Defences Down

[tellezarafic]

Title: Defences Down
Pairing: Phoenix/Edgeworth
Rating: NSFW - references to mutual masturbation
Word Count: 4,602
Synopsis: Phoenix has had a disappointing day in court. Feeling exhausted and unappreciated, he is about to set off on the long walk home, when comfort arrives from an unexpected quarter...

Phoenix slumped into one of the chairs in the defendant's lobby, wincing as some of the bones in his spine cracked unpleasantly. Everything ached, and it wasn't the sort of ache that would go away with a hot bath or a good night's sleep. He'd spent too long on his feet behind the defence stand, slamming the desk, flinging his hand out to point at a witness who was obviously lying under oath, waving evidence around and trying to get his points home. He'd given it his all, everything he had, and yet... He sagged down even further, hands dangling over the sides of the chair to brush the floor. The lobby was empty now - it was the last case of the day and the bailiffs would be in soon to close up. He'd have to drag himself out of this chair and get himself home somehow, even though his feet were too sore to withstand the long trek back to his house. It was tempting to just close his eyes and wish it all away.

"Why the exhaustion, Wright? Should you not be buoyed up on yet another triumphant victory?" a sardonic voice said from behind him.

Phoenix didn't even bother turning to look at the speaker. His eyes were closed now, having just been given an extra reason to wish everything away.

"I'm sure you've better things to do than stand here talking to me, Mr. Edgeworth," he murmured, voice too hoarse from the courtroom battle to rise any louder. "You wouldn't understand anyway."

Suddenly there was pressure, a gripping force on his shoulders - he jerked forward in alarm, not expecting an attack, but the hands were firm and pulled him back against the chair's backrest again.

"What are you-"

"For heaven's sake, Wright, you're wound up tighter than a clockspring," Edgeworth scolded him. "Stop resisting me - these techniques will help release the tension."

Thumbs dug into the sore spots between his shoulder blades, rubbing in a way that was painful yet invigorating. He winced, but did not attempt to pull away.

"You've got a lot of tension packed into those shoulders of yours," the prosecutor commented, jabbing three fingers into Phoenix's neck on either side and plying the skin beneath them, sending shivers down the young attorney's spine. Edgeworth's massaging technique was brusque but skilled, he seemed to be getting all the sorest spots and applying just the right type of movement to unknot the muscles. "You need to pace yourself in court more, Wright. If you ever took more than a case a month you'd probably drop dead from exhaustion."

"He was innocent," Phoenix said resolutely, suddenly arching his neck back and screwing his eyes shut as Edgeworth began a savage thumb assault on a particularly sore vertebra.

"I'm sure he was," Edgeworth said dismissively. "Too bad you needn't have bothered getting out of bed this morning to fight his case."

That hit a sorer spot than any on his body, and Phoenix suddenly wrenched free of Edgeworth's grip, jumping out of the chair to face him.

"I still would've proved it!" he said, fixing Edgeworth with an angry stare. "I was getting there, even if they hadn't-"

"You've just undone all the good work I did on your shoulders just now," Edgeworth folded his arms, looking somewhat peeved. "You need to stop stressing, Wright. There's no need to take the whole fiasco as a personal insult."

"You were the one who mentioned it and got me riled again! I knew you wouldn't understand," Phoenix turned his back on the prosecutor and began to walk away.

Edgeworth humphed, then caught up with him.

"So are you going to abuse your feet further by making yourself walk home in a bad mood, or are you going to take my offer of a lift?" he said, tone clearly take-it-or-leave-it.

"I didn't know you were offering," Phoenix said sourly.

"That was the offer, and it's walking out the door now," Edgeworth speeded up his pace, overtaking Phoenix and producing a set of car keys.

Ugh, damn the man, Phoenix gritted his teeth, but his feet were complaining even now, and he knew he'd resort to taking a taxi that he couldn't really afford otherwise.

"Alright," he sighed.

