[RL 45: Deja vu all over again][Backdated]

[samuraiprosecutor]

((OOC: Backdated to the morning of July 15th comm time.))



Waking up to warmth wasn’t a familiar experience for Edgeworth. Not that he ever woke up cold—of course his apartment was kept consistently at a temperature that would be comfortable for both its human and canine occupants—but since Sieghard had been relegated again to the floor at his bedside, Edgeworth hadn’t found his sleep quite so immersed in heat. The sensation stirred something in the back of his semi-conscious mind, a memory that was thick and heavy in a comforting way. He embraced it, unguardedly, a contented smile crossing his lips as he rolled toward the source of the warmth and languidly wrapped one arm around it.

This was most assuredly something he could become accustomed to.

Comments

[attorneyatlol]

Locked in a deep sleep, Phoenix hadn't a clue what was going on. Subconsciously, he'd registered that he was close to something warm and comfortable, and he'd gravitated toward the source some time earlier. As that source enveloped him now, he sighed contentedly and curled further into it, burying his face against it.

[samuraiprosecutor]

Still mostly asleep, Edgeworth had just enough awareness to respond in kind. He enfolded the warmth with both arms, nestling against it even more closely, and rested his chin on the nearest stretch of skin. He was becoming vaguely aware that this was wrong--this soft heat certainly hadn't been there when he went to bed the night before--but it was a pleasant enough surprise that he couldn't be bothered to worry over it.

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix remained asleep, his only acknowledgment being another hum of contentment. Clearly, everything was right in the world.

[samuraiprosecutor]

Edgeworth would have agreed. There was nothing he might have asked for beyond this rare comfort. Even waking up more fully didn't change this opinion; in fact, realizing what position he was in and who was sharing it with him only strengthened it.

Blinking blearily to clear his eyes of sleep, Edgeworth pulled back just enough to bring his companion into view, careful not to rouse Wright or break too much of their contact. Another languid smile touched his lips as he lay silently and watched the man before him, idly drinking in his serene features.

[attorneyatlol]

As careful as Edgeworth was, the movement did stir Phoenix somewhat. His brow furrowed slightly as he edged toward consciousness, vaguely realizing that the source of the warmth was a warm body beside him, holding him.

"Mm...?" He pulled back slightly and opened his eyes, but his vision was too blurry to make out anything but a blob of color before him.

[samuraiprosecutor]

There was no embarrassed shuffling to remove his hand from his friend's body, no guiltily averted gaze or awkward clearing of his throat. Edgeworth only watched and waited for his companion to fully wake, though eventually he decided to help him along with a dry, "This is surprisingly familiar."

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix froze, immediately wakened by the voice and the reality of who it belonged to. He blinked several times, his vision finally clearing enough to see that it was, in fact, Edgeworth lying beside him.

His eyes went wide. "E-Edgeworth...!?"

[samuraiprosecutor]

"Wright," Edgeworth replied with a smirk. "I take it you slept well."

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix simply blinked in response, at a loss for words. His gaze traveled downwards and found that the warmth enveloping him was none other than Edgeworth's arms, holding him closely. "What are you..."

[samuraiprosecutor]

Edgeworth, seemingly unaware of the main source of his companion's confusion, made no move to relinquish his warmth.

"Given your presence, I think it's safe to assume there's another virus afoot." The prospect didn't appear to bother him in the least, if his pragmatic tone was any indication.

[attorneyatlol]

No kidding, Phoenix thought. And given Edgeworth's odd behavior, he wasn't quite sure he wanted to know the parameters of this one...

"Right. Um..." He cleared his throat. "Could you let go of me?"

[samuraiprosecutor]

"I'm certainly capable of it..." Edgeworth smirked, making no move to release his companion.

[attorneyatlol]

Extremely odd behavior. "...Will you let go of me?"

[samuraiprosecutor]

Smirk widening smugly, Edgeworth let him go and made a move to sit up. He didn't get far before the tie wrapped around his wrist pulled him up short.

"Apparently this is even more familiar than I intially suspected," he said, dryly, as he examined the tie with a casual eye.

[attorneyatlol]

"Thanks," Phoenix mumbled. He rolled onto his back as soon as Edgeworth let go of him, making a move to sit up as well. Predictably, he didn't get very far, either. "What the..." Frowning, he held his wrist up for inspection and noticed the red tie (...was that his?) wrapped securely around it.

This was entirely too familiar. "Ah, geez..."

[samuraiprosecutor]

"If you're not careful, I may get the impression that you aren't looking forward to spending several days metaphorically joined at the hip." It's said without a trace of concern over the prospect. Edgeworth doesn't wait for an answer before getting up to stand, shirtless and casual, beside the bed, his arm outstretched to allow his companion some slack until he could follow.

