Bloodlust (Part 2)
The third fic in the PW vampire trilogy! A work in progress still, and a foray into some untried ground for me... but I hope you enjoy!
Title: Bloodlust
Pairing: Phoenix/Edgeworth, some Franziska/Adrian
Theme: Romance, Horror, Comedy, Action
Warnings: Spoilers for PW 1 & 2, vampires and blood, gay lawyers, violence... (and part 4 has SEX!)
Summary: Vampire!Phoenix and Miles are now a steady couple, but they just can't seem to get out of the habit of keeping secrets. An evil force lurks in the background, Shoe makes a cameo, and people get drunk. Enjoy!
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5
-----
Phoenix held the broom out beside him almost like a guitar, strutting back and forth with slightly jerky, exaggerated movements. Whipping his wooden partner around, he swung into a dip, making as if to kiss the handle.
“Sorry, should I leave you two alone?” The dry, sarcastic voice was unmistakable.
“Milesh!” Phoenix let go of the broom, tried to grab it in a panic, and wound up whacking his nose hard against the handle. He sat down on the floor, hard, rubbing his injury with a surprised look on his face
Miles, meanwhile, went to the sound system.
“Hey, I’m lishtening to that!” Phoenix scrambled, somewhat unsteadily, to his feet.
“Don’t worry, I’m just turning it down so the neighbors don’t complain.” He reduced the volume to something more befitting a piano piece, before turning to the vampire, “I wasn’t aware you liked Chopin.”
Phoenix leaned forward and put an arm about Miles’s shoulders, murmuring in a conspiratorial manner, “It’sh nishe to danshe to.” He nuzzled the prosecutor’s neck, making Miles jump slightly. “Y’wanna danshe, Milesh- Mi… Edgey?”
“Not today, Phoenix. You’re drunk and I don’t want you staggering and tripping all over my feet.”
Phoenix pulled back slightly and blinked blearily at him. “Objecshu- Objic… H-Hold it! I didn’t drink anything to make me drunk! There-by-fore, I am shober.” He wiggled a finger in Miles’s face, poking at his nose in something vaguely resembling his usual objection gesture.
“You drank Larry’s blood.” Miles grasped Phoenix by the wrist, removing the wandering digit from within his personal bubble. Struck by a sudden thought, he furrowed his brows, “However, he shouldn’t have had a high enough percentage of alcohol in his blood to get you drunk... Maybe your metabolism has changed?”
“Sho, sho what you’re saying ish that I’ve been turned into the world’sh biggesht lightweight?” He wrinkled his nose as though he smelled something nasty. “Wunnerful.”
Miles raised his eyebrows at him. “That was almost coherent.”
Phoenix flapped a hand lazily, leaning against the prosecutor’s shoulder as though he were a convenient mantelpiece. “My- my body’sh not reactinizing like it ushed to. I feel all wuzzy…”
“Maybe we should get you to bed…” Miles tried to move, but the vampire grabbed his shoulders, forcibly turning the prosecutor around. Miles found himself looking into a pair of slightly bleary puppy-dog eyes.
“Danshe wish me?” The grip on his shoulders was like iron; he couldn’t budge. The pleading look being directed at him wasn’t helping, either. “Pleeshe?”
Miles knew he was in a slightly precarious position. The other attorney was unpredictable at the best of times, and the very interesting combination of drunk and undead could have unwanted repercussions. It was entirely possible that Phoenix had no idea of his own strength in his current state, which could possibly result in some unwanted damage to Miles’s property… or his person.
He sighed, then nodded. “Alright, Phoenix… But I lead.” Otherwise we’ll wind up dancing the Macarena or god knows what else.
It took a few moments to get into the proper positioning, with Miles gripping Phoenix’s right hand, his own right resting in the small of the vampire’s back. Phoenix’s left hand, after a bit of wandering, found itself resting on Miles’s shoulder.
After some initial stumbling, Phoenix seemed to get the rhythm pretty easily. Miles was impressed- the attorney was a pretty good dancer… for someone bombed out of his mind. A couple of times he seemed to forget that he was supposed to be following, or which way he was supposed to turn, but that was it.
The song ended, replaced by the faster, orchestral “Blue Danube”. The transition seemed to be to Phoenix’s liking, a grin crossing his face as the pace increased. Miles felt himself grinning too; the experience was completely surreal.
