Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Phoenix Wright was the first to wake up, and greet the day with a big stretch upwards, along with scratching the stubble on his chin. Beside him in bed was his long-time childhood friend, now boyfriend, Miles Edgeworth, who was still fast asleep. The two lawyers were up almost all night, celebrating the holidays together, drinking and being merry, the whole nine yards.

‘I shouldn’t wake him up right now. He needs the sleep,’ Phoenix thought as he smiled at the sleeping chief prosecutor. He then quietly got up, got dressed, and went to make some coffee. On his way to the kitchen, he passed by his office. “Oh right, I almost forgot…!” Heading inside of his office, he opened the third drawer on his desk and took out his magatama, and a small velvet box. Checking the contents to make sure they were untouched, he found it right where it should be. An engagement ring, one with a jewel cut in likeness of the Steel Samurai. The defense attorney smiled again, but he still felt… nervous. What if Edgeworth said no? What if this ruined their relationship? Alike thoughts ran through Phoenix’s head. He had to stop thinking negatively. Taking a deep breath, he put the box and magatama in his coat pocket. “Today is going to be the day,” he reassured himself as he headed back to the kitchen and began to make his coffee, a medium-sized mug of espresso with some milk and three sugars. While he was at it, he also made sure to pour a cup of Earl Grey tea for Miles, in a custom made Steel Samurai teacup used only for special, and private, occasions.

The smell of the tea reached the master bedroom, inadvertently making Miles awaken. He knew that fragrant aroma from anywhere. Phoenix knew him too well. He got out of bed and got dressed in his usual attire, while also making sure to tie his hair up; it has gotten longer over the years, but he grew to like it that way. After he finished getting dressed, Miles left their shared bedroom, closing the door on his way out and headed towards the kitchen.

“Ah, I see that you made some Earl Grey, thank you,” Miles said, sitting down on the front room sofa.

"Well, of course! I know that it's your favorite." Phoenix smiled warmly as Miles picked up the cup of tea and took a sip. There was silence for a moment, but only for so long, until Miles broke the silence.

“I can’t believe it’s been over 25 years,” he said, gazing out the window, watching the snow fall. Phoenix was confused as to what he was talking about, but realized soon enough.

“Oh, r-right. That. Isn’t the…”

“Yes, the anniversary. In two days,” Miles finished.

“Miles… I…” the defense attorney started, before cutting himself off. ‘Maybe now isn’t a good time to do it after all,’ he thought. The room was silent once more, before Miles broke the silence again.

“It’s all in the past, Wright,” he said. “But…” Phoenix raised a brow. But what? “My father was a well respected man, I do miss him. There’s not a single day when I stop thinking about him.”

“Do you…” Phoenix paused before continuing. “Do you ever wonder what your life would be like? I-if DL-6 never happened, that is.” Miles gave Phoenix an inquisitive look, to which it made Phoenix immediately nervous. ‘Crap, he doesn’t look too happy about that! Stupid Phoenix!’ he thought to himself before speaking aloud. “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to bring up such painful memories, I-I’ll stop talking-”

“No, it’s okay,” the chief prosecutor reassured before answering. “But… No, I’ve never thought about it before, if my father were still alive today. I imagine I would still cling to my hope of becoming a defense attorney, like he was. It sounds like a simpler life to live.”

“Ah, I see.” Phoenix took another sip of his coffee as Miles pushed his glasses up.

“However, it’s quiet times like these that I’m somewhat glad that the incident happened.”

“Glad?” Phoenix confusedly asked. Miles nodded before answering again.

“Yes. Were it not for that day, I would not be sitting here, with the man I hold a deep regard for.” Both boys smiled.

“Miles, always so formal,” Phoenix laughed before thinking to himself. ‘Maybe I can salvage this after all!’ Miles blissfully chuckled, then went back to his tea. The chief prosecutor then noticed something. It was weird that he didn’t notice it sooner. He noticed that it was his custom-made Steel Samurai teacup he was drinking out of. Looking back at Phoenix, Miles spoke with confusion and curiosity.

