Chapter Text
The questioning took forever . The entire time, Phoenix couldn’t stop thinking about the Steel Samurai, or, rather, whoever it was that wore the costume. He’d hoped that confessing his feelings the way he did would finally purge him of this burning curse, but instead, it had only fanned the flames. Unshaken, the curiosity rooted in his chest continued to coax questions out of his mind. Would it be right to find out who they were? Would that lay Phoenix’s anxieties to rest, or only make them worse? How would the person react? How had they already reacted?
Should he do it? Should he find out?
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“Hey, Gumshoe?”
The detective turned midway through leaving the interrogation room. Phoenix was free to go, but he needed to ask him a question first.
“Can I visit the person you brought in with me? You know, the guy wearing the Steel Samurai costume?”
All at once, Gumshoe’s temperament became quite nervous. “A-are you sure about that, pal? H-he told me not to tell you who he was unless you really wanted to know.”
Oh, boy.
“…Y-yeah. I-I know visiting hours are over since it’s so late, but… just for a few minutes?”
“Y-you sure? He was pretty insistent about it.”
…
“…Yeah. I’m sure.”
Gumshoe swallowed hard. “O-okay, I’ll bring him into the visitor’s room and then I’ll come get you.”
With that, Phoenix was left alone to wait for what felt like the longest time of his life. Every thirty seconds, he checked the time on his phone. Then every ten. Then he just had it sitting on the table in front of him, watching the time go by, second by second. Every once in a while, the screen would go dark, and he’d have to turn it back on again. Minutes passed in this manner.
Then, Gumshoe returned.
“All right, pal. He’s ready for you.”
Phoenix hid the beginnings of some shuddering with a nod, rising to his feet. Every step he took pounded in his ears alongside his heartbeat as he covered the distance to the visitor’s room, yard by yard. He lost his mind in a sea of half-thoughts, none of which were especially cohesive or born of any particular emotion. Just a maelstrom of neural activity.
The next thing he knew, the door was right in front of him. It took a moment to find the strength to steady his breathing, put his hand to the doorknob, and pull it open.
The masked hero still had the Steel Samurai costume on. He probably hadn’t had the chance to take it off and put on a change of clothes yet.
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“…You really want to know who I am?”
In his seat, Phoenix wiped his brow. “I… I don’t know how else I’ll ever get over this. I’m sorry. I really, really am.”
“I hope you’re prepared for what you might see.”
“…Yes. I am.”
“Very well, then.”
In a slow, careful motion, he pulled off the headpiece of the costume, taking care not to damage it in any way as he lifted it from his head.
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…
Phoenix sucked in a light gasp. His fingers trembled, his eyes widening.
“… Oh my God ,” he whispered. “… It was … you … ? This whole time … ? ”
Miles nodded. “I played the Steel Samurai in the stage show.”
“Y- that was you?! I- oh my GOD.” Somehow, he found it within him to chuckle a bit. “That explains a lot, actually. You were working out, weren’t you?”
Miles did not reply to that.
“You… you were a superhero! ” Phoenix shouted. “ While being the Chief Prosecutor! No wonder you were exhausted all the time!!” He laughed a little more, but then sat bolt upright as another question came to him. “Oh, why did you go to the courthouse that night? How did you know about the fire if you were in the middle of the premiere?”
“I found out about it during the show’s intermission. I couldn’t bear the thought of you perishing in the flames, so I organised a way to get out of the play in a thematic fashion so I could go assist the rescue efforts.” He looked away, grabbing at his elbow. “After that… I couldn’t stop wearing the costume. I liked it too much, pretending to be the Steel Samurai. Then, one night, while… galavanting , I came across a crime taking place, and I swiftly dealt with it. I suppose it all went downhill from there.”
Phoenix shook his head in awed disbelief. “You are, unquestionably, the most amazing person I have ever met, you know that? Fighting crime as a superhero and being the Chief Prosecutor? Nobody but Miles Edgeworth could pull off a stunt like that. You should get a medal for all this.”