It was almost heaven to be able to sink into the plush leather seats of Edgeworth's sports car. If his feet could've sung with joy, they certainly would have. The prosecutor switched on the radio as he swung the red Torneo out of the court carpark. Soothing classical music filled the silence as they drove along nearly empty streets. Rush hour was over and the sun was starting to go down. Phoenix's eyes felt heavy and he caught himself on the verge of nodding off a few times. He was just so tired. Then a thought occurred to him.

"Hang on, you need directions to my house, don't you?" he struggled to sit fully upright - the leather seats were so comfortable and their contours hugged him and invited slumber.

"Not necessary. Go back to sleep," Edgeworth said, flicking an indicator on and pulling into another avenue.

"You know where I live?"

Edgeworth didn't reply, and Bach carried on playing over the top of them both. The strings soothed Phoenix into doziness once more, and this time he didn't bother fighting it.

"Wake up, Wright. We're here."

It took a moment for the voice to penetrate the wreaths of deep sleep, then Phoenix jolted awake.

"Wha...?" he mumbled, groping for the seatbelt catch, but hands were reaching across him and undoing it already.

"Out you get."

Phoenix's legs felt leaden and he almost fell out of the car, but Edgeworth's hands supported him.

"I'm sorry," Phoenix apologised, waving his hands away once he was fully upright. "Your car's too comfy - don't you fall asleep while driving?"

"No, because I don't burn myself out like you do," Edgeworth said briskly, ushering the sleepy defence attorney towards the front door, which was already open.

Phoenix's eyes were still blurry with sleep, and it took a few moments to click in his brain that the hallway he was standing in wasn't his own.

"Hey, this isn't my house!" he protested.

"Of course it isn't your house, Wright," Edgeworth said impatiently, locking his car and coming over to give Phoenix a firm shove in the back, propelling him further into the hallway. "I've decided that taking you back to whatever shoddy area you live in is not going to make better the apparent injury to your pride. That is why you are here."

Edgeworth's words didn't get through to Phoenix for the few moments that he was surveying the hallway in wonder, looking at the beautiful paintings, the elaborate coatstand and marble bust of Beethoven on the deep mahogany telephone table. Then he turned to protest, opening his mouth to say that it wasn't about his pride-

"Mmf," he began, but Edgeworth's hand was over his mouth and his face was suddenly inches away from Phoenix's nose.

"Not another word, Wright. Less of the objections, more of doing what I say. Go into the room on your left, and use what's in it. Believe me when I say that you'll feel all the better for it. Understand?"

Phoenix nodded, eyes wide with surprise, and Edgeworth took his hand away. Phoenix's mouth remained shut, and he opened the left-hand door without a word. He soon broke the vow of silence when he saw what was in there.

"A JACUZZI?!"

Edgeworth ignored the outburst and went into the kitchen to put the kettle on. He heard the sound of running water and nodded to himself with a smile.

The water was almost hot enough to burn Phoenix, and he would've had it hotter if he could stand it because it was doing such wonderful things for the aches and pains. But never mind, because he had lots and lots of bubbles, and he'd figured out how to use the water jets to make the jacuzzi even bubblier. He could barely afford soap at home, never mind real bubble bath, and this was Radox's best. He ducked his head underneath the water, stretching out as much as he could, and despite being tall he could stretch quite a way because Edgeworth's jacuzzi was enormous.

Why is he doing all this for me anyway? he wondered, when there was a knock on the door.

"Wright, I've got tea and biscuits. May I come in?"

Phoenix hesitated for a minute - he was butt-naked under the bubbles after all - then called out, "Uh-huh!"

The door opened and Edgeworth entered. The prosecutor was dressed in a bathrobe and he halted temporarily, amazed by the sea of bubbles covering the surface of the jacuzzi water.

"You went to town," he said mildly.

Phoenix flushed a little. "Well, I can't really... erm, sorry," he apologised, but Edgeworth smirked.

"Enjoy it, Wright - it's not as if you'll ever be able to afford your own so I won't begrudge you a bottle of Radox. Drink," he said, pro-offering Phoenix a teacup.