"Wait a second,” Miles said. “Isn't this my Steel Samurai teacup? I usually drink from it for special events, did something happen?"

‘It's now or never… I hope he says yes!’ Phoenix thought to himself before standing up to speak. "Uh, actually yes- there is something I want to speak to you about."

"Oh?" Miles put down his teacup and gave Phoenix his full attention. "What is it?" Phoenix started to sweat a bit, but slowly gained more courage.

"I've been thinking about this for a while, and I believe that this is the right time to ask this."

"Well, hurry up and say it then."

"Alright. I wanted to ask…" Phoenix begins to step forward, putting his hand inside of his pocket to grab the box. "Miles Edgeworth... will yo-" Before Phoenix could ask, he fell as his foot didn't quite land on the floor properly, it felt as if it went through it.

“Wright!” Miles quickly rushed over to help Phoenix up while Phoenix looked down at his leg. It has phased through the very floor. Phoenix turned pale at this and looked towards Miles with a face filled with shock, a face which Miles shared. “What… in the hell-” Miles suddenly lost footing, and the next thing the two knew: they were freefalling.

Or at least… it felt like it.

Everything felt fuzzy as they experienced it. It lasted a good few seconds before they were suddenly met with a face full of moist carpet, landing with a thud.

"Agh... what happened!?" Miles asked, picking himself up off the ground.

"I don't know!” Phoenix answered, confused out of this mind. “My leg just slipped through the floor and we just fell!" Miles rubbed his head as they both began to stand up and take in their surroundings. The boys found themselves in a lobby where everything was a bleak mono yellow; the floor, the ceiling, even the wallpaper was yellow. The carpet was damp with liquid, and the lights in the area buzzed with an infinite monotonous drone.

"Where in the world are we even?" asked Miles. Phoenix answered the same way as before, albeit a little calmer.

"I don't know, nothing seems familiar to me. How about you?"

"If I'm asking you, that would mean that I don't know either, don't you think?" Miles dusted himself off as Phoenix scratched the back of his own head nervously.

‘Er… Yeah, that makes sense. Five points to Edgey,’ Phoenix thought before asking, “W-well… you’re not hurt, are you? Nothing broken?”

“My head feels slightly fuzzy, but otherwise I’m fine. I should take it that you feel the same?”

“Yeah. The fuzziness is slowly fading.” As they looked around, uncertainty and unease started to grow in the back of their minds. "Maybe we could call for help, you have your phone right?"

"Of course I do, I suppose that you don't have yours as always." Miles pulled out his phone, while Phoenix pouted slightly at the comment.

"Excuse you, I actually do have mine, this time at least," he said, pulling out his own phone. Miles blinked.

"Well, that's a first. You always leave it charging in your office and forget it half the time."

"Uh... yeah! Just wanted to grab it early so we didn't have to turn back this morning, heh." Miles raised a brow at the sheepishness in his voice, but soon dismissed it.

"Hmmm, okay then. Just try to call someone, I'll try too." As Miles and Phoenix pulled out their phones and checked their contacts, they made a shocking discovery. "That's strange… Only your contact shows up; I don't have anyone else's contact."

"Same, I only have your contact on my list.” Then Phoenix thought of something. “Maybe calling 911 would work?" Miles nodded.

"I'll try, worst case scenario is that no one would pick up."

‘If that were the case, that particular dispatcher should be fired…’ Phoenix thought. As Miles dialed 911, anxiety slowly built up inside of him, he hoped for both Phoenix and his sake someone will pick up. The phone rang once… twice… thrice… when the other line picked up, both Phoenix and Miles gained a bit of hope, which disappeared along with the color in their face when the other side spoke. A loud static came from the phone, but it sounded different. The sound was gut wrenching, and yet… it sounded strangely human. Phoenix, not being able to take anymore, looked at Miles, who had an expression of uneasiness. “Make it stop! Please!?” Upon hearing the distress in Phoenix’s voice, Miles immediately ended the call.

“What on earth was that?” Miles asked.

“I don’t know, but please let’s not do that again. Getting stuck somewhere unknown to you is unsettling enough.”

