Chapter Text
1 New Message from Franziska
I have asked Miss Fey out on a date tonight. Use this opportunity to spend time with your foolish defense attorney.
Edgeworth sighed. After that awkward phone conversation, would Wright even want to be around him? It was a useless effort anyway, he had too much work to do.
Miles Edgeworth: I have work to do. I'll have plenty of time to spend with Wright at the dance.
This had evidently been the wrong thing to say.
Franziska: Did I stutter?
Franziska: There are twenty-four hours in a day, brother, are you sincerely telling me you can't spare a few to hang out with your most dearest friend?
Franziska: I have seen your schedule. You are not that busy.
Miles Edgeworth: Perhaps not, but maybe it is best for me to distract myself with work today. Wright likely has work as well and I'm not inclined to bother him, especially considering the events of yesterday afternoon.
Franziska: "Bother him?" That fool changed his career because you wouldn't respond to his emails. I would have gotten a restraining order. If he ever blathers about you bothering him I shall give him a piece of my mind personally.
Franziska: Ugh, fine. I have been so happy with Miss Fey as of late, and I feel quite selfish because you are so conflicted. Forgive my harshness.
Franziska: Please take some time off and enjoy yourself today.
Edgeworth raised an eyebrow. Maya certainly was having an effect on Franziska. It usually took more than five messages to get Franziska all sentimental, and here he had done it in two. Simply impressive.
Miles Edgeworth: I suppose I could arrange my schedule and take you up on your suggestion. Enjoy your date and stop worrying about me.
Franziska: Good. And I will.
Miles decided it would be less painful for him to go along with Franziska than to have her start meddling again. He was hesitant to call Wright and extremely apprehensive at the thought, but the idea of what Franziska might do for him was outright terrifying.
So, he took a deep breath and called Wright.
For the few agonizing seconds it rang, fleeting anxieties and fears bounced around his head. This had been a terrible idea, why did he even think-
"Hi, Miles!"
Ngh, that voice. Everything seemed to vanish and his mind went completely blank for a second. It was both heartening and irritating.
"Hello, Wright. I was wondering if you would like to meet up sometime tonight." Miles kept his voice cool and steady.
"Meet up?" Wright sounded slightly confused and maybe a little... hopeful?
"Why, yes," Miles took a deep breath. "I seem to recall us agreeing that we seldom do things together, as friends that is, and I was calling to ask if you would like to change that."
"Uh, yeah-sure, sounds great! What did you have in mind?"
"Er, depends. Would you rather be in public or private this evening?" Edgeworth was careful to cover up the fact he forgot to think of something for them to do together.
"Hm... Private, maybe? I don't really feel like being around lots of people right now."
Oh, fantastic. An evening alone with Phoenix Wright, just what he needed to solve his pesky emotional conflict.
"Perfectly understandable," Edgeworth replied blankly. "My place or yours?"
"Doesn't matter to me, really, but I just uh, I just got a new TV so if you wanted to come over and see it, it's like really nice and stuff..." Phoenix trailed off.
Edgeworth would have been quick to pounce on how much he was stuttering, but he was too busy wondering if his own heart palpitations were simply emotional or an actual heart issue.
"Sounds wonderful," Edgeworth managed. "What time should I arrive? I can bring dinner, if you'd like."
"We could just order in if that'd be easier. And you can show up anytime, I'm not doing much today."
"Wright, please, I'm going to need a general time frame." Edgeworth didn't fancy spending an afternoon panicking about what time was socially acceptable to show up.
"Like, four or five would be great. Don't worry about food, you're my guest tonight." There was a hint of sweetness in Wright's voice that made Edgeworth's chest tighten.
"It's a date, then," came out of his mouth before he could stop it. Panic followed and he hung up the phone.
Moron. Idiot. Absolute fucking nitwit. Miles wanted to kick himself in the face.
Why can I not talk like a normal person?
Wright was calling him again. Miles considered hanging up again, but that would make three times in two days he hung up on Wright with little explanation. Sighing, he took the call.
"I wish you wouldn't hang up so abruptly all the time..."
Wright had fallen back into his insufferably coy mannerisms. He was probably making that wide-eyed faux innocent face that made Miles want to punch him and kiss him at the same time.
"My apologies, Wright. I wasn't aware you cared." Two could play at that game. Edgeworth used the perfect combination of teasing and arrogance to combat Wright and his unfair banter tactics. "How would you prefer me hang up the phone? A kiss, a love you, and a goodbye?"