Suddenly, Phoenix slipped, his feet tangling with his partners’. Miles found himself falling backwards onto his bed, the springs squeaking as Phoenix fell on top of him, their legs still tangled together.
“S-shorry! I got kinda dizzy… Miles?” Phoenix’s brows were knitted in concern, his face hovering over Miles’s. “You OK?”
Miles realized that he was laughing. He reached up to pat the vampire’s cheek, still chuckling. It had been a long time since he’d had a good laugh.
“Honestly, Nick, I’m fine.”
Phoenix’s grin nearly split his face in half. “You shaid-“
“Yes, I suppose I did.” Miles tilted his head upward, pressing his lips against the vampire’s cheek. Phoenix turned his head, meeting the prosecutor’s lips with his own in a sloppy, open-mouthed and very enthusiastic kiss. Miles could taste mint (Phoenix brushed religiously, due to the fact he could never go near a dentist’s office again) as well as the slight coppery taste of Larry’s blood. He moved his hands upward to twine in Phoenix’s spiky hair, brushing against the attorney’s face and neck on the way up.
Phoenix, still lying on top of him, wiggled into a slightly more comfortable position, his mouth still engaged in its enthusiastic wrestling match with Miles’s own. Suddenly, Miles felt a tug at the hem of his shirt.
What- There were hands on his stomach, sliding under the untucked bottom of his shirt, hitching the fabric upwards. It was unlike the other man’s usual, feather-light touches - the fingers were dragging over his abdomen, rubbing in circles on the pale skin. Ok, this is new…
The fingers moved lower, caressing the front of his pants and drawing a gasp from the Prosecutor’s lips. That was definitely new. He half-wanted to object, stop the whole situation before it got all out of hand.
I want him so much, but not like this… not when he’s drunk and doesn’t know what he’s doing and might very well snap me in half because he doesn’t know his own strength… but it feels so good! He found himself moaning into the vampire’s mouth, his hands tightening on Phoenix’s shoulders.
The attorney pulled back, removing his hand and resting his forehead against Miles’s. He muttered, almost inaudibly, “Why, Milesh? You’re driving me crashy… I want you so much, but you won’t let me-“
Wait, what? He’d been following Phoenix’s lead in regards to their relationship… and while it was true that the vampire appeared to be employing somewhat of a hands-off policy except when he fed, Miles had always assumed that it was how relationships were supposed to be, or that it was how Phoenix wanted it.
And now Phoenix was acting as though it were Miles’s idea to stay constantly at arms distance?
He was about to ask the vampire exactly what he’d meant by that, but he was distracted by a sudden weight landing on his chest.
“Gaah, what the- Phoenix?” He gently prodded the vampire collapsed on top of him, but got no response.
Great. I’m confused, turned on, and trapped under an unconscious drunk vampire… and the radio just switched to Country Music.
-----
None of the Health Class lectures on how to care for a person suffering from alcohol poisoning were exactly applicable when dealing with a vampire. After all, Miles couldn’t exactly take him to the hospital and there was no heartbeat or breathing to monitor. Light grunts and twitches were the only thing that told him the vampire was still…
Alive? Extant? Viable? What is the proper term in this situation?
Miles ran his fingers through his hair, sighing. The only thing to do was wait and watch and hope that Phoenix’s body didn’t react any more strangely to the alcohol in his system than it already had.
I dearly hope this won’t involve vomiting blood all over my clothes again. The prosecutor felt a yawn coming on and quickly stifled it with one hand. He honestly needed to listen to Phoenix and get more sleep… but later, when he didn’t have a catatonic defense attorney to watch over. Sleep can wait…
He was jolted awake by a voice calling his name, a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Phoenix leaning over him, looking quite rumpled and somewhat wan, but far better than he had before.
The spiky-haired man smiled toothily. “Morning Miles. How did you sleep?”
Miles sat up, rubbing his stiff neck (he’d been sleeping at an awkward angle). “Like a log. A stiff, aching log.”
He looked up and saw that Phoenix was still smiling at him. He knew that look; the attorney wanted something.
“Stop giving me the puppy-eyes, you idiot. If you want something, say it straight out.”
“Well…” Phoenix grinned sheepishly; one hand on his hip while the other scratched the back of his head. “To tell the truth, I’m starving.”