“Y-yes, quite.”

"Okay, so calling 911 doesn't work and none of our other contacts appear. Perhaps we should explore the area?" This suggestion only seemed to get a rise out of Miles.

"Are you mad?” Miles interjected. “We don't even know where this place is! For all we know, there could be others here and they probably won't be as docile." Phoenix tried to calm Miles down.

"It's either explore and find someone, or stay here and have someone find us. I much rather find out what's in the area first and maybe we'll even find a way out." Hearing this, Miles sighed.

"I suppose you are correct, but where to start?" As the two were thinking, they suddenly heard something nearby.

“You heard that too, right, Miles?”

“Is that… humming?” Miles inquired. Phoenix shook his head.

“No, I mean the other sound, we hear the lights everywhere, I think,” he said, which earned him a stare from Miles.

"I know that, you fool. I mean the other humming, someone humming to the tune of ‘Fly Me to the Moon’,” Miles clarified. As Phoenix listened closely, he could hear that it was definitely that familiar Frank Sinatra tune. Miles started heading towards the direction of the humming, with Phoenix running behind him trying to catch up.

"Slow down!" Phoenix exclaimed. "We shouldn't make much sound; we still don't know the area."

"If we go slow, we might miss whomever is the source of the humming," Miles replied. "You simply need to keep up." The boys soon reached a corner and peered around it, seeing something on the other side. It looked human, but… was it really?

“Is that-”

“Shhh! Wright…! Quiet!” The figure stopped humming, and slowly turned towards the two lawyers.

“Uh, I think they heard us.”

"No thanks to you.” The figure then reached for something. It looked like… Miles’ instincts immediately kicked in. “Wright, get back. They have a weapon!” Phoenix, a man with a kind heart, tried to see if he could reason with the figure, thinking they were about to attack.

"W-wait, Please! We don't mean any harm." As the two lawyers backed away, they suddenly heard what seemed to be an… inhuman trill. It was coming from right behind them. Phoenix let out an audible gulp as he turned to Miles. “Miles…? Please tell me that was you…”

“I assure you, I did not make that sound…” The two turned around, only to find a large, wiry black creature towering over them. It looked like a children’s drawing at first glance, but its gaping sharp-toothed maw made it all the more unsettling. The lawyers began to back away, but their movements only seemed to irritate the creature.

It roared.

Its roar was almost deafening; Phoenix and Miles had to cover their ears, it was so loud. The roar itself sounded like the wailing of a dying man, almost human, as if this creature had stolen human voice. After it stopped roaring, it charged at the boys in attempts to attack them, which made the two stumble backwards. Phoenix was the first to pick himself up.

“We gotta go!” Phoenix grabbed Miles’ hand, the two bolting down the halls. The monster gave chase. While running, they came across a fork in the road.

"Which way do we even go!?"

"Uhhhh, left! No right! N-no, wait, um…! Um???"

"Oh for the love of-! THIS WAY!!!" Miles quickly pulled Phoenix to the right, the creature sliding on the floor and hitting the wall before chasing them again, constantly doing the same distressing wails. Left and right, right and left, the boys taking more and more turns in attempts to get away from the creature until they hit a dead-end. “Shit!”

“A dead-end!? What do we do now!?” The two lawyers turn around to see the creature, which was slowly approaching them, conserving its energy to tear into the two. Phoenix and Miles were cornered, with their backs against the wall.

“I never thought this would be how we die; trapped within a seemingly infinite hellscape and eaten alive by those who dwell within.” Miles started contemplating life choices that led him to this moment as the beast closed in. Phoenix, not wanting to die so soon, screamed in a last ditch effort to alert someone to aid them.

“HELLLLP!!! SOMEONE HELP US!!!” The screams seemed to have startled Miles, as he jumped from how loud the call for help was.

“Wright, what the devil are you doing!?”

“Well, you got a better idea!?” Phoenix yelled. Miles opened his mouth, but said nothing as the creature was just a few feet away, preparing itself to pounce on the lawyers and rip them to shreds. Running didn't work, screaming for help didn't work… Phoenix was running out of options. That was until a thought occurred. 'If this really is the end, I have to ask him now or die never knowing!' Turning to Miles, Phoenix said, "Well if this is how we die, there's one thing I have to ask you, Miles."