Miles, again, did not reply to that. “…Phoenix…” he asked, closing his eyes, which were rapidly beginning to crinkle at the corners. “When… when you said those things back at the courthouse, about having feelings for another man…” His eyes opened to hold Phoenix’s own in a deadlock, now a bit glassy. “Were you talking about me? ”
His jaw began to shudder, his eyes replying to Miles’ sentiments in just the same way, and it all came out in just one word.
“ Yes. ”
As if he’d been struck a hard blow to the waist, Miles’ eyes slammed closed again. He doubled over onto the desk in front of him, burying his face in his hands as he began to sob.
Phoenix suddenly felt like the worst human being in the entire world. He’d done it: in one fell swoop, he’d betrayed their friendship; his feelings were unrequited. Tears of guilt and regret began to pour down his face as he felt his lifelong love crumble into pieces around him. “I- I’m so sorry!! I didn’t- I- I’m so sorry!!! ”
“ You …”
Phoenix held his breath.
Miles got up a bit, labouring to make and hold eye contact with Phoenix as his cheeks ran wet and red. “ You… have no idea… ” He paused, the struggle in his words straining his entire face. “… How long I have waited to hear you say that .”
It took about a full second for Miles’ words to sink in and take root, but when they did, Phoenix’s tears were renewed. “Y-you mean…?!”
Miles could only offer him a weak, broken smile, but it was a smile, nonetheless.
Phoenix’s breath tumbled out in a huffed sigh that was almost thirty years in the making. He slumped against the glass partition, throwing his hands forwards in a vain effort to make physical contact with the man across from him. “I… I can’t believe it,” he sobbed. “I… I really can’t believe it. Is this a dream…? Is this all just a dream?”
Miles’ long grey banks shook with his head in response. “I think this is real…” He swallowed. “I think this is real, Phoenix.”
He looked up to smile at his old friend. “I think it is, too, Miles.” Then, though, he forced himself to push down the euphoria. “I’m sure we’ll have lots of time to talk about this, but for now, I need you to do me a favour.”
Miles raised an eyebrow a bit. “Do you a favour? There’s very little I can do for you in here, but what is it you need?”
“Let me defend you in court.”
Miles frowned. “There’s nothing for you to defend. I attacked not only Magne-Sterne, but numerous other people around the city. I’m bound for prison for sure.”
“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Phoenix insisted. “You’re not some common thug, Miles. You were fighting thugs, cleaning up the streets! The courts aren’t what they used to be. You’ll be okay!” He chuckled a little again. “Besides, you’re gonna have to get used to seeing a lot more of me from now on.”
The weary Chief Prosecutor was silent for a moment, his features becoming a little bit more unguarded.
“… Promise? ”
Miles’ voice was so small and quiet and earnest and open, like Phoenix had never heard before. He met it equally so. He had to.
“ Promise .”
***
The trial, which went through all of Miles’ ‘crimes’ one after another in a 3-day frenzy, went mercifully well. The old judge couldn’t possibly throw the book at him: public opinion was firmly in Miles’ favour, and so the law was lenient that day when the gavel rang out: his sentence was community service, something he’d basically already been doing anyway.
As they exited the courtroom (the only one still deemed safe to use as the building repairs were carried out) into the defence lobby, Phoenix blew a hefty sigh of relief. “ Phew , that was a doozy.”
“You don’t say?” Miles quipped sarcastically.
“Well, at least it’s over now.” He turned to fully face his companion. “So, what now?”
“I don’t know for sure, but I think I have a good idea.” He smiled. Miles Edgeworth gave a true, proper, open smile. It was a glorious sight. It was a beautiful sight.
Phoenix’s attention was drawn back and forth between Miles’ gorgeous grey eyes and his smiling lips. “Yeah…”
For a couple of guys who took decades to figure out the most obvious thing in the entire world, their first kiss went pretty smoothly. Come to think of it, this really was Phoenix’s first kiss: the Dahlia thing was… weird . Miles’ lips were incredibly warm, and by the way they made contact with Phoenix’s own, it made it feel like the two of them were just melting together, as close and intimate as they could possibly render themselves. Not quite wanting it to end, Phoenix brought up a hand and cupped it around the back of Miles’ head, his fingers sinking into the grey strands that adorned its surface. Miles gave a contended groan that Phoenix could feel in his jaw a little bit, and placed a hand at the small of Phoenix’s back, which felt so natural it was as though it was made to be there. For a moment, the two of them just… hung on.
Click
The two men’s eyes opened simultaneously, and by the time they had turned to identify the source of the intruding noise, a chorus of giggles had erupted.
“Sorry, Daddy,” said Trucy, though there was absolutely nothing apologetic about the grin on her face. “The doors were open and we saw you guys and we just couldn’t resist,” she explained, looking at her phone. She flipped it around, showing the picture thereon to the two men.
Phoenix was simultaneously completely embarrassed and also filled with an ecstatic warmth. He’d never thought he’d ever actually kiss Miles Edgeworth, let alone have a picture of it. He’d have to quietly ask Trucy to send it to him when nobody was around.
“You guys are adorable ,” Athena gushed, cupping her hands together as Widget flashed bright green. “I can’t believe I never saw it before. You guys make a great couple!”
Ema Skye was standing there, too. It was hard to tell whose face was redder: hers or Miles’. “I… I just came to be sure you were all right, Mr. Edgeworth!” she shouted, likely unintentionally. “I didn’t, uh, w-well…”
Phoenix gave an exasperated sigh. “Trucy,” he began. “What do I have to do to get you to never share that picture with anyone? ”
Her index finger paused above her phone: he’d likely caught her just as she was about to text it to someone. For a moment, she tapped the now free finger against her chin, contemplating. “Oh! I know!” She exclaimed. “I don’t want anything from you , but from Uncle Edgeworth .”
The latter man groaned. “Yes…?”
“Can you, like, do a big dramatic pose and say something like, I dunno, ‘I am Miles Edgeworth: warrior of Neo Olde Los Angeles,’ or something?”
“Oh my God YES!! ” shouted Maya (how long had she been there????). Without the slightest hesitation, she ran over to Miles and shook him like a beanbag. “ PLEASEEEEEE THE WORLD NEEDS TO SEE THISSSSS”
“Trucy,” Phoenix half-scolded, half teased. “I think that’s laying it on a bit thick. The guy’s probably sick of the Steel Samurai and all that by now.”
“W-well,” Miles began, every red blood cell in his body migrating to his face as he pushed the hyperactive weasel that was Maya Fey off of him. “E-even if I wanted to, I d-don’t have any props or anything to use, l-like the Samurai… Spear…”
Phoenix followed Miles’ gaze to someone he hadn’t even known was in the room: Will Powers. The man walked up to Miles, put said Samurai Spear in his hands, and patted him on the head as he stepped back. “The costume is waiting for you down at the precinct if you want to pick it up. I had to pull a lot of strings to get it, but it’s still yours!”
Miles’ mouth flapped a couple of times, probably a cursory attempt at a thank-you, but nothing came of it.
“Get out of the way, Daddy! You’re in the shot!” Trucy groaned, shooing him away with the hand that wasn’t holding her phone up, ready to get some video, surely.
Smiling a bit, Phoenix did as he was told. He looked over at his boyfriend, who looked like a buck caught in headlights. “Well, go on! Do the thing!”
A few cheers from around the room further egged him on.
Miles swallowed. “A-all right, then.”
Then, like magic, all the bravado Phoenix was used to seeing in the Steel Samurai came to Miles in an instant, and with no mask to conceal it, the stoic look on his face was fully visible. It was awe-inspiring and super cool and really really hot. He whipped the heavy Samurai Spear around like it was nothing, then struck a fantastic pose and, with his booming Steel Samurai voice, declared to Trucy’s camera:
I am Miles Edgeworth: Warrior of Neo Olde Los Angeles!!