead as he walked, as if diverting it for a moment would somehow keep
them from reaching their goal.� �I hadn�t
expected that.�

�Yeah, he sure did,� Gumshoe
said quickly.� He�d thought that if
Edgeworth arrived his nervousness would leave him, but that was proving to be
the opposite.� �Everyone was surprised�caught�m on all sorts of cases of evidence tampering,
perjury, obstruction of justice, extortion, assault�� He shrugged, still a little shocked himself
by the entire affair. ��s why they
pushed the date up.� Our Mr. Payne was
running on decades of repressed injustice, it turns out.�

Edgeworth nodded
slightly.� �I should apologize to
him.� I know�he was looking for me.�

Gumshoe scratched the back of
his neck; maybe it was better not to mention that half the city�s law
enforcement had been looking for him.� To
the untrained eye Edgeworth may have appeared calm, even at ease, but Gumshoe
knew better.� He was probably three wrong
words away from turning tail.

�It�s all right, Sir,�
Gumshoe said instead.� �No one wanted to
make you testify again�.�

Edgeworth didn�t have a
chance to reply�they�d reached the end of the hall.� Gumshoe chewed his lip as he opened the door
to the execution chamber�s viewing room.

There were only a few people
seated inside: Prosecutor Winston Payne, two district judges, and a woman in a
suit who might have been a reporter.�
Thankfully they�d been able to keep a tight lid on the execution date,
for fear of too many rubbernecks hanging around the prison.� Gumshoe wasn�t even really sure how Edgeworth
had known.� They took their seats at the
edge of the first row of chairs closest to the door to wait.

I know he deserves to be here.� Gumshoe glanced
at Edgeworth out of the corner of his eye.�
The former prosecutor was tense, and like before his eyes were focused
directly ahead with an intensity he usually reserved for court.� But�I wish he didn�t have to.� No one
should have to go through this.

Edgeworth had cut it fairly
close�as soon as they were settled the folding blinds that covered the length
of the front wall were drawn open with a loud snap.� If Gumshoe hadn�t been sitting next to him he
might not have noticed him flinch.

The room behind the glass
picture window was broad and mostly empty, save for a long, slab-like table set
close to the window.� Manfred von Karma
was already laid out upon it.� He looked
half the man he once was, clad in the thin, scrub-like prison jumper instead of
his laced suits.� His hair was well
trimmed but it seemed thinner than the last time Gumshoe had seen him, as did
his bare arms.� There was, however, no
mistaking the stern expression he bore as belonging to anyone other than the
famed prosecutor.� His dark eyes were
thin with strict attention as they roamed the length of the one-way mirrow.

Gumshoe cringed.� Even knowing Karma couldn�t see them it was a
little frightening, not unlike standing before him as a witness.� He felt a chill as Karma�s gaze moved past
him.� And when it finally stopped, it was
accompanied by a furrowing of Karma�s pale brow, and a slow scowl.� As if he could see directly through the glass
to the people beyond.

Gumshoe glanced again to his
company.� Edgeworth�s
face hadn�t changed despite the sudden, blind scrutiny placed on them, but his
hands were tight and almost trembling against his knees.� It was a sign of distress Edgeworth almost
never allowed himself.� Though he
expected he wouldn�t accept the gesture Gumshoe reached out slowly, covering
the man�s white-knuckled had with his own.

Edgeworth flinched again, but when Karma�s gaze swung away from
them once more he stretched his fingers.�
He didn�t take Gumshoe�s hand but his own relaxed a little.�

It seemed to take hours for
the executioner to prepare.� Two men in
medical scrubs stepped forward from a line of guards at the back of the room,
pushing a cart of bottles and syringes.�
Why they needed so many Gumshoe had no idea, and he couldn�t help
glancing between the different instruments with a bit of morbid curiosity.� He�d been to a lot of crime scenes, but he�d
never sat through a live execution like this.�
He almost could look away from the frightful scene.

The great von Karma, dead, just like that, Gumshoe thought vaguely, watching attentively as one
of the men swabbed the inside of Karma�s elbow with alcohol.� He didn�t notice Edgeworth
shifting next to him.� Hard to believe, but I guess it�s the way
things oughta be�.� The tip of the syringe smoothly pierced
Karma�s pale inner arm.

Edgeworth moved so suddenly that by the time Gumshoe reacted he
was already at the door.� Everyone in the
room glanced up at the slammed declaration of his retreat.� �Sir�� Gumshoe pushed to his feet, shifting
indecisively for only a moment before giving chase.� His stomach tight with painful sympathy, he followed
Edgeworth into the hall.

