Careless (Miles Edgeworth x Teen! Reader)

Requested by SixerConstell

Your Pov:

I ignored the shouts and yells of the cops behind me as I ran. Under one arm, I had a bag of fruit. And under the other, was water. I turned into an alleyway and kept running.
This alley way led to a maze of others. I made erratic turns and curves. Eventually, the voices faded away. I made it back to my dilapidated home in the alleys. The building was old, abandoned, and falling apart. Some stray dogs and cats also made this place their home.

I sat on the blanket on the floor and put the bags in front of me. Luckily, I had grabbed (favorite fruit). I twisted open one of water bottles and took a drink.

This was my life. Ever since I was 6.

Stealing, running, the works. It was never easy.

The sun had set, bathing the room in darkness. I curled up under the tattered blanket and closed my eyes. A few of the stray dogs and cats laid around me, providing me with some warmth. After a while, I fell asleep.

...

I was having that same dream. The one that always plagued me.

Haunted me, even.

A room...a basement in a house. My childhood home. And voices...yelling, screaming, crying out. Then...

Silence.

Utter silence.

But the illusion breaks as gunshots ring out, one by one. This time, the silence stays.

All of this, as I watch from the crack of a hidden door, through the eyes of my six-year-old self.

Then, all at once, everything fades.

...

I woke up, gasping for air as I shot up. The air was cold, courtesy of the winter chill. I caught my breath and calmed myself.

Winter always intensified the dreams. Christmas was near, reminding me of just how alone I was.

I got up and walked outside. Trash bags had been recently added to the trashcans. I carefully sifted through, looking for anything useful. My hand hit something smooth and cold. I reached in and pulled it out. It was a (f/c) ds.

The outside was undamaged and just needed a wipe down. I flipped the ds open and inspected it. Both screens were in fine condition and all the buttons could be pressed normally. A game cartridge was inserted in the slot.

I pressed the power button and it surprisingly turned on. It had half of the battery left. Nestled further in the bag was the charger. I took it and went back inside.

On the screen, the cartridge loaded and presented itself as 'Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney'. I decided to play the game and soon, minutes turned to hours.

I only closed the game when the battery got low. I started searching around for one of my extension cords to plug it in. I stole a bunch of extension cords and plugged them into the nearby factory's electric system. I plugged each one into the end of the previous until it was long enough to get into my building.

I plugged in the charger to the end cord and started charging the ds. The orange charging light came on, signifying it was charging.

Then, my stomach rumbled. I got up and headed out. I had to find breakfast for myself.

...

It had been a few days since then and I was on the DS again. I was very close to finishing the game and it somewhat saddened me. The game helped me forget about everything for a while.

Soon enough, I found myself watching the credits. The list of names rolled by as the music played. I was silent. I had finished the game. My distraction was gone.

As the credits came to an end, some text and a button appeared on the lower screen.

----------------------------------------------
You have unlocked 'Objection! Mode'!

Try it out?

Yes
No
----------------------------------------------

Eager to keep the game going, I clicked yes. The screen faded to black and stayed there for a few seconds before fading into a new screen.

It had the same background as the case selection screen, but the bottom screen only showed the button to activate the mic for saying 'Objection' or 'Take that'.

Some text below the button read 'Make your objection!'. There was also subtext explaining the purpose. 'This helps the characters to detect your voice'.

I set up my objection and after confirming, the game loaded into Edgeworth's office. The timestamp came up as usual. I pressed the button and it faded as Edgeworth's normal front facing sprite. The mic button appeared on the bottom screen, but before I could press it, I heard a voice.

"Are you going to keep staring at me or are you going to speak?"

I looked around the room, scared that the police had found me. The voice came again. "I'm down here." I looked down, only seeing the ds. But on the screen, was a text box with the exact same words. I spoke. "Y-You can see me?" Edgeworth's sprite nodded fluidly. "Yes."

I blinked owlishly. "How...?" He shrugged. "I'm not sure." He tilted his head. "I think it'd be quite dangerous to walk around in that building." I shrugged. "I live here. It's my home." He gave me a questioning look. "Where are your parents? Your family?" I sighed. "All gone. It's always been just me."

He nodded. "I see. What about your schooling?" I turned the ds towards one of the corners. "I steal books from the bookstore and teach myself. I've been doing it ever since I was six." I turned the ds back to me. Edgeworth hummed. "And what do you plan to do with your future?"

I brought my knees to my chest. "I wanted to be a lawyer. For my family. But that dream's been dashed." He cleared his throat. "I don't think so. I want you to get some law books and bring them back here." I rose a brow. "Why?" He crossed his arms.

"I'm going to help you become a lawyer."

And so, I stole some law books from the bookstore and brought them back. Edgeworth explained what he wanted me to do.

"I will help you study, but once you turn 18, I want you to go to a university and get your law degree. With 5 years worth of knowledge under your belt, you'll graduate quickly."

I huffed. "But how will I pay for college? I have no way of applying for student aid." He shook his head. "You'll get a small job somewhere." I hesitated to speak.

"...Thank you for helping me..."

He didn't speak, but his expression said 'you're welcome' for him. That day, I started studying law with Mr. Edgeworth's help. I started to steal less and less. And I learned more each day. Even the nightmares lessened.

But the biggest realization I had was...

I wasn't alone anymore.