It was good tea. So good, in fact, that Phoenix drank it in a single gulp.

"You don't drink tea like instant coffee, Wright," Edgeworth said exasperatedly, taking the cup from him and refilling it. "Sip it. You're not a caveman."

Phoenix smiled sheepishly, taking the cup back and sipping gently this time.

"Sorry," he said again, "the first one was too nice to keep back for a second sip."

He nearly spilled it when Edgeworth grabbed his shoulders again, but this time he was a little more prepared. Kneeling behind him, Edgeworth tutted.

"Still tense, though not as bad as before," he began to massage Phoenix's shoulderblades once more, pausing every now and then to scoop some hot water over them.

"Miles..." the first name spilled out unintentionally and Phoenix checked himself for a moment, assessing the situation. It was an intimate one, it suddenly occurred to him.

"Wright?" Edgeworth carried on his unrelenting deep massage.

"Why... why all this?" Phoenix looked at the ornate bathroom, the tiles engraved with chrysanthemums and poppies, the pure white towels hanging from the rails. "Why do all this for me?"

"Your defences are down, Wright," Edgeworth's hands moved down to Phoenix's lower shoulder blades, chasing away more knots. "You're feeling undervalued right now. It seems to me that you need a little bit of good treatment to get you back on your feet again. Am I correct?"

"Ah-ah-ah," Phoenix gasped as Edgeworth's fingers all suddenly converged in the centre of his spine, pressing hard, and he jerked, his back making a hideous cracking noise that reverberated around the bathroom. "OWWwwww...oooh," he sighed. "Thankyou, that felt a lot better. Ummm..." he paused, thinking about what Edgeworth had just said. "Well, I just felt a little like everything I did today was for nothing. All that investigating, gathering the evidence, knowing I was on the right track and on the verge of pressing it home... and then they throw it out. They throw it all out on a technicality that somebody else brought to the judge's attention. I was completely useless."

"All your effort wasted. A win that wasn't really yours. A cheat of a win," Edgeworth said succinctly.

"Yes!" Phoenix sat up straight, bubbles falling off his chin. "That's exactly it! It wasn't fair- wait. You just said... you summed it all up, how did you know-"

"I'm not as insensitive as you might think, Wright. Did it not occur to you that this kind of thing happens to every attorney at least once in their lives? At least on your side, a technicality is a win rather than a loss."

Phoenix lapsed into silence at this. Edgeworth continued to massage his back, and the silence continued.

"I'm... sorry," Phoenix said at last. "It shouldn't be that big a deal, really, should it."

"Stop apologising continuously," Edgeworth chided him. "It's understandable to be frustrated the first time it occurs, but unfortunately it will happen time and again. What you should NOT be doing is taking it as an insult to your ability as a defense lawyer. Yes, you could've not bothered turning up to court today and the outcome would have remained the same, but that doesn't mean you're useless."

He paused, then brought his hands in front, draping them down Phoenix's chest, leaning forward to rest his chin on the young attorney's shoulder.

"You're a fine lawyer, Phoenix Wright," he murmured. "You've come through worse."

Phoenix froze, suddenly acutely aware of the weight and warmth of Edgeworth draped over him, his breath against his ear, the baritone rumble of the prosecutor's voice. They stayed like that for a few seconds - long enough for Phoenix to turn absolutely lobster red with... he didn't know, embarrassment? Shock? No, he suddenly found he'd half been expecting it. Excitement? He wasn't really sure, but good God, it was bizarre and yet inviting. How had he let it get this far? Yet he felt dozy, warm, amiable. His defences were well and truly down, just as he'd been told, and he didn't resist at all, not even when Edgeworth started kissing his neck.

"Would you care to share your bubbles, Phoenix? Among other things..."

Edgeworth was still kissing the skin of his shoulders, giving him tingly feelings. Phoenix looked down at the pale, delicate hands that were resting on his chest. Tentatively, experimentally, Phoenix brought a wet, bubble-covered hand up and took one. It felt soft.