Miles sighed, muttering something about idiotic gluttons that he only half-meant. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he went to remove his shirt, pausing in momentary confusion when he realized he wasn’t wearing one. He shrugged, not particularly caring at the moment… part of him just wanting to get on with it.
There is definitely something wrong with me… Phoenix was behind him, holding his shoulders with calloused hands. He sighed softly as those lips touched his neck. Freud would just love this whole thing-
Aaaaah! The sharp pain was expected, but no less intense because of that. God, I will never get used to that.
It’ll recede in a minute, just wait for-
Another wave of pain shot through his body, tearing a scream from the prosecutor’s pale lips. Phoenix was tearing into his neck, ripping at it like a starving wolf. This wasn’t normal; Phoenix was gentle when it came to this sort of thing and Miles-
Miles was shaking, feeling the strength drain from his limbs, his body weakening with every drop that was milked from his ravaged neck. He wanted to struggle; to get away. Phoenix was killing him… but somehow his limbs felt like lead.
“Phoenix, st- stop!” His breath was coming in pants, he felt so helpless. Why was Phoenix doing this to him? Had von Karma managed to Enthrall him somehow?
“Oh, trust me, Miles…” That voice, too deep to be Phoenix’s, so familiar and full of cold laughter… He was finally able to turn, to see the man behind him. Von Karma was smiling, blood smeared on his lips- and behind him lay the still body of Phoenix Wright, torn and mutilated. “Believe me… I would never dream of stopping.”
Miles screamed.
Phoenix woke with a start, falling off the bed with a crash. He scrambled to his feet, his head pounding like a drum.
He had little time to worry about his hangover, however. Miles was curled up against the headboard; his face screwed up as he whimpered and cried out in his sleep.
“Miles!” Phoenix scrambled over to him, grasping his shoulders. He looked so much smaller like this, his hair mussed and his work clothes wrinkled as he curled up in a tight ball, clutching himself as though he was about to fly apart.
He looks like he’s having one hell of a nightmare…
“Come on, Miles! Wake up!” He shook Miles gently, then more roughly. Slowly, too slowly: the nightmare didn’t seem to want to let him go.
When his eyes finally snapped open (it was only a few moments, but to Phoenix it felt like an eternity) he seemed not to recognize the other man for a few moments, staring over his shoulder in a blind panic. Phoenix shook his shoulders again and the prosecutor’s eyes snapped into focus, staring at Phoenix as though he’d only just realized he was there.
“Ph- Phoenix?” Miles scrabbled against the front of his rumpled shirt, clutching at the fabric with white-knuckled hands. He was breathing hard, his chest heaving.
Phoenix pulled Miles to him in a rough hug, letting the silver head rest on his shoulder. For long moments they stayed like that, Miles’s rapid heartbeat echoing in the vampire’s ribcage as it slowed. For Phoenix, it felt almost as though his own heart were beating again.
And in a way, it was.
-----
It took ten full minutes before Miles was calmed down and coherent, nursing a cup of tea with fingers that still shook a little.
I hope this doesn’t become my new recurring nightmare! Miles shuddered. He might have gotten used to the nightmares about his father’s death, but those were about the past. This dream was fresh and raw, and the sight of von Karma gloating over Phoenix’s mangled body scared him badly, even more than the vivid sensation of von Karma’s fangs in his throat.
Suddenly, he felt something brush against the back of his neck. With a cry, he dropped his teacup and spun around.
“Woah, Miles!” Phoenix was leaning over him, having caught the teacup right when it was about to spill all over Miles’s lap.
“Ph- Phoenix! Don’t scare me like that!”
“Sorry, but you didn’t respond when I tried to talk to you. Thank god for vampire reflexes, huh?” He grinned at Miles in a ‘please cheer up’ sort of way before putting the cup down with a clink on the saucer.
Miles grabbed a napkin and dabbed at the spots of tea that had splashed over the cup’s rim, spattering his already rumpled shirt. He heard the creak and sigh of the couch next to him as the vampire sat down.
“I’d ask if you’re feeling better, but… well, you still look like a zombie.”
“Thank you so very much, Phoenix. I can always count on you to flatter me.” He turned a half-hearted glare on the defense attorney. “Any other gems of information to raise my self-confidence?”
“Well, I just got off the phone from calling you in sick, so you can have the day o-“
“YOU WHAT!?!?” Miles’s temporary, dream-induced lethargy snapped. The look he turned on Phoenix was one of absolute horror.