"Shall we have omelettes, for old times' sake, or would you prefer something else?"

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix didn't move from the bed. Instead, he looked up at Edgeworth and blinked, obviously bewildered. If viruses were repeating again, and they had to sit through another few days of being tied together, then why on Earth was Edgeworth acting so strangely...?

He dropped his gaze to his wrist, idly tugging at the restraint. It seemed just as secure as last time, with hardly enough room to fit a finger under and no way of untying the knot, so it wasn't as if they just happened to have a tie bound to their wrists while affected with something else.

Frowning, he looked up at Edgeworth again. "You're in an awfully good mood. Did something happen?"

[samuraiprosecutor]

"Aside from waking up with an attractive man in my arms, you mean?" he asked, teasingly. "No, nothing that I can pinpoint."

By that point, the conversation had awakened Sigi, who was staring warily at the other man from the position he'd taken up beside his master.

[attorneyatlol]

Scarcely noticing the dog's presence, Phoenix stared at Edgeworth, his skin prickling as his face went flush. "Uh..."

[samuraiprosecutor]

Edgeworth continued to hold his hand out, watching his friend expectantly. Finally, he cocked an eyebrow in question.

"If you'd rather stay in bed for a while..."

[attorneyatlol]

"Huh? Er, no." Phoenix shook his head, averting his gaze. "No, uh... I'm fine," he added, flashing his friend an awkward smile.

Slowly, he crept out of bed on Edgeworth's side, mindful of the dog, and dragged one of Edgeworth's pillows with along with him. As he stood, he hugged it to his chest and belatedly answered, "Omelettes are fine, too."

[samuraiprosecutor]

"Excellent," he replied, with an easy grin, and began walking slowly towards the door, allowing his companion enough slack to keep up. "You'll have to remind me how you take them. It's been a long time." He paused, then continued thoughtfully, "Far too long, I should say. It's fortunate we finally have an opportunity to do it again."

Sigi hurried to keep pace with his master, coming up on his customary side. Unfortunately for Wright, that side happened to be the one he was also on, and the dog showed little regard for Wright's balance when he insinuated himself rather forcefully into the small space between them.

[attorneyatlol]

"Heh, yeah..." Something about this seemed strangely familiar, Phoenix thought. He'd seen similar behavior in Edgeworth before, during a virus over a year ago. If he didn't know any better, he'd guess it was another repeat, but could Edgeworth really be affected by two...?

Phoenix hugged his pillow tighter and followed his friend out of the bedroom, trying not to trip over the dog as it wedged its way in front of him. "I'm not too picky," he said. "I'll, er, take mine however you take yours."

[samuraiprosecutor]

Edgeworth nodded as he led the way down the hall, towards the foyer and the kitchen beyond. "And coffee or tea?"

Apparently rewarding the dog's possessive behavior, Edgeworth reached to scratch behind his ear. He quickly found the tie made that difficult, and changed tack, holding his other arm out at his side and snapping his fingers.

"Sigi, komm." The dog only cocked his head at first, but with another few snaps he seemed to realize what was intended and fell back, bumping into Wright a bit roughly on his way around to Edgeworth's other side.

[attorneyatlol]

"Tea is--oof!--...fine," Phoenix replied, glaring at the dog.

He sighed. The virus hadn't been too difficult to deal with last time, once he and Edgeworth had learned to compromise, but the thought of having to go through it again coupled with Edgeworth's odd behavior, not to mention the dog...

Phoenix suddenly felt miserable.

Resting his chin on the pillow, he wished he could crawl back into bed and just spend the rest of the day there.

[samuraiprosecutor]

If Edgeworth had known, he might have been quite happy to oblige, but as it was, he only assumed his friend was as eager for breakfast as he was. He led the way into the kitchen, contentedly scratching Sieghard's ear all the while. Once there, he immediately dragged Wright to the refrigerator and began loading him up with ingredients.

The fact that the pillow was already filling his companion's arms didn't seem to cocern him. He simply piled things on top of it.

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix quietly watched the pile grow and shivered as the cold ingredients rested against his bare chest. Somehow, this made him feel even worse.

His shoulders sagged, and he sighed again, hoping breakfast wouldn't take too long to make.

[samuraiprosecutor]

The sigh earned him a curious glance, but Edgeworth quickly dismissed it in favor of focusing om the task at hand. As far as he knew, Wright was still inexplicably irritated by the virus or simply eager for food. If the former, there was nothing to be done about it. If the latter, well, that's what they were working on correcting.

When Wright eventually ran out of room, Edgeworth gathered the last few ingredients in his own free arm and (with only minor difficulty) shut the fridge door.

"I don't suppose your cooking skills have improved much since the last time, so I'll take the eggs," he quipped as he carefully led his companion to the counter and began relieving them both of their burdens. In spite of the content, the jibe was said teasingly, almost playfully, and the smirk Edgeworth wore was nothing but amused.