"Um, alright," he said, still sounding a little confused.

"Sure?"

"...not really, but go on."

Edgeworth stood up. Phoenix's shoulders felt cold now the warm weight had been removed. There was a soft flumph from behind him - Edgeworth's bathrobe falling to the floor - then the padding of bare feet on tiles. Phoenix, knowing Edgeworth was about to walk into his line of sight naked, cast his eyes down, shifting a little on the seat of the jacuzzi as the warm water continued to bubble around him.

How did it come to this? He's... naked, and about to... sit next to me, and... his thoughts were jumping about, it was hard to stay coherent in his own head, never mind trying to actually voice anything aloud. Why did I say yes? Why do I want something like this?

Instead, all that came out was,

"Do you live with anyone else? I, I mean-"

"Nobody's going to walk in," Edgeworth's words were soft, reassuring. "This is my domain, and nobody enters unless I have invited them."

There was a soft splash, and the bubbles Phoenix was gazing at rippled from the water disturbance. He glanced up, seeing a pale, thin but well-muscled torso surrounded by bubbles from the hip down. Relieved, for he wasn't sure how he'd feel seeing Edgeworth's... nether regions on display, he watched Edgeworth wade over from the entry steps to sit next to him. Warm skin brushed against his shoulder as Edgeworth sat down, sending Phoenix's thoughts flying apart yet again as more tingles raced over his body. He couldn't figure out how he felt, and Edgeworth's proximity seemed to make the feelings even harder to pin down and describe.

"Say, do you go to the gym or anything?" he asked, abandoning rationalisation of his situation in favour of conversation. "I've been meaning to join somewhere for ages, but you know how it is."

"Why waste your life pounding on a running machine?"

Edgeworth took a breath and ducked his head under the water. He seemed to stay under for ages and Phoenix was about to reach forward to haul him back up when the prosecutor burst through the surface of the bubbles, water cascading off his body as if he were a dolphin breaking free of ocean waters. Droplets splashed Phoenix despite him throwing his hands up to shield himself.

"Ah, that's more like it," Edgeworth pushed his wet fringe away from his eyes and returned to his seat.

Water flowed down his body in rivulets, and Phoenix's eyes followed them along his bodily contours for a few seconds before snapping back guiltily to Edgeworth's face. Edgeworth's shock of hair was darker when water-laden, and at the ends the locks separated a little, giving it a spiked-down appearance that stood out strikingly against his fair skin. Suddenly Phoenix felt he shouldn't even be looking at this part of Edgeworth in his odd state of mind, and he counted some more bubbles as Edgeworth carried on,

"Exercise should do more than just keep you fit. You should get some kind of spiritual or educational benefit from it. Wu Shu and swimming are my interests. Both help you coordinate your body movement and focus your power, and Wu Shu gives me a way of progressing and achieving via the gradings, not to mention teaching me a way of protecting myself. Incidentally, why are you worrying about joining a gym when you can barely pay your electricity bill most months?"

Phoenix gave him an injured look.

"I manage," he traced a spiral in some nearby bubbles with a finger. "I'm not completely broke!"

"I rather imagine your vision of completely broke is when there's no tins of baked beans left in the cupboard," Edgeworth said nonchalantly, examining his neatly cut fingernails.

Phoenix's reaction was instinctive to petty insults such as this. It was usually Maya making a poke at him, and she'd be peeling his burger lettuce off her face and trying to smoosh it on his head, but coming from anybody else his response was no different, wherever he was.

SPLOOSH.

There was a long silence and Phoenix stared horrified at Edgeworth's now bubble-obscured face.

Oh hell, what was I thinking?!

Edgeworth wiped his face, but there were still bubbles in his hair and more dripping off his chin like an old man's beard. He had the most astonished expression on his face, then he suddenly frowned.

"Right," he said slowly.