�Sir�?��

Edgeworth was heading swiftly back down the hall they�d entered
from, and Gumshoe hesitated again.� He
had no idea what kind of words or consolation he could give, or if Edgeworth would accept them even if he did.� But that didn�t mean he could just let him
walk off and disappear again; with a deep breath he follow the prosecutor at a
distance.� �Mr. Edgeworth�?�

In the end Edgeworth didn�t make it very far.� He was only half way down the corridor when
his gait slowed to a halt, and suddenly he wavered, pressing his hand to the
wall to keep steady.� This time Gumshoe
rushed quickly to his side.� �Sir!� Are you all
right?�

Edgeworth shook his head, and when Gumshoe was close enough he
could see the man covering his mouth with his free hand.� �I�m going to be sick,� he mumbled through
his fingers.

�Oh!� Geez, um�.�� Gumshoe turned about urgently and finally
spotted a door marked �Restroom� at the end of the hall.� �Hold on, Sir.�� He wrapped his arm around Edgeworth�s
shoulders, tugging him away from the wall and leading him toward the
facility.� �Almost there��

Edgeworth closed his eyes, letting himself
be supported down the corridor to the single-stall restroom.� By the time they were inside he seemed to
have fought the nausea back, and he only coughed weakly as he braced his hands
against the porcelain sink bowl.� Gumshoe
stood back and tried to give him some space.

�Mr. Edgeworth�� Gumshoe gulped and forced himself to look
away�it wasn�t right of him to stare.� He
fell silent and waited while Edgeworth turned on the
water and splashed some over his face.�
�Um�are you okay?�

Edgeworth didn�t reply, though Gumshoe could hear him pulling
off a piece of paper towel to dry his face and hands with.� Finally the detective had to look back; he
cringed at how pale Edgeworth looked.� He started to speak again.

�I�m sorry,� Edgeworth said abruptly, cutting him off before he could
get a sound out.� �You didn�t have to
come after me.�

�No, it�s all right.� I mean��
Gumshoe took a careful step closer.�
�I wanted to make sure you
were all right, pal.��

�I�.�� Edgeworth�s
shoulders sagged, and though he was turned away, Gumshoe could see a weary
smile on his face, reflected across a crack in the bathroom mirror.� �I�m all right.� Just a coward, I suppose.�

�That�s not true!� Gumshoe
quickly objected.� His hand came down on Edgeworth�s shoulder, squeezing tightly as if it would help
get his point across.� �That�s not true
at all!� You did come, didn�t you?� And�.�

Edgeworth lowered his head, his hands braced again against the
sink.� �I couldn�t watch.� I came all this way for it, but I�� A slow tremor worked its way through
him.� �I couldn�t do it.�

Gumshoe�s expression
tightened sadly.� �Mr. Edgeworth�� He kept
his hand on Edgeworth�s shoulder, not sure what else
he could offer.� �Why not�?�

�Because�.�� Edgeworth shook his
head again, slowly.� �I don�t know,� he
confessed.� �I�m supposed to hate him,
aren�t I?� He took everything away from
me.� Everything my life could have
been.� But��

Edgeworth paused, and when Gumshoe�s hand tensed against his
shoulder he turned slightly towards him.�
�But still,� he continued slowly, �none of that changes�our
history.� For fifteen years he was a
father to me.�� He shivered again.� �Longer than my real father�.�

Gumshoe winced helplessly�as
awkward as he felt trying to comfort the younger man, the thought of doing
nothing was worse.� He took Edgeworth�s other shoulder as well, and was surprised by
how�small he suddenly seemed, standing there with his head down.� �I��
He licked his lips and took a breath to steel his courage.� �I�m sorry, Sir,� he told him seriously.� �I know I don�t really understand what it
must be like for ya, but�you�re alive, and you�re
alright.� That�s what matters, isn�t it?�

Edgeworth smiled thinly, reaching up to touch Gumshoe�s elbows
as if hoping to prod him off�Gumshoe noticed but pretended not to.� �That�s right.� I must have given you all quite a scare with
my resignation notice.�

�You did!� Gumshoe couldn�t
help but declare.� His hands
tightened.� �Why�d ya
go and leave a stupid note like that, anyway!�
Y�had me worried sick all this time!�

He wanted to shake him.� But despite their long acquaintance Edgeworth always managed to do the unexpected: he lifted
his head at least, fixing Gumshoe with that same, pained smile he�d borne when
they parted five months earlier.� �Sorry
about that.�

Gumshoe felt his chest clench
at those words, and before he could think better of it pulled Edgeworth close, nearly crushing him against his
chest.� �N-No, you don�t have to
apologize, Mr. Edgeworth,� he said, wrapping his arms
around Edgeworth�s shoulders.� �I know it was hard for you�but�but the
Police Department hasn�t given up on you!�
I knew you�d come back!�

Miles twisted within the detectives sudden embrace, and just when Gumshoe thought he
was going to have to let him go, he abruptly relaxed.� His hands lifted and curled in Gumshoe�s long
trench coat.� �Detective�.�

�I-I�m sorry,� Gumshoe
stuttered.� He knew he shouldn�t be doing
this, but he couldn�t bring himself to let go when Edgeworth�s
body felt so weak against his own.� �I
won�t tell no one you came, if you want.� If�you�re not ready to come back to us.� I�m just glad you�re a�right�� He bit his lip briefly.� �An� I�m sorry, �bout your old man��

Edgeworth tensed; pressed so tightly together Gumshoe could
feel the way his muscles tightened around each other with each measured
breath.� He was even shaking, a little,
beneath the thick wool suit he always wore.�
Maybe it was the offered condolences, or maybe he�d been trembling all
along, but all at once the unsteady tremor passed through Egdeworth�s
body like an ebbing wave.� His hands
fisted against Gumshoe�s back as he leaned into him with a tiny sound of pain.

Gumshoe squeezed his eyes
shut.� Feeling Edgeworth
give in like that made his throat ache, and he couldn�t have offered any other
words of sympathy if he had any.� He
didn�t feel Edgeworth cry�he was fighting it, he
could tell�but they stood together that way for a long time, ignoring the
improper surroundings and the event that was taking place no more than a
hundred feet away.

By the time Miles disengaged
in embarrassment, allowing Gumshoe to lead him to his car, von Karma was
already dead.

They didn�t speak until they
were outside the prison, Gumshoe behind the wheel and Miles slumped in his
passenger seat.� Gumshoe�s cheeks were a
little flushed, while his companion looked almost sickly pale.� It was the former that broke the silence
first.� �So, where am I taking you,
Sir?� Home?�

Edgeworth sighed.�
�No.� I had all the utilities
turned off�I�m staying at the Hyatt by the airport.�� He rubbed his eyes.� �Thank you.�

�So you�re�.�� Gumshoe chewed his lip.� �You�re not staying, are you.�

��No.� I�m sorry, Detective.�� Edgeworth turned
his head toward the window, watching the cars speed by.� �I can�t yet.�

�All right�.�� Gumshoe kept his eyes on the road and did his
best to hide the disappointment that was creeping up his gut.

They arrived at the hotel
twenty minutes later.� Gumshoe shifted
anxiously in his seat as he watched Edgeworth
unbuckle and push himself up out of the seat.�
He had said just knowing the man was still alive was enough, but somehow
he didn�t feel any relief in having to watch him leave again.� Without realizing it he reached into his
pocket for his cigarettes.� �Well�um�take
care, Sir,� he called after him.� �If you
ever need anything��

Edgeworth paused, and after a moment bent down through the open
door once more.� His eyes drifted to the
cigarettes, and he smiled thinly.� �Is
there one for me in there?�

Gumshoe blinked in surprise,
but quickly nodded.� �Take the pack,� he
offered.� �What�s left of it.�

�No, it�s all right.�� Edgeworth plucked a
single stick out of the open pack, tucking it between his lips.� �I only need one.�

Gumshoe reached out, and Edgeworth held still as he lit the cigarette for him.� They both pulled back at the same time, and
though there was some lingering awkwardness between them, Edgeworth
smiled.� �Thank you.� For�today.�

Gumshoe scratched the back of
his neck.� �We�ll be waiting for you,� he
offered hopefully.� �When
you�re ready to come back, pal.�

Edgeworth�s eyes thinned, but he looked honestly happy to have
received such a promise.� �All right,� he
agreed.� He straightened out of the car,
his smile disappearing from Gumshoe�s sight.�
Gumshoe could only watch the sway of his coat as he made his way up to
the hotel doors.

Gumshoe sighed.� �Good luck, Mr. Edgeworth.�� He lit another cigarette for himself before
putting the car into gear again to take him home.
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Steady Inhale