“I called you in sick. They can function without you for one day and you could really use the rest.” Phoenix’s blue eyes were adamant, completely unabashed by what he’d just done. Miles decided to break it down for him.
“Phoenix, you idiot, most everyone at the DA’s office knows my voice! Even on the phone we sound nothing alike. What do you think the prosecutor’s office will think if a strange man calls up saying I’m sick? Worse, what if you called somebody who recognized your voice?!”
“Oh, I’m sure Hannah recognized my voice, that’s no problem.” Phoenix shot him a smug look that rather took the wind out of the prosecutor’s sails. Sighing, Phoenix put a hand on the prosecutor’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, she can handle this. It’s not as if you take off work often, so you have plenty of sick days-“
“No, Phoenix. It’s the principle of the thing. The day I take off from work because of a nightmare-“
“Is today. Now please don’t argue because I have a hangover and I really don’t want to fight you.” With that, he leaned back and began massaging his temples. Miles looked at that honest face, cupped between large, tan hands, and felt a smirk crossing his face. Phoenix looked up at him and frowned.
“What are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?”
“You’re smirking at me, like I’ve done something.”
“No, it’s just…” He faltered, then his smirk widened, “It’s nice to see you grow a little backbone.”
Phoenix looked completely taken aback, so Miles elaborated, “You always let people walk all over you. Maya, Pearl, even your clients… you only fight back when you’re in court, protecting somebody else.”
Phoenix snorted, half laughing.
“Miles, this time I’m protecting yo-oww!” Phoenix met Miles’s glare with a surprised expression, reaching up to rub the back of his head. “What’d you do that for?!”
“You need to stop treating me like someone who needs to be protected! I’m not made of china, Phoenix, and I’m not a child either.” He leaned forward, adding emphasis to his words with a finger poking at Phoenix’s face. “I am a grown man and I can take care of myself. Honestly, Phoenix, you’ve been acting like this ever since von Karma-”
He looked at Phoenix with narrowed eyes. “Since von Karma came back… you’ve been acting different, Phoenix. When you’re around me, it’s as if you’re walking on eggshells.”
“Nonsense, Miles. There’s absolutely no logical reason for me to be acting different or anything and even if there is I’d talk to you about it and even if I couldn’t talk to you about it I’d be sure to resolve it quickly and besides you’re probably still twitchy from that nightmare and all and would you like some more tea because yours looks like it’s gone cold.”
Not surprising after that speech! Miles stared at Phoenix, Good thing he doesn’t need oxygen or he’d be gasping after that run-on sentence. One thing is for sure, though… my boyfriend is a terrible liar. How on earth did he pass his bar exam?
Phoenix thrust the teacup into his hands, startling Miles out of his thoughts once more. I really need to work on that…
“Phoenix I-“ Phoenix brushed past him, going for the door. “Hey, where are you going?”
“Work.” With that, the attorney grabbed his coat and hurried out the door, yelping a little as he failed to cover himself quickly enough against the sun.
And since when is he so eager to go into the office? He stared at the door where he’d seen Phoenix’s retreating back. He’s hiding something… does this have anything to do with what he said last night?
Miles felt a flush rising to his cheeks at the thought. Phoenix… I know he was completely drunk, but still nobody’s ever… He shook his head to clear it and then drained the cup of tea in three long gulps, his scalded tongue serving as a distraction from that other heat he was feeling.
Rising, he walked over to the telephone, mechanically punching in a number he knew almost as well as Phoenix’s and his own. He listened to the phone ring once, twice…
I will figure this out, Phoenix Wright. He refused to consider the fact that maybe, just maybe, he was latching onto this mystery in favor of more disturbing material. Like the dream…
“Was!?” Mile winced. Oh wonderful, she was asleep…
“Good Morning, Franziska.”
“You’d better have a good reason for calling this early, Miles Gregory Edgeworth you foolish fool!” She hissed in a way that indicated she’d woken up in a different country from the ‘right side of the bed’… possibly another continent entirely.
“Yes, I do. I was wondering if my package had arrived yet.”
A very unladylike snort on the other end, "No. I bet those foolhardy fools of this foolish nation’s customs service held it up. Honestly, pay for first-class shipping…”
Well, it is a pretty dangerous item… I just hope it manages to arrive safely. And quickly!