"Um, sor-" Phoenix's apology was drowned by the prosecutor rugby-tackling him off the seat, pitching him sideways into the water with a loud splash. Bubbles whirled around him and Edgeworth's powerful arms were rotating his weightless body easily in the water, and suddenly he was upside down, light streaming through the breaks in the bubble carpet covering the water surface below him. Water went up his nose and he began to struggle, but then as effortlessly as he'd been upended, Edgeworth spun him upright once more and Phoenix gasped for breath as his head came out of the water.

"God... don't do that... again!" he spluttered, breaking into a coughing fit, but Edgeworth had a completely unrepentant look on his face that was almost a grin. "'kay... sorry for... splashing you, but... you started it!"

"Fair enough, I was making a dig at you," Edgeworth shrugged. "What can I say? It's just too easy."

"Hey!" Phoenix protested, but whatever retort he was going to make completely left his brain, chased away by the realisation that Edgeworth's hands were still holding him by his waist as they stood, facing each other in the hot jacuzzi.

Time seemed to hang for them at that instant. Phoenix's eyes slid to one side, catching sight of Edgeworth's hand resting on his hip. His skin seemed dark contrasted with the fair hand placed upon it. The fingers moved, lightly tracing his hip bone. He shivered a little at the touch - it was a little ticklish but strangely enticing. His own hands hung uselessly by his sides, and he had the idea that maybe he ought to be doing something with them. Thoughts were racing through his head at a rate of knots but none of them stayed long enough to register. There was only Edgeworth's hands moving across his waist, his own hands hesitantly, jerkily moving up to take Edgeworth's shoulders, heat flushing him all over before rushing down to his groin... then Edgeworth's face was up close, pink as his own, their noses brushing as their lips met, firmly pressing yet gentle and exploratory.

Phoenix wasn't new to kissing - he'd fooled around a lot with this or that girl in his college days, but those kisses were nothing like this one. He lost himself in its warmth, feeling further stirrings between his legs as Edgeworth's quicksilver tongue darted around inside his mouth, tickling his own tongue before making a retreat, but Phoenix wasn't going to let it go and he clamped his lips down on it, teasing it with the tip of his own tongue. It was fun, and it felt good. He saw Edgeworth's eyes widen a little in surprise, then the prosecutor raised his eyebrows as if to say, 'Oh well' and began to kiss him with more force. Phoenix felt the hands on his waist move around to his back, applying pressure which he responded to by moving closer, shifting his own arms to lock the two of them in a close embrace. The skin contact sent Phoenix's senses haywire and he knew he had a full-scale erection which was pressing against Edgeworth's own, but he was too caught up now to fret about the whys and wherefores.

They seemed to have moved up a gear now - Edgeworth's hands were gently squeezing his buttocks under the water, and not sure what else to do during the kissing Phoenix followed suit, running his hands over the soft skin. Edgeworth gave a little murmur of appreciation, so Phoenix carried on with this for a little while, but feeling encouraged by the noises he decided to be bold, removing one hand and venturing forward to grip-

"OH!"

Phoenix froze with Edgeworth's gasp, fingers curled around the prosecutor's hard cock. They'd broken free of their liplock and in this unexpected intermission he looked down to see the pinkish heads of his and Edgeworth's pride and joys poking through the bubbles. It was a comical sight, the two bubble-coated heads, and he started to giggle.

"What?" Edgeworth asked, looking down. "What's so-"

"Up periscope!" Phoenix pointed with his free hand, then lost himself in a giggling fit.

Edgeworth snorted.

"You would make some utterly ridiculous observation at a time like this," he sighed, then he shot his hand forward, grabbing Phoenix's cock and effectively cutting off the defense lawyer's giggles.

Phoenix gasped - the pressure of Edgeworth's hand triggered off incredible sensations that threatened to overwhelm him. He'd never felt this turned on before by any girl and he really badly wanted to come.

"I'll let go again if you keep making fun of my manhood," Edgeworth breathed in his ear, moving his hand a little, just a little but enough to make Phoenix want to moan because it felt that good.

"No, no," Phoenix panted. He felt like he was burning up. "I don't want you to, Miles, and if you do I'll let go of you; you're as hard as I am so I know you don't want me to."