"Maybe I would, Edgeworth, it would be interesting to hear such lovely statements in your arrogant voice," Wright replied, clearly unfazed. "Usually I only hear it when you're throwing insults at me from across the courtroom."
"Alright then, how's this?" Edgeworth cleared his throat. "Oh, Wright, it has been most wonderful to hear your voice, but I am afraid I must be getting back to actual important matters. Goodbye and good wishes, I hope the time we are apart treats you well."
Maybe he laid it on a little thick with the sarcasm. It was surprisingly easy to hint at his undying love under the guise of banter and mockery. After all, it wasn't like he hadn't done it several times before in the courtroom.
"Meh, not nearly arrogant enough," was all Wright could say, and this time he was the one to hang up suddenly. Edgeworth laughed softly. Wright challenged him like that often, and for some reason he was always surprised and flustered when Edgeworth took up the game and made a move back.
Somehow, all of his nerves had been mystically alleviated. He felt perfectly comfortable and at ease, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
Wright always seemed to have that effect on him, funnily enough. Was it love? It had to be. Miles couldn't imagine anything that would fit the word better. It was addictive. Maybe addictive was the wrong word. "Cleansing" might work, or "freeing"... Anything positive that suggested a constructive outcome would work.
In the past, he would write these feelings off as a close friendship, but in reality he'd always known there was something else.
He'd had a bit of an epiphany when Franziska had confronted him a while back. She had pulled him aside after his trial as a defense attorney, demanding to know if he was in love with Phoenix Wright. Apparently, that was the only explanation for the current situation.
It was somewhat of a fond memory now, but at the time Edgeworth had been caught blindsided and mortified. Though slightly dramatic, it turned out to be good for the both of them. It had been the first time in a while they'd talked as siblings and not colleagues.
And while both of them still struggled with people and relationships, they always had each other to turn to.
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Franziska wondered what she was even supposed to wear on her date with Miss Fey. Scolding her little brother about his lackluster love life did not change the fact that she had been pacing around her apartment for the better part of the last few hours.
She assumed she'd be picking the restaurant, but it was entirely possible that Maya would suggest they go somewhere else. Franziska did not want to appear as if she were trying to buy Maya's affection or put pressure on her by showering her in money, so she decided taking Maya to a disgustingly upscale restaurant was not an option.
Usually, impressing someone and intimidating someone went hand in hand for Franziska. But Maya was not someone she wished to incite fear into. She wanted Maya to be comfortable and happy around her.
Maya was a casual person. She was very freeform in the way she spoke and held herself, like a steady river. She smiled because she wanted to smile, and she laughed like no one was listening. It was mesmerizing to see someone with such adaptability.
Franziska decided that she would plan the night based around typical date places. As much as it pained her to admit, not everything had to be a formal affair.
She decided to make a quick trip to a local clothes store. Nothing in her current inventory of pure business and formality would fit the mood she wanted the night to have.
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Miles Edgeworth arrived at Phoenix's house at exactly 4:30.
Phoenix answered the door in an apron, holding a spatula. "Miles! Come in."
"Oh no," Miles glanced around the ceiling as he walked in. "Should I be worried about the fire alarm?"
"No!" Phoenix sputtered. "I'll have you know I am a perfectly capable cook." He crossed his arms and glared at Edgeworth, but he couldn't chase the playful twinkle from his eyes.
The same twinkle that made Miles melt every time he noticed it.
"I know," Edgeworth smiled softly. "I'm only teasing, Wright," he placed a gentle hand on his arm. "What were you making? Dinner, I suppose?"
"Uh yeah, kinda," Wright looked down at the ground, and then back up again to meet his gaze. "I hope you don't mind, I made breakfast."
"Breakfast?" Miles stared at him in confusion.
"Well, I just figured - since this is the first time we've done something together as friends in a while - that I would make breakfast."
Miles could tell that Wright wanted to say more, so he held in his reply to give him time to finish.
Phoenix cleared his throat and continued. "I remember that when we would have sleepovers as kids, your dad would always make a huge breakfast for us in the morning. I dunno, just something I thought..." His explanation began to fade, as if he felt he were losing himself in the conversation.
"Phoenix," Miles said steadily. "That's very sweet of you. Perfect, actually. Only such a sentimental like yourself could come up with such a thing." He wanted to cry, memories of his childhood before DL-6 were often too beautiful and sad for him to dwell on.
Phoenix must have noticed the small beads of tears forming in his eyes.
"No, please don't cry," Phoenix said quickly, "I didn't mean to make you sad."
"No worries," Edgeworth waved him off reassuringly. "You did not make me sad, I simply do not think about the time before that incident very often. It can be overwhelming, but I assure you it is not unpleasant. Perhaps I should reflect on it more frequently."
"I'm always a phone call away if you ever need any specific memories to reflect on," Phoenix offered, clearly relieved he had not made his guest depressed within the first ten minutes.
Miles always appreciated that Phoenix wore his heart on his sleeve. He never had to guess or doubt him because he didn't have anything to hide and he didn't bother hiding it.
"Hm, maybe we can do more of that tonight. For now, I would much like to see what smells so wonderful in your kitchen." He had to admit, Phoenix's house was quite lovely. It was very clean, to his slight and guilty surprise.
"Alright then, follow me," Phoenix gestured for him to follow with the spatula. Miles gladly obliged.
Phoenix's kitchen was rather nice. It was small, but well designed. He could picture it being featured in a magazine somewhere. There was a large plate of golden-brown fluffy pancakes on the counter, with still more batter in a bowl by the hot griddle.
"I may have made too much," Phoenix grinned sheepishly. "I told Maya she and Franziska could swing by later if they wanted some. I hope that's okay."
"Oh, of course," Edgeworth said. He couldn't wait to see the look on Franziska's face when she found out that the foolish defense attorney shared her love for cooking. "Franziska likes to cook too, you know," he commented.
"She does?" Phoenix wrinkled his nose in surprise. "What does she like to make?"
"She prefers baking to cooking, to my knowledge, but she does both quite well."
"Huh, I would never have guessed," Phoenix shrugged and went back to making the rest of the pancakes. "Well, hopefully she likes these."
"She likes Maya, so I think she would refrain from insulting Maya's closest friend in his own home," Miles pointed out. As abrasive as Franziska could be, she knew there was a time and place for it.
"Speaking of which," Phoenix paused, suddenly very interested in getting the pancakes flipped just right. "Are- Are they like, together?"
"I haven't the slightest idea what the official label they have given their relationship," Miles admitted. "But I have noticed that Maya has quite the effect on Franziska."
"That's good to hear," Relief flooded Phoenix's concerned expression. "I was worried Maya was getting ahead of herself."
"Franziska did ask her to the dance with romantic intent," Miles confirmed. "I believe all of their time spent together has carried the same undertones."
"Maya and Franziska," Phoenix grinned and shook his head. "Who would have thought?"
Miles laughed softly. "Certainly not me, but they work surprisingly well together."
"I'm still scared of Franziska though," Phoenix said absentmindedly. He seemed to have realized what he said too late and froze in his tracks. "Wait, don't tell her I said that!"
It was a crime to be that adorable, Miles thought, taking notice of how Phoenix's gaze darted around and his lips turned up in an awkward smile when he was nervous. "Of course not," Miles rolled his eyes. "Though I'm sure she would be thoroughly satisfied."
He watched as Phoenix loaded the last of the cooked pancakes onto a plate.
"They smell wonderful," he commented. Phoenix bit his lip and turned away, trying to conceal his pride at the compliment.
"I have strawberry jam to go with them," he mentioned casually.
"Ah, of course you remember that," Miles murmured softly. "It's quite endearing how you remember so much."
"Hm, maybe," Phoenix hummed. "I've always had an excellent memory. Both a blessing and a curse."
"In this case it is quite the blessing," Miles allowed himself to relax with the comfort of their childhood memories. "Again, thank you."
"No need to thank me," Phoenix insisted. "It's just as much self-indulgent nostalgia for me as it is for you."
If this was the result of Phoenix's 'self-indulgent nostalgia', Miles wished he would indulged in it more often. He took a bite of the pancakes and was immediately met with surprise; not out of lack of faith in his friend's skills but at how
Phoenix was staring at him intently, waiting for a reaction.
"You would have given my father a run for his money," Miles laughed. "I never knew you were such a talented cook."
"Thank you!" Phoenix's entire face was set alight with happiness, causing Miles' chest to tighten painfully. Phoenix took a few pancakes for himself, and the two ate in silence for a while. Talking was always lovely, but sometimes it