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix simply grunted as he was led to the counter. He wasn't in a playful mood. In fact, he wasn't in an anything mood, which was beginning to strike him as a bit odd. It was only a virus, after all, and not even the worst of them. There was no reason for him to feel like someone had run over his puppy, and yet...

He leaned against the counter and pouted into the pillow. "Something weird is going on," he muttered.

[samuraiprosecutor]

"Aside from the obvious?" Edgeworth casually quipped, as he finished laying the ingredients out on the counter and tried to drag his friend around the kitchen with him on his hunt for the necessary utensils. If he saw anything unusual in Wright's behavior, he was giving no indication of it.

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix followed him without question, although he did drag his feet along the way.

"Edgeworth, I think we're affected with more than one virus..." It was the only explanation.

[samuraiprosecutor]

Edgeworth paused long enough to give him a mildly curious look.

"I don't see how we could be. Aside from this," and he held up his arm, brandishing the tie, "everything appears to be normal."

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix gave him a look. He was joking, right?

"You don't think your behavior's just a little odd? Maybe even a little familiar?"

[samuraiprosecutor]

Edgeworth gave him a wry smirk.

"I should hope I'd be familiar with my own behavior."

[attorneyatlol]

"That's not what I meant," Phoenix sighed. "And what about me? I mean... I feel like this is the worst day of my life."

[samuraiprosecutor]

The announcement didn't seem to cause Edgeworth any concern. In fact, his smirk only widened.

"The worst day of your life? Is my company really so distasteful to you, Phoenix?"

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix gave Edgeworth another look. "You know that's not what I--" And then he stopped, as something occurred to him.

He frowned at the other man. "Wait... What did you just call me?"

[samuraiprosecutor]

Blink blink.

"Your name." He regarded his friend for a few moments, simple curiosity on his face. Eventually, he seemed to come to a conclusion.

"Perhaps there is something to your suspicions. You are acting a bit peculiarly. I'm not aware of the community ever doubling up before, but it wouldn't be the first time it's shown us that the only rule it follows is 'There are no rules.'"

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix just stared at his friend, ignoring everything the other man said as a wave of nostalgia and sadness washed over him. (Not just any sadness, though. This was unexpectedly heart-wrenching sadness.)

"You never call me that," he said

[samuraiprosecutor]

The statement was momentarily met with a blank stare before Edgeworth dropped his gaze, obviously considering what had been said. The pause ended in an elegant shrug, as he gave his friend a small smirk.

"Point made," he answered, dryly. After a beat, the smirk became a grin, casual and genuine, and his tone took on an uncharacteristic softness.

"However, given our history, I think it's beyond time to start."

[attorneyatlol]

Heart-wrenching turned into soul-crushing, and Phoenix's expression reflected it. He watched Edgeworth for a few more moments, before he tore his gaze away and looked at the ground, his shoulders sagging.

[samuraiprosecutor]

The smile slowly fell from Edgeworth's face, but the look it was replaced by was only questioning, lacking in concern. He watched his companion for few moments, as if waiting for Phoenix to shrug off whatever seemed to be weighing so heavily on him.

Suddenly, he closed the short distance between them and, without hesitation, rested his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"If this is a virus, it'll be over soon." He gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze before removing his hand. "Until then, we'll simply have to make the best of each other's company."

Edgeworth's voice said quite clearly that he was looking forward to the prospect.

[attorneyatlol]

The hand on his shoulder was a reassuring weight, so much so that he made a disappointed sound when Edgeworth pulled away.

"I know," he said quietly. He realized he was being ridiculous, but he couldn't seem to shake this feeling.

[samuraiprosecutor]

The answer seemed to satisfy Edgeworth. With a gentle smile, he returned his attention to the items spread across the counter and picked up the large block of cheese, which he held out to Phoenix.

"The cheese may not come from 'happy' cows, but I suspect breakfast will significantly improve your mood."

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix smirked faintly at that and took the proffered cheese. "Let's hope your instincts ring true, then."

Without realizing it, he gravitated a little closer to Edgeworth, stopping within an inch of him as he leaned over to grab the cheese grater. The pillow was wedged between himself and the counter, so that it was still pressed firmly and securely to his chest, offering him some small measure of comfort.

"Is there anything else you want me to do?" he asked as he began grating the cheese.

[samuraiprosecutor]

"They usually do," Edgeworth smirked in reply.

When the cheese was taken off his hands, Edgeworth grabbed the ham from among the other ingredients and moved to a clear spot a little further down the counter. He unwrapped the meat, retrieved a knife from the black butcher block, and began to expertly dice the meat.

"Actually, you could put the kettle on before you start that."