"No, I don't, Phoenix. It feels damn nice and I want you to make me come, if you don't object," Edgeworth seized Phoenix's earlobe gently between his teeth, chewing on it a little and moving his hand on Phoenix's cock a lot more deliberately now, teasing the skin with his fingers. Phoenix really did moan this time, it was almost too much to take. He began to move his own hand, masturbating Edgeworth slowly.

"Oh, that's good, you're good, Phoenix," Edgeworth began kissing Phoenix's shoulders again, speeding up his own teasing manipulations down below. Phoenix rested his head on Edgeworth's shoulder, breathing fast.

"I want to... does this..." he was barely able to speak. "Does this make me... gay?"

"Gay for me, at least," Edgeworth's tongue traced Phoenix's collarbone. "Faster, faster now," he added, and Phoenix obliged, but with that Edgeworth suddenly changed his grip and began pumping away at full speed on Phoenix's erection.

"Ohhh!" Phoenix cried, feeling the exploding climax and the come spilling over, his legs giving beneath him from the pleasure of it. He collapsed against Edgeworth, still trying to carry on masturbating him, and Edgeworth wasn't letting up either despite the pearly white streaks floating upon the water and bedecking his arm. Then Edgeworth began to shudder, suddenly letting go of Phoenix's cock to seize his face, bringing Phoenix forward to lock him in the hottest, roughest, yet most exciting kiss Phoenix had ever experienced. In his hands he could feel Edgeworth's whole body convulsing, his penis throbbing and heaving beneath Phoenix's palm as the prosecutor orgasmed. It was incredibly satisfying, and they both sagged into each other, exhilarated yet exhausted, sweaty yet sated.

"My God, you were marvellous," Edgeworth's voice had been reduced to little more than a breath.

"I'm knackered," Phoenix felt even wearier than when he'd first entered Edgeworth's house, but all the tension that had been winding him up was completely dissipated. He was tired, but on top of the world. He looked down - his right arm was dripping white droplets into the water. "And I'm covered with your mess!"

"It's a stamp of approval," Edgeworth said smugly, but he took Phoenix's arm and ducked it under water, rubbing the worst of it off. "You'd like a comfortable bed to sleep in at this point, am I right?"

Phoenix nodded emphatically, rubbing one of his heavy eyes. Edgeworth hoisted himself out of the jacuzzi and wrapped himself in a towel, offering the second one to Phoenix. It was a fluffy, soft towel, that made him think of fluffy, soft beds. He looked at his hands - they'd gone all wrinkly and prune-like, they'd been in the water a long time.

"Didn't I say you'd feel all the better for taking a bath?" Edgeworth said, holding the door open for him.

"I didn't know you had gay wanking in mind when you said that!" Phoenix retorted as he walked through. "Did you plan this from the start?"

"No, it was merely a thought in the back of my mind that would've stayed there if you hadn't reciprocated so... eagerly," Edgeworth's voice had a hint of amusement.

"You made me gay, Miles," Phoenix said accusingly.

"Oh, stop complaining - or I'll make you gay all over again," Edgeworth threatened, pushing Phoenix towards his bedroom.

"Oh God no, I need to sleep first. I'll drop down dead if you do that to me again while I'm still tired!" Phoenix pushed open the door to Edgeworth's bedroom.

"A DOUBLE BED?!" he drifted towards it, then flopped face-down onto the orthopaedic mattress, burying himself under the duvet.

Edgeworth shook his head despairingly, but Phoenix didn't see it - his head was already on the pillow, eyes shut.

"You're taking up the entire bed," Edgeworth walked over and prodded him a little.

Phoenix didn't budge - he was already in dreamland, a toddler's smile on his face. Edgeworth sighed, then looked at his watch. It wasn't even gone seven - far too early for bed. There was a pile of court records in his study waiting to be read. He stretched, then took one last look at his lover's tall frame crashed out across the bed. He smiled.

"Night, Phoenix," he said, shutting the door.