Edgeworth makes a call, Sebastian gets some answers and Phoenix(unofficially) meets Blaise.

WARNING: Implied/referenced child abuse.

-linebreak-

"Now?! Now you decide to call me?!"

"Wright I can-"

"Where even are you?!"

"I'm afraid I can't disclose that information at this current time-"

"Yes you can, you can say 'hey, I'm here if you to meet me and chat and maybe I dunno, catch up after ignoring you for so long'?! Do you know how worried I've been?!"

"Phoenix I-"

"Do you know how long I've had to sit here and listen when Maya decided to call me and complain about how 'Steel Samurai did this' or 'Steel Samurai did that' or how many times Larry has asked me to borrow money?! How many times I've had to face off against Payne of all people?! Do you know how aggravating that is and you not even responding to me no matter how many times I call you and text you?! Do you know how worried I was?!"

"Wright-"

"Do you?!" Phoenix's only answer is a deafening silence. He sighs, running a hand through his hair as he moves the hand that holds his phone away from him. He really wasn't ready for... This...

Whatever this is or will be, he wasn't ready the last time Edgeworth paid a visit and he won't be ready this time that he decided to call him. The prosecutor just makes ordinary things like phone calls, texts, genuinely normal conversations- things that shouldn't be strange or give him jitters do exactly that- just unnecessarily strange! Though, it's probably just him...

It's totally just him, there's no changing his mind.

Especially during Miles talk about unnecessary feelings, that warmth that squeezed his heart- it was anxiety he was pretty sure? After what happened it made sense, how could it not after everything that happened.

"I'm... I'm sorry for yelling at you Miles..." Using Miles now huh? He thought to himself, probably shouldn't use that after yelling at him like that. "I shouldn't have, sorry- I've just been really worried about you lately and if you've been okay or not..." He sighed, "I'm sorry..."

"Ah, it's... It's okay Wright, I would say I do deserve it after ignoring you for so long and only calling you when I need something. I promise to explain everything soon but right now I desperately need your assistance."

Phoenix felt his face grow strangely hot, a soft expression melting onto it but he shrugged it off to respond to his friend. "Sure buddy, anything for you," And with those simple words, Miles felt his worries be wished away like a simple wave of a hand.

He smiled to himself, then realized he forget something.

He's sure Wright wouldn't mind waiting a few more seconds, moving his face away from the phone he whispered something to Gumshoe, handing him some money as he did, and with a salute, the man was on his way out of the Detention Center to go run him a quick errand, now he could have this conversation more privately.

"So..." The ex-prosecutor started again. "I assume Ms. Fey is going well from the sound of things? Somehow managed to get Steel Samurai to play over there?"

"Yeah yeah, I'm not sure how but she managed but oh boy is it hell," Miles chuckled to himself. "I'm sure it has been, from what I've seen- or heard, the recent episodes have been particularly rancid."

"Oh, not you too!" 

With a huff accompanied by a slightly gruff chuckle, Edgeworth shook his head despite the other man not being able to see it. "I will not bore you with the details when I know very little of them, however, there are other matters we must attend to while I wait for Gumshoe to run me an errand."

"Still sending him to do your dirty work for you?" Phoenix teased. "Nothing he can't handle, actually, he's actually doing something to help the defendant."

"Help the defendant? Since when did you start doing that?"

"I believe currently it's a special circumstance... You'll find out soon enough when we go see him..." There was a slight silence on the other end of the line that made the Miles grimace. There were no easy words to put them in, especially since it had displayed very clearly in the court of somewhat exactly what was going on.

"...How young is he?"

"Hm?"

"How young is the defendant?"

"Ah, well-" He wasn't old enough to own a house, that's for sure, somewhere around Kay's age if he was correct, he still had a lot to learn. "17, I think, around the same age Ms. Fey was when you first met her."

"Ack-" He really should have expected that reaction, he can practically imagine Wright's gaping mouth if he tried hard enough. "well doesn't this bring back some memories, does it?"

"It certainly does, you don't think it'll be a repeat of that case, do you?"

"Well if it is, I just hope the only thing it's repeating is the ending,"

"I can certainly agree with that," And just like that the conversation continues on aimlessly, mostly catching up and what seemed like actively avoiding the case at hand, not that Miles minded it, he had been actively steering it away from there. There's an ache that resonates in his chest whenever he thinks about it, or whenever it's mentioned or he seems something related to it. He thinks he knows what it is but he'd rather not acknowledge it to the best of his ability. Yet Phoenix is insistent on pushing the subject despite his dismay, luckily he has a large savior approaching him.

Gumshoe. 

Edgeworth watched as Gumshoe started to approach him and let out a small sigh, part of him wishing for the conversation to be able to continue, they could continue it later of course but he hated for it to be cut off.

