Harmless fluff ahead. Credit to the wonderful ChoKohara on DeviantArt for the amazing art I used for this fic because I thought it just went so well with it. Sadly I don't own the rights to any of the Ace Attorney games (but that's probably for the best).

Ever since that day, it had become his biggest weakness. Not his only weakness; but few knew of many others that hid themselves within him. For this weakness was the one he could not drive down into the cold depths of his soul like most of the others he harboured. There was nothing that could be done about it, nothing at all. He had tried to hide it as best he could through all his life. And for the most part, he had succeeded.

After every time it happens, at first he remembers the cause of his fear as it plays in his mind all over again. But then he remembers the first earthquake he experienced in the Von Karma household. Luckily, it had been in the middle of the night so no one was there to see him. But he can still hear the menacing laughter of Manfred Von Karma the morning after. He had humiliated him in front of Franziska and the entire household staff because he had heard him crying as he walked past his room. He pointed and laughed at Edgeworth for being so scared of something so pathetic. Edgeworth had wanted to do something; he had wanted to scream and cry but instead, he simply stood with his eyes at his feet and waited for it all to be over. That's why he tried to hide his fear so desperately. He was so afraid of what others would think. How others would react to the great Miles Edgeworth being haunted by a simple earthquake.

But now things were different. Now he didn't need to hide as much as before. One person would be there for him, always.

Phoenix was at the office when it happened. It hadn't felt like much, just a small tremor in the ground. A few files fell off the shelves and Maya dropped the mug of coffee she had been carrying. But nothing too major. Until Maya looked up from where she was knelt on the floor, mopping up the spilt coffee, to see her friend frantically putting on his shoes while simultaneously trying to look for something.

"Nick?" she asked, slowly standing up.

"The keys"

"What?"

"The keys Maya! Where are the damned keys?" Phoenix snapped at her but she could tell by his face that he instantly regretted it. Without a word, she reached over his desk, picked up Nick's huge collection of keys that were all linked together, and gently threw them at him. She knew where her friend was going so she didn't question him or try to hold him up. This had happened a few times at the office now over the years and probably even more times when she hadn't been around. Every time there was an earthquake, even a small one, Phoenix would suddenly rush out the door. It only took Maya a couple of times before she realised what was going on. She remembered that Edgeworth had a terrible fear of earthquakes and she quickly guessed that was where Phoenix went every time. She had never asked either of them about it but she supposed they both preferred it that way; the less known about it the better. So, she simply smiled to herself and hoped that they would both be okay.

On the other side of the door, Phoenix stuffed the keys inside his coat pocket before almost sprinting down the stairs. He realised that the stairs almost always exhausted him apart from when he was trying to get to Edgeworth. Then they became nothing more than another annoyingly long step. Phoenix knew Edgeworth was at home today since about half the prosecutor's office (at least, the ones who didn't hate his guts) had called him yesterday at work to get him to convince Edgeworth to go home due to a cold. It had taken him almost three hours but finally, he managed to get the stubborn idiot out of his office and wrapped up in bed. He had made sure that morning that Edgeworth had enough Steel Samurai DVD's to last him at least two days. So, quickly he made his way back to the house they had shared for almost a year now. He hurriedly unlocked the door before stepping inside.

"Edgeworth?" Phoenix called out. He wasn't really sure why it was automatic for him to call him by his last name. Maybe it was just the name the man responded better to. He got no reply but he hadn't really been expecting one. Quietly, he made his way towards the bedroom and slowly he opened the door. Just as he had expected, Phoenix found Edgeworth curled up in the bed shivering slightly, his eyes wide and unblinking. Without a word, the defense attorney kicked off his shoes and climbed under the covers. Instantly the two fell into their usual position; Edgeworth curled against Phoenix's side with the man's arm wrapped around him and his hand stroking through his hair. It wasn't often that Edgeworth became so vulnerable. Most of the time it was the other way around; Phoenix seeking Edgeworth for comfort. But in times like this, their roles were reversed.

"Thank you" Edgeworth suddenly said, no louder than a whisper. Phoenix was surprised at first. Even in all the time they had known each other, he couldn't remember a single time when he had actually outright thanked him before. He had done it in smaller ways- a smile, a hug, eventually even a kiss- but never had he actually said anything. But then something occurred to Phoenix that he was surprised he'd never thought of before. This wasn't Edgeworth in his arms right now. This wasn't the cold-faced prosecutor who fought him in the courtroom. This was Miles, a scared little boy who'd never really had anyone to run to until now. Phoenix had so many things to say; so much he wanted the other man to know. But for now, all he could do was hold him closer and press a light kiss against his cheek as he slumped against him, slowly losing consciousness. Eventually, Edgeworth's breathing evened out and he fell asleep against Phoenix, his head resting on the other's chest. Phoenix smiled down at him. He would help him through this, just like always.

"Goodnight Miles" he gently whispered before falling into his own, dreamless sleep.