“Well, then, I would like to borrow some of your books, Franziska… from the Belmont library. I have some research to do.”
Title: Bloodlust
Pairing: Phoenix/Edgeworth, some Franziska/Adrian
Theme: Romance, Horror, Comedy, Action
Warnings: Spoilers for PW 1 & 2, vampires and blood, gay lawyers, violence... (and part 4 has SEX!)
Summary: Vampire!Phoenix and Miles are now a steady couple, but they just can't seem to get out of the habit of keeping secrets. An evil force lurks in the background, Shoe makes a cameo, and people get drunk. Enjoy!
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5
-----
Phoenix held the broom out beside him almost like a guitar, strutting back and forth with slightly jerky, exaggerated movements. Whipping his wooden partner around, he swung into a dip, making as if to kiss the handle.
“Sorry, should I leave you two alone?” The dry, sarcastic voice was unmistakable.
“Milesh!” Phoenix let go of the broom, tried to grab it in a panic, and wound up whacking his nose hard against the handle. He sat down on the floor, hard, rubbing his injury with a surprised look on his face
Miles, meanwhile, went to the sound system.
“Hey, I’m lishtening to that!” Phoenix scrambled, somewhat unsteadily, to his feet.
“Don’t worry, I’m just turning it down so the neighbors don’t complain.” He reduced the volume to something more befitting a piano piece, before turning to the vampire, “I wasn’t aware you liked Chopin.”
Phoenix leaned forward and put an arm about Miles’s shoulders, murmuring in a conspiratorial manner, “It’sh nishe to danshe to.” He nuzzled the prosecutor’s neck, making Miles jump slightly. “Y’wanna danshe, Milesh- Mi… Edgey?”
“Not today, Phoenix. You’re drunk and I don’t want you staggering and tripping all over my feet.”
Phoenix pulled back slightly and blinked blearily at him. “Objecshu- Objic… H-Hold it! I didn’t drink anything to make me drunk! There-by-fore, I am shober.” He wiggled a finger in Miles’s face, poking at his nose in something vaguely resembling his usual objection gesture.
“You drank Larry’s blood.” Miles grasped Phoenix by the wrist, removing the wandering digit from within his personal bubble. Struck by a sudden thought, he furrowed his brows, “However, he shouldn’t have had a high enough percentage of alcohol in his blood to get you drunk... Maybe your metabolism has changed?”
“Sho, sho what you’re saying ish that I’ve been turned into the world’sh biggesht lightweight?” He wrinkled his nose as though he smelled something nasty. “Wunnerful.”
Miles raised his eyebrows at him. “That was almost coherent.”
Phoenix flapped a hand lazily, leaning against the prosecutor’s shoulder as though he were a convenient mantelpiece. “My- my body’sh not reactinizing like it ushed to. I feel all wuzzy…”
“Maybe we should get you to bed…” Miles tried to move, but the vampire grabbed his shoulders, forcibly turning the prosecutor around. Miles found himself looking into a pair of slightly bleary puppy-dog eyes.
“Danshe wish me?” The grip on his shoulders was like iron; he couldn’t budge. The pleading look being directed at him wasn’t helping, either. “Pleeshe?”
Miles knew he was in a slightly precarious position. The other attorney was unpredictable at the best of times, and the very interesting combination of drunk and undead could have unwanted repercussions. It was entirely possible that Phoenix had no idea of his own strength in his current state, which could possibly result in some unwanted damage to Miles’s property… or his person.
He sighed, then nodded. “Alright, Phoenix… But I lead.” Otherwise we’ll wind up dancing the Macarena or god knows what else.
It took a few moments to get into the proper positioning, with Miles gripping Phoenix’s right hand, his own right resting in the small of the vampire’s back. Phoenix’s left hand, after a bit of wandering, found itself resting on Miles’s shoulder.
After some initial stumbling, Phoenix seemed to get the rhythm pretty easily. Miles was impressed- the attorney was a pretty good dancer… for someone bombed out of his mind. A couple of times he seemed to forget that he was supposed to be following, or which way he was supposed to turn, but that was it.
The song ended, replaced by the faster, orchestral “Blue Danube”. The transition seemed to be to Phoenix’s liking, a grin crossing his face as the pace increased. Miles felt himself grinning too; the experience was completely surreal.
Suddenly, Phoenix slipped, his feet tangling with his partners’. Miles found himself falling backwards onto his bed, the springs squeaking as Phoenix fell on top of him, their legs still tangled together.
“S-shorry! I got kinda dizzy… Miles?” Phoenix’s brows were knitted in concern, his face hovering over Miles’s. “You OK?”
Miles realized that he was laughing. He reached up to pat the vampire’s cheek, still chuckling. It had been a long time since he’d had a good laugh.
“Honestly, Nick, I’m fine.”
Phoenix’s grin nearly split his face in half. “You shaid-“
“Yes, I suppose I did.” Miles tilted his head upward, pressing his lips against the vampire’s cheek. Phoenix turned his head, meeting the prosecutor’s lips with his own in a sloppy, open-mouthed and very enthusiastic kiss. Miles could taste mint (Phoenix brushed religiously, due to the fact he could never go near a dentist’s office again) as well as the slight coppery taste of Larry’s blood. He moved his hands upward to twine in Phoenix’s spiky hair, brushing against the attorney’s face and neck on the way up.
Phoenix, still lying on top of him, wiggled into a slightly more comfortable position, his mouth still engaged in its enthusiastic wrestling match with Miles’s own. Suddenly, Miles felt a tug at the hem of his shirt.
What- There were hands on his stomach, sliding under the untucked bottom of his shirt, hitching the fabric upwards. It was unlike the other man’s usual, feather-light touches - the fingers were dragging over his abdomen, rubbing in circles on the pale skin. Ok, this is new…
The fingers moved lower, caressing the front of his pants and drawing a gasp from the Prosecutor’s lips. That was definitely new. He half-wanted to object, stop the whole situation before it got all out of hand.
I want him so much, but not like this… not when he’s drunk and doesn’t know what he’s doing and might very well snap me in half because he doesn’t know his own strength… but it feels so good! He found himself moaning into the vampire’s mouth, his hands tightening on Phoenix’s shoulders.
The attorney pulled back, removing his hand and resting his forehead against Miles’s. He muttered, almost inaudibly, “Why, Milesh? You’re driving me crashy… I want you so much, but you won’t let me-“
Wait, what? He’d been following Phoenix’s lead in regards to their relationship… and while it was true that the vampire appeared to be employing somewhat of a hands-off policy except when he fed, Miles had always assumed that it was how relationships were supposed to be, or that it was how Phoenix wanted it.
And now Phoenix was acting as though it were Miles’s idea to stay constantly at arms distance?
He was about to ask the vampire exactly what he’d meant by that, but he was distracted by a sudden weight landing on his chest.
“Gaah, what the- Phoenix?” He gently prodded the vampire collapsed on top of him, but got no response.
Great. I’m confused, turned on, and trapped under an unconscious drunk vampire… and the radio just switched to Country Music.
-----
None of the Health Class lectures on how to care for a person suffering from alcohol poisoning were exactly applicable when dealing with a vampire. After all, Miles couldn’t exactly take him to the hospital and there was no heartbeat or breathing to monitor. Light grunts and twitches were the only thing that told him the vampire was still…
Alive? Extant? Viable? What is the proper term in this situation?
Miles ran his fingers through his hair, sighing. The only thing to do was wait and watch and hope that Phoenix’s body didn’t react any more strangely to the alcohol in his system than it already had.
I dearly hope this won’t involve vomiting blood all over my clothes again. The prosecutor felt a yawn coming on and quickly stifled it with one hand. He honestly needed to listen to Phoenix and get more sleep… but later, when he didn’t have a catatonic defense attorney to watch over. Sleep can wait…
He was jolted awake by a voice calling his name, a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Phoenix leaning over him, looking quite rumpled and somewhat wan, but far better than he had before.
The spiky-haired man smiled toothily. “Morning Miles. How did you sleep?”
Miles sat up, rubbing his stiff neck (he’d been sleeping at an awkward angle). “Like a log. A stiff, aching log.”
He looked up and saw that Phoenix was still smiling at him. He knew that look; the attorney wanted something.
“Stop giving me the puppy-eyes, you idiot. If you want something, say it straight out.”
“Well…” Phoenix grinned sheepishly; one hand on his hip while the other scratched the back of his head. “To tell the truth, I’m starving.”
Miles sighed, muttering something about idiotic gluttons that he only half-meant. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he went to remove his shirt, pausing in momentary confusion when he realized he wasn’t wearing one. He shrugged, not particularly caring at the moment… part of him just wanting to get on with it.
There is definitely something wrong with me… Phoenix was behind him, holding his shoulders with calloused hands. He sighed softly as those lips touched his neck. Freud would just love this whole thing-
Aaaaah! The sharp pain was expected, but no less intense because of that. God, I will never get used to that.
It’ll recede in a minute, just wait for-
Another wave of pain shot through his body, tearing a scream from the prosecutor’s pale lips. Phoenix was tearing into his neck, ripping at it like a starving wolf. This wasn’t normal; Phoenix was gentle when it came to this sort of thing and Miles-
Miles was shaking, feeling the strength drain from his limbs, his body weakening with every drop that was milked from his ravaged neck. He wanted to struggle; to get away. Phoenix was killing him… but somehow his limbs felt like lead.
“Phoenix, st- stop!” His breath was coming in pants, he felt so helpless. Why was Phoenix doing this to him? Had von Karma managed to Enthrall him somehow?
“Oh, trust me, Miles…” That voice, too deep to be Phoenix’s, so familiar and full of cold laughter… He was finally able to turn, to see the man behind him. Von Karma was smiling, blood smeared on his lips- and behind him lay the still body of Phoenix Wright, torn and mutilated. “Believe me… I would never dream of stopping.”
Miles screamed.
Phoenix woke with a start, falling off the bed with a crash. He scrambled to his feet, his head pounding like a drum.
He had little time to worry about his hangover, however. Miles was curled up against the headboard; his face screwed up as he whimpered and cried out in his sleep.
“Miles!” Phoenix scrambled over to him, grasping his shoulders. He looked so much smaller like this, his hair mussed and his work clothes wrinkled as he curled up in a tight ball, clutching himself as though he was about to fly apart.
He looks like he’s having one hell of a nightmare…
“Come on, Miles! Wake up!” He shook Miles gently, then more roughly. Slowly, too slowly: the nightmare didn’t seem to want to let him go.
When his eyes finally snapped open (it was only a few moments, but to Phoenix it felt like an eternity) he seemed not to recognize the other man for a few moments, staring over his shoulder in a blind panic. Phoenix shook his shoulders again and the prosecutor’s eyes snapped into focus, staring at Phoenix as though he’d only just realized he was there.
“Ph- Phoenix?” Miles scrabbled against the front of his rumpled shirt, clutching at the fabric with white-knuckled hands. He was breathing hard, his chest heaving.
Phoenix pulled Miles to him in a rough hug, letting the silver head rest on his shoulder. For long moments they stayed like that, Miles’s rapid heartbeat echoing in the vampire’s ribcage as it slowed. For Phoenix, it felt almost as though his own heart were beating again.
And in a way, it was.
-----
It took ten full minutes before Miles was calmed down and coherent, nursing a cup of tea with fingers that still shook a little.
I hope this doesn’t become my new recurring nightmare! Miles shuddered. He might have gotten used to the nightmares about his father’s death, but those were about the past. This dream was fresh and raw, and the sight of von Karma gloating over Phoenix’s mangled body scared him badly, even more than the vivid sensation of von Karma’s fangs in his throat.
Suddenly, he felt something brush against the back of his neck. With a cry, he dropped his teacup and spun around.
“Woah, Miles!” Phoenix was leaning over him, having caught the teacup right when it was about to spill all over Miles’s lap.
“Ph- Phoenix! Don’t scare me like that!”
“Sorry, but you didn’t respond when I tried to talk to you. Thank god for vampire reflexes, huh?” He grinned at Miles in a ‘please cheer up’ sort of way before putting the cup down with a clink on the saucer.
Miles grabbed a napkin and dabbed at the spots of tea that had splashed over the cup’s rim, spattering his already rumpled shirt. He heard the creak and sigh of the couch next to him as the vampire sat down.
“I’d ask if you’re feeling better, but… well, you still look like a zombie.”
“Thank you so very much, Phoenix. I can always count on you to flatter me.” He turned a half-hearted glare on the defense attorney. “Any other gems of information to raise my self-confidence?”
“Well, I just got off the phone from calling you in sick, so you can have the day o-“
“YOU WHAT!?!?” Miles’s temporary, dream-induced lethargy snapped. The look he turned on Phoenix was one of absolute horror.
“I called you in sick. They can function without you for one day and you could really use the rest.” Phoenix’s blue eyes were adamant, completely unabashed by what he’d just done. Miles decided to break it down for him.
“Phoenix, you idiot, most everyone at the DA’s office knows my voice! Even on the phone we sound nothing alike. What do you think the prosecutor’s office will think if a strange man calls up saying I’m sick? Worse, what if you called somebody who recognized your voice?!”
“Oh, I’m sure Hannah recognized my voice, that’s no problem.” Phoenix shot him a smug look that rather took the wind out of the prosecutor’s sails. Sighing, Phoenix put a hand on the prosecutor’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, she can handle this. It’s not as if you take off work often, so you have plenty of sick days-“
“No, Phoenix. It’s the principle of the thing. The day I take off from work because of a nightmare-“
“Is today. Now please don’t argue because I have a hangover and I really don’t want to fight you.” With that, he leaned back and began massaging his temples. Miles looked at that honest face, cupped between large, tan hands, and felt a smirk crossing his face. Phoenix looked up at him and frowned.
“What are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?”
“You’re smirking at me, like I’ve done something.”
“No, it’s just…” He faltered, then his smirk widened, “It’s nice to see you grow a little backbone.”
Phoenix looked completely taken aback, so Miles elaborated, “You always let people walk all over you. Maya, Pearl, even your clients… you only fight back when you’re in court, protecting somebody else.”
Phoenix snorted, half laughing.
“Miles, this time I’m protecting yo-oww!” Phoenix met Miles’s glare with a surprised expression, reaching up to rub the back of his head. “What’d you do that for?!”
“You need to stop treating me like someone who needs to be protected! I’m not made of china, Phoenix, and I’m not a child either.” He leaned forward, adding emphasis to his words with a finger poking at Phoenix’s face. “I am a grown man and I can take care of myself. Honestly, Phoenix, you’ve been acting like this ever since von Karma-”
He looked at Phoenix with narrowed eyes. “Since von Karma came back… you’ve been acting different, Phoenix. When you’re around me, it’s as if you’re walking on eggshells.”
“Nonsense, Miles. There’s absolutely no logical reason for me to be acting different or anything and even if there is I’d talk to you about it and even if I couldn’t talk to you about it I’d be sure to resolve it quickly and besides you’re probably still twitchy from that nightmare and all and would you like some more tea because yours looks like it’s gone cold.”
Not surprising after that speech! Miles stared at Phoenix, Good thing he doesn’t need oxygen or he’d be gasping after that run-on sentence. One thing is for sure, though… my boyfriend is a terrible liar. How on earth did he pass his bar exam?
Phoenix thrust the teacup into his hands, startling Miles out of his thoughts once more. I really need to work on that…
“Phoenix I-“ Phoenix brushed past him, going for the door. “Hey, where are you going?”
“Work.” With that, the attorney grabbed his coat and hurried out the door, yelping a little as he failed to cover himself quickly enough against the sun.
And since when is he so eager to go into the office? He stared at the door where he’d seen Phoenix’s retreating back. He’s hiding something… does this have anything to do with what he said last night?
Miles felt a flush rising to his cheeks at the thought. Phoenix… I know he was completely drunk, but still nobody’s ever… He shook his head to clear it and then drained the cup of tea in three long gulps, his scalded tongue serving as a distraction from that other heat he was feeling.
Rising, he walked over to the telephone, mechanically punching in a number he knew almost as well as Phoenix’s and his own. He listened to the phone ring once, twice…
I will figure this out, Phoenix Wright. He refused to consider the fact that maybe, just maybe, he was latching onto this mystery in favor of more disturbing material. Like the dream…
“Was!?” Mile winced. Oh wonderful, she was asleep…
“Good Morning, Franziska.”
“You’d better have a good reason for calling this early, Miles Gregory Edgeworth you foolish fool!” She hissed in a way that indicated she’d woken up in a different country from the ‘right side of the bed’… possibly another continent entirely.
“Yes, I do. I was wondering if my package had arrived yet.”
A very unladylike snort on the other end, "No. I bet those foolhardy fools of this foolish nation’s customs service held it up. Honestly, pay for first-class shipping…”
Well, it is a pretty dangerous item… I just hope it manages to arrive safely. And quickly!
“Well, then, I would like to borrow some of your books, Franziska… from the Belmont library. I have some research to do.”