"Excuse me, Wright," He says, cutting him off of his current sentence. "I'll be right with you again, Gumshoe need to talk to me for a minute." 

"Oh, I can call you later if that's-"

"No there's no need, it'll just take a quick minute," Phoenix pauses, then finally answers him back. "...Okay... I'll just be here then," He nods even though the other can't see him nod. He moves the hand away from his face and watches as Gumshoe walks towards him, a bag in hand. 

"Here ya' go Mr. Edgworth." With a lopsided grin, the detective handed him a bag, a white bag, and Edgeworth just peeked inside and slyly smiled, closing the bag and letting it hang at his side.

"Thank you Detective Gumshoe, I'm sure your salary will show this valent work or yours,"

"It's my pleasure, Mr. Edgeworth!"

"Now, there's one last thing I need you to do,"

"And that is?"

"Keep looking after Kay and if her condition changes tell me immediately, with the situation I have right now something happening to her would be nothing less than horrid."

"You can count on me, boss!" He salutes at him to show that he understands it and Edgeworth nods at him, telling him he'll be at the Detention Center and to meet him there as soon as possible and is on his way. 

After a quick walk from the Grand Tower to the Detention Center- surprisingly, they aren't that far away, lucky him he guesses- and it doesn't take him that long to find Sebastian's room. Going through the front offices and having a guard led him to the right cell just in case he might get it wrong. They step into the room with him, taking a place in the corner by the door. The brown-haired teen immediately jumps when he hears the door open, looking around and behind him until he looks into the other room and spots him. 

Sebastian's eyes go wide, corners glimmering with tears as he stares at him. He's hiding his hands under the table, wringing them almost constantly from how much he's squirming, unable to sit still. He squares his shoulders, tensing immediately. "Prosecutor Edgeworth?... You haven't come to prosecute me, have you?!" Tears threaten to spill but hadn't quite yet, Miles shook his head and took a few steps towards the plastic chair, sliding it back and sliding into the seat, scooting forward. 

"I brought you something," He places the bag on top of the table and it draws the teen's attention quickly. 

"A gift?..."

"It was far too much of a wait to try to get something like this to you but I think that you'd need them,"

He slides the bag through the small square cut in the bottom of the glass wall. Carefully, and hesitantly, Sebastian grabs it, looking back up at him then down at the bag, he opens it and his eyes widen upon the sight, glittering with tears. With vigor, he reached in the bag and pulled out two pearly white gloves, he stared at him intently. "M-My gloves?..."

With slight hesitation, not sure whether or not the truth or a lie is better, he shakes his head, "You're father..." he couldn't bear to see his face as he told him it. "He burned your other gloves because they were substantial evidence so I did my best to get you new ones." He looks up despite how much he doesn't want to, squeezing his forearm as he talks. "They're made of the finest material I know so they should be more than substantial so they don't hurt your hands, I had Gumshoe go pick me up a pair at the nearest store nearby, I also managed to sneak your baton in there too."

"My baton?..."

"It was knocked out of your hands in the courtroom in a panic,"

"O... Oh... Right..."

"Oh please don't tell me he isn't like Frankiza with her whip, I'm pretty sure I still have welts from that," Wright inconveniently pipes up from the phone making Sebastian straighten up and bristle with surprise.

"W-Who's there?!" He whips his head around, his ahoge straightening up like an attend and with a cough, Miles holds up his phone at the teen, waving it slightly, then he looks down at the phone speaking to it.

"Rest assured Wright, it is not a police baton but a conductor's, the least he can do is harm himself by snapping it which in itself isn't good either but he isn't harming anyone outside himself with it," Wright adds on. "You really shouldn't do that kid,"

Sebastian just splutters, jumping out of his seat and leaning against the glass to glare down at the phone. "I-I'm not doing it on purpose! It's an accident!"

"Still shouldn't," The teen just grumbles, slouching back in his spot, arms crossed flatly across his chest as he looks away with a pout.

"You should put your gloves on, along with take out your baton as well."

A bit meekly, the teen nodded and move to slip on his gloves, slipping his baton out of the fabric of them as well and shoveling it into his pocket. With his glove and baton the air around him seemed happier, more joyful, he couldn't quite blame him, it reminded him of Franziska without her whip, he was half sure she probably slept with that thing but he wasn't quite sure. 

Miles placed his phone on the counter, not before fiddling with the buttons to try and put speaker gaining an amused laugh from Phoenix which rose an unusual heat in his cheeks which he ignored for trying to figure how to put his phone on speaker, which granted, eventually he did, which is where the entire conversation started. 

"Sebastian, on the phone with me is Phoenix Wright, he's someone who I worked against in past cases, he's a defense attorney. Wright, this is Sebastian Debeste, he's a prosecutor, who is ironically enough being accused as murder."

"What's with prosecutors and getting accused of murder lately?"

"I have no idea," He breathed with a heavy sigh. 

"W... What're you talking about?" Oh, right, he probably hasn't seen that, or know of the particular part of their past, and if he does he probably doesn't remember it or is mistaking it for something else. He seems like the type.

Before he can offer up an explanation, Wright beats him to it. "Nothing you need to worry about kid! Just that they were always innocent!" ...Except for Von Karma. 

"O-oh okay then!" But that seemed to satiate him at least, for now hopefully, he didn't seem to press the matter hand further than that.

"Y-you don't think that my father is going to intervene me or something like that?" Right to the matter at hand, I see? Miles thought it's all that anxiety I presume, nevertheless, that can be easily solved. 

"Interview you, you mean?" Edgeworth corrected.

"Y-yeah that!"

Edgeworth briefly looked to the side, his hand that wasn't holding the phone instinctively moving to his forearm and squeezing at the fabric there. Could he? Or was that conflict of interest? He couldn't interview his son but his father had but maybe the rules have changed since he looked at them? Miles's grip grew even tighter, even if it was legal in this twisted court system he already knew he didn't want it to be, he desperately wanted it not to be true.

And Phoenix pipes up from his phone and says: "Well yeah, why wouldn't they be able to? It's videotaped nowadays but there's a chance that it couldn't be, it entirely depends on who the prosecutor is, which I'm assuming from what I'm hearing that it won't be if it happens." The biting silence Phoenix is greeted with from the other end of the line makes him wince, he looks away and at his case files on his desk, this wasn't so easy when he couldn't see the files or be there for what happened but from what it seemed like, this was a pretty cut and clear case.

The culprit was obvious, how they'd indict him was the problem, along with whether or not he'd interrogate his son. The other problem was how far would he be willing to go just to make sure he wasn't caught, far enough to indite his own son but who's to say that was the end of it? Wright could already feel the incoming headache coming on as he started to rub circles into his temples with a frown stretched across his face... This was going to be difficult.

"Well, whether or not he interrogates him or not, they'll always be an officer in the room so you have that, you also have from the hours from when the Detention Center closes and opens so all I can really say is to just... Watch out? I dunno, if I had the files or knew something then maybe I could help but I don't so it's pretty hopeless,"

He hears a sigh on the other end of the line and he isn't sure if that's good or bad. "Tell me, Wright..." Edgeworth starts with an exasperated tone. "Do you have any cases right now?"

With a growing grin, Wright briefly peaks back at his case files on his desk, there are three, all petty crimes nothing like the one he has now, nothing like the chance to be able to see him again. "Are you asking what I think you're asking me?" Miles can practically hear Phoenix grinning on the other end of the line.

"Yes I am Wright, it'd be my pleasure if you come could assist me on this case."

Phoenix clicks his tongue, with a smile that reaches his eyes he says: "Gladly, send me your location and I'll be there as quick as I can unless it's across the country then you'll have to wait a bit."

Miles moves to exit off the phone call screen- thanks to the help of Kay- he's managed to get a grip over his phone and other technology and side-swipes so he can go on the messaging app, scrolling through his contacts until he reaches the name 'Phoenix Wright', he smiles to himself.

"Luckily for you, it'll be a quick drive, or should I say bike instead?"

"Wait- are you actually in the city?"

"Yes, my current case calls for me to be, I hope to see you soon Wright," Then he sends the man his location, the Detention Center, Visitor's Room. He sits back in his chair saying goodbye to Wright and hanging up the call and then turns towards Sebastian with a knowing smirk.

"That man I just called is sure to get you out of this situation, he's won almost every single case he's ever been on, and the one he lost was one where he willingly lost it because he knew his defendant was, in fact, the murderer, the others they weren't. All this to say you're in valent hands."

And the teen just beamed at him, bending his baton slightly. "I have no idea what the word alanet means but okay! I trust you, Mr.Edgeworth!"

Miles just shook his head, the smile never leaving his face.

This day could get better, and it was about to. 

-linebreak-

Wright arrived at the Detention Center at officially 11:13 AM, April 6th, why Miles knew the exact time and date didn't really matter, no not at all, it was just useful knowledge to know how much time they had left, after all, they could only stay here till 19:00 or in other terms 7:00 PM. They had exactly 7 hours and 47 minutes left, but that's not even mentioning how with the boy's disheveled state and his lack of anything to his name- even fresh clothing for tomorrow!- it would cut their time down.

He made a mental note to tell Gumshoe to get the boys measurements so they could at least get him some proper clothing to sleep in while he stayed there. The leftover money he had given the Detective would more than suffice, and if not he had more, this would reflect greatly on his paycheck so he have better take it seriously. So while waiting for his childhood friend to arrive, he texted Gumshoe- to the best of his ability, Kay was supposed to teach him more but she had never gotten the time, he was also still figuring out the microphone feature- that he had something for him to do later, he texted him back that whenever he was needed to just shoot him a text and informed him Kay was fine with a little ':)' at the end of his text as well.

