Disclaimer: Ace Attorney and all characters are copyright by CAPCOM; I'm just a fan imitating. The stories presented are influenced by the multiple games as well as the comic (Manga written by Kenji Kuroda).

Pratfall

"Sometimes I worry about him," Phoenix said and he looked at Larry with a frown and pushed his plastic cup toward him to be refilled from the pitcher.

"Maybe we should give the guy a hand," Larry said, "He's our bro and all…"

"I thought about that," Phoenix said, "But we can't even convince Edgeworth to come and hang out, how are we going to get him to go on a blind date?"

"Blind date?" Larry said, "No way Nicky, that's just too much work. I got a way better idea…"

Larry paused to finish off his beer. Phoenix stared at him, waiting for him to finish his sentance. Larry grinned, poured himself another, and nodded toward the open floor.

"Wanna play pool?"

"Larry," Phoenix said, "What were you going to say?"

Larry gave him a look of worry and his eyes rolled up while he thought about the answer to Phoenix's question, "Um… Please?"

Phoenix slapped his forehead and then slid his hand over his face, "You said you had an idea about how we could get Edgeworth to come hang out. Or at least date somebody so he can get out of the office."

Larry gave Phoenix a solemn look and his brows knit and his lips stuck out like a duck. Phoenix felt his mood sink a little.

"How do you know that's what he wants?" Larry said, "How do you know Edgeworth isn't already getting all kinds of action that we just don't know about?"

Phoenix gave Larry a bland look.

"It's Edgeworth, he eats, sleeps and breathes litigation," Phoenix said, "I think he only leaves his office to shower and sleep."

"He walks the dog," Larry said.

Phoenix downed his cup of beer and poured another from the pitcher, Larry followed suit.

"Do you want to get another pitcher?" Larry asked.

Phoenix checked his watch and glanced around at the quiet and nearly empty bar. There were a few men just gathering around the pool table.

"I guess," Phoenix said.

Larry emptied his cup and got up to buy another pitcher. Phoenix pulled out his phone and looked at it solemnly for a moment.

Larry and I are out for a couple do you want to join?

He jammed out the text message and hesitated a moment before hitting 'send'.

Larry returned and they'd both refilled their cups when the response buzzed in.

Can't. Work.

Phoenix frowned. Larry tried to lean over and see the texts.

"Dude, who are you texting?"

"Edgeworth," Phoenix said, "I was just checking to see if he'd changed his mind."

Larry shook his head, "I guess he's busy. We should leave him alone."

Phoenix looked at Larry and frowned, "I just thought…"

"I'm here, right?" Larry motioned toward himself, "You could try having a good time with the coolest guy you know, right?"

Phoenix laughed and finished another cup of beer. He startled and looked up when the music started.

"Whoa! What's going on?"

"It's karaoke night!" Larry had to shout to be heard above the music, "You know what that means?"

A girl got up on the stage and her friends bombarded the area in front and shouted their support. Phoenix frowned at the scene.

"What does it mean?"

"It feels like a perfect night to dress up like hipsters... and make fun of our exes…"

"Lots of drunk girls!"

"It feels like a perfect night for breakfast at midnight… to fall in love with strangers…"

"Oh, nice…"

"Come on!" Larry jumped up and started singing along with the girl on stage, "Uh oh! I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU BUT I'M FEELING TWENTY-TWO!"

"Alright Larry, I get it—"

"Everything will be all right if we just keep dancing like we're—!"

"Maybe you could sit down," Phoenix said.

"Oh man! This song is my anthem! WHOO!" Larry said and he ran off into the crowd of girls.

"it seems like one of those nights…"

"Oh God…" Phoenix thought and finished the beer in his cup. He got up to reel Larry back in; but he hesitated and looked at what was left in the pitcher and refilled his cup and gulped it down. He refilled it again emptying the pitcher into his cup—he couldn't let it go to waste. He peeked at his phone once more while he fortified himself.

Can't. Work.

Phoenix frowned and shoved his phone into his pocket.

"Larry!"