"Well spit it out, we don't have much time left!" Taking his hands into his own, Phoenix locked his mismatched brown and blue eyes with Miles’ silver ones.

"Miles Edgeworth! Will you ma-" But Phoenix was interrupted by the creature's loud screech. The lawyers froze in shock as it started to whip back and forth, as it turned around in its efforts, the mysterious figure they saw before was on it, a knife digging into the creature's back.

"What are you two waiting for!? Run!!!" The figure pointed towards a hallway that clearly wasn't there before, it was as if it appeared out of nowhere. Miles quickly grabbed Phoenix’s hand this time and ran through the hallway, in an attempt to get as far away from the screeches as possible.

"Miles, wait! We need to go back!"

"Are you insane!? You want to go back to that thing!?"

"That person could be in danger! They saved us!"

"Well, they told us to run so that's exactly what we are going to do!" Miles exclaimed as they kept running as far from the sound as they could, constantly rounding corners in case the creature was following them again. As far as Miles was concerned, he just wanted to keep both of them safe while Phoenix kept thinking about that person that helped them. After taking one turn, Miles realized something. "Hey, something is strange here."

"What do you mean?" Phoenix asked curiously.

"Just take a look, isn't this room different from the others?" Phoenix took a better look at the dim room and saw that Miles was right; it was as if someone had actually lived there. Actually, it looked more like an outpost, given the decor. A bare mattress was on the floor and in front of them were three short hallways that supposedly lead to dead ends, along with what looked to be some sort of makeshift hatch in the floor. "This probably belongs to that person from before. Let's ju- oh. Oh no no no. This isn't possible!!!"

"What's wro- wait, how did this happen!?" As the two lawyers were going to walk back out, the passageway they went through was gone. It was as if it had never existed. Both of them were beginning to freak out over this fact. "But we just walked in here!? How is this even possible?!"

"I don't even know! We clearly walked in but it's gone!" Seeing that Miles was freaking out, Phoenix made a suggestion.

"Okay okay. How about I check the other hallways to see if there's another exit while you check if it's some sort of switch?" This seemed to calm Miles down a bit, as he nodded in response.

"Alright, hopefully there's a button or a switch we just can't see." Miles began to examine the wall while Phoenix checked the passageway on the far right. Upon entering the room, Phoenix notices another mattress on the floor and a table with some items on it. He decided to check the items on the table, which was a small knife, some capsules with needles, and some scattered papers, next to a tattered, leather-bound journal. As Phoenix was about to pick up a paper to examine it further, he heard Miles from the other room. "Wha- stay back! Phoenix! Agh!" Before a thump, the sound of something, or someone, hitting the floor.

"Miles!!!" Phoenix ran out of the room, scared for Miles and what had happened to him. As he went back to the room, he found the person who saved them before standing over Miles, who was unconscious on the floor, a dart in his shoulder. The assailant seemed to be holding a tranquilizer. Phoenix realized that the passageway behind them was open again; are they able to control it remotely, or could the passage just sense human life?

"Ahh, there you are, and here I thought I would have to hunt you down for a bit." the assailant said, twirling the tranq gun around their finger.

"W-who are you? What did you do to Miles!?" Phoenix began to step forward to confront them when he felt something hit his shoulder. When he pulled it out and looked at it, he realized it was a tranquilizer dart. As he looked back up, the mysterious person holding the tranquilizer gun towards him. It all happened so fast! He began to feel extremely dizzy. “What… are you-”

"Oh relax, go take a nap. You'll feel better later and afterwards, we can have a small chat." Phoenix collapsed on the floor, unable to stand and his eyelids feeling heavier by the second. As he tried to stay awake, he saw the assailant pick up Miles' unconscious body, before walking over to one of the dead ends. One final thought crossed Phoenix’s mind before he slipped into unconsciousness.

‘Please... don't hurt Miles…’