It was more relieving than it should have been. 

He met his fellow attorney outside the Detention Center's Front Office, holding out a hand for him to shake but was instead greeted with a hug instead. Almost immediately he tensed up, Phoenix noticed it almost immediately and pulled away, apologizing with the scratch of the back of his neck, Miles waved him off and they were on their way to the visitor's room. But knowing Wright, he needed a fair warning before anything that happened really happened. 

"I will warn you of this Wright," Suddenly without warning Miles turned sharply on his heels and gave him a heated glower, if looks could kill, then he'd be nothing but a pile of ashes. "Sebastian's hands are both burned on one side and from the looks of things they didn't even get the chance to properly heal as they should have. If I hear you make one remark about them if he ends up showing them to us I'll make you wish you never said those words. Are we clear?" Mouth shut tight, lips pressed into a firm line, he meekly nods afraid to say anything.

"Good, then this should be a simple case for you," He nodded to the other man and turned sharply on his heels. Wright just grimaced as he watched him walk away, following him, who was going to tell him?

They made their way to the room and Edgeworth started saying something but honestly, Wright was not paying attention, he had something else he was doing.

He was busy peeking into the window of the door that led to the room, he saw the teen- Sebastian- that Edgeworth had talked to with him along with about over the phone. He was fiddling with the baton he had been said to bend until it snapped and hit his face, and from the looks of it, it was about to do exactly that. He looked hardly guilt of murder, looked like he'd cry from hurting a fly, but he learned from Dahlia that looks can be deceiving, but that wasn't even the gist of the situation.

From what he had heard, the man reminded him of a certain friend of his dad, he had heard Blaise Debeste was sort of like Von Karma, he even read about the comparison in a few articles he read on the way walk here. And if he was anything like Von Karma then he certainly wasn't going to make this situation any easier, no wonder Miles had gotten so attached to him so quickly, so readily on the defense. But that was the least of their worries, even with his father there was another factor at play here, something far worse.

"...But what about the jury?" Wright piped up gaining a quirk of the brow by Miles who impatiently tapped his finger against his forearm. "I don't see what the problem would be, once they see the truth it'll all be over with."

"Yeah, I get what you're saying but remember who his dad is? Or what you told me about him?"

"I don't see how this applies, Wright,"

Phoenix sighed and shook his head. "I'm saying that even if we prove he isn't guilty, thanks to who his dad is people probably won't like him so if they think they can't convict him, they can at least convict his son as revenge-"

"But it's obvious that Sebastian knows nothing of what his father did, he's oblivious, and his father doesn't even care about him. The wretched man!"

"Miles..." Wright said softly, his voice low and cautious. "Do you really think they care about that? Some might but not all of them, there's no proper guarantee unless we can get everything pinned against his father, but until then? We're screwed," Carefully, he moves his hand to put a gentle but firm pressure on the other man's shoulder. "I know you want to help him as best as you can, and I don't blame you for wanting to after everything that's happened to both him and you but despite that, I promise that we'll get him out of this just like I did with you."

The warmth that blooms in his chest and flushes in his cheeks is exhilarating, it's irritating, it's anxiety-inducing. Unnesccary feelings, he's sure he called them last time he encountered him, how his chest would go constricting warm around the other man like someone had alight his heart of fire, he had first thought that it was heartburn, when he consulted his doctor he had just given him a wry smile and told him it was nothing to worry about, to instead talk to his 'friend' about it instead, he didn't like how he put it.

So needless to say he was taken aback by the words that Wright had spoken to him, "...Phoenix..." and the action that followed them.

Phoenix brought him to a hug, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, hugging him gently yet firmly. Miles just let out a sigh, not sure when he had started holding it in, and leaned into the other man's gesture, burying his face against the barely shorter man's shoulder, enveloped by his warmth. As much as he hated to admit it, these recent cases- and that's not even mentioning the events that transpired them!- were stressful, Kay's amnesia, Shelly de Killer's appearance, resigning as a prosecutor, a case far too similar to his own liking, most likely child abuse, and seeing Wright again. It was too much for one man to bear. Luckily he had his old friend there for him. 

In the meantime at least, good things don't last forever, of course.

"Don't you know it's not polite to stand in the middle of the hallway, y'know?" Phoenix felt Mile tense and he turned around and was met face to face with goggles and gangly light brown hair staring him in the face. The man smelt of smoke and fire, possibly ashes.

"Who're you?" He asked pulling away from the hug. The other man but grinned.

"Name's Blaise Debeste, and I'm afraid you're in the way of the suspect I'm going to interview."

A/N: ;))))))

uh oh spagetIO