He followed Larry into the crowd of mostly girls dancing in front of the stage.

"Yeah! We're happy free confused and lonely at the same time!"

Phoenix got tangled in the crowd and bumped around by someone he didn't know. He found Larry up on stage singing with the Karaoke girl. He stopped and shook his head.

Suddenly he was staring into a lovely pair of big brown eyes. She smiled up at him and put her hands on his shoulders. They danced to the song, a song he'd never heard before. He wasn't going to spoil her fun.

Phoenix stared at the plate of scrambled eggs and hash browns covered in cheese and onions and jalapenos. He wondered what he was doing there. He felt sick.

The charge from the bar said three hundred eighty-four dollars with a forty-dollar tip. He felt even sicker.

There was a loud giggly red-haired girl sitting next to him with striking gray eyes. Larry sat across from him a girl on either side of him. One girl was very quiet—she kept checking her phone and frowning at her friends.

Phoenix moved his head and felt the earth move around him. Somewhere they'd had shots—tequila based on the creepy flavor of his burps. He pointed at the quiet girl.

"You!"

"What?" she said—obviously too sober for this crowd.

"You wanna go out with my friend Edgeworth?"

She laughed in his face, "Edgeworth? Sounds like a real winner…"

"Oh yeah," Phoenix said. He glanced at the red-head and took her hand in his, "What's your name again?"

"Where the fuck are we?"

"Dude, do you have any cigarettes?" Larry asked.

"No, I don't smoke!" Phoenix crossed his arms and glared at Larry, "Neither do you!"

"Hey, don't get mad at me," Larry said.

"I'm…" Phoenix paused and gagged, he was going to be sick, "I can't believe I came out with you. I had a feeling this would happen."

"What? That we would get stranded on the beach off of the PCH halfway to San Francisco?"

"Oh… You know where we are?" Phoenix was surprised.

Larry grinned and scratched the back of his head, "Yeah… huh… This happens to me every now and then."

"What?" Phoenix said. He shook his head and walked a ways ahead of Larry. He was really going to be sick.

"He's not going to come," Phoenix said.

He'd thrown up his guts near the waterline. Plus some eggs and hashed browns and a copious amount of alcohol.

"He'll come," Larry said and grinned, "He loves me."

Phoenix only glared at him. It was four thirty in the morning. Edgeworth wasn't going to wake up and rescue them. He won't even come out to have fun.

"Why would he wake up at oh dark thirty to pick up our drunk asses from some random beach off of the PCH?"

"Let me teach you a little something about friendship, Nick," Larry said.

"This ought to be great," Phoenix said out loud and then he covered his mouth in surprise.

Larry looked like he was going to cry.

Larry leaned back in Phoenix's arms and started to snore. Edgeworth's car only had two seats. Phoenix looked over at the solemn driver. Edgeworth had thrown a sweater on over some track pants. He looked tired if not irate.

"Thanks man," Phoenix said.

Edgeworth didn't acknowledge or even look at him. So Phoenix was forced to endure the awkward silence and a sleeping Larry sans conversation. After several long silent minutes, the lights of the city came into view.

"I just expected more out of you Wright," Edgeworth said. His voice was low and soft, Phoenix almost missed his comment.

He didn't know why. Maybe it was the waning buzz, but he felt irked and defensive.

"If you're so upset about it, why'd you come all the way out there to pick us up?"

Edgeworth was quiet for a while but Phoenix noted he shifted his hands on the steering wheel.

"Because, I'd rather not bail you two out of prison," Edgeworth said finally.

Phoenix snorted derisively, "Whatever, Edgeworth."

"I can't leave my friends stranded—especially when they're prone to random acts of stupidity."

Phoenix swallowed. It was one of the nicest things he'd ever heard Edgeworth say.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Sweet friendship…

Phoenix and Larry… Larry is kind of an annoying loser and Phoenix never seems to have any qualms pushing him away. But they have a special kind of friendship. (Not like that… Why do always think that way?)

Of course Edgeworth saves the day… (I wrote it…)

22 by Taylor Swift is copyright 2012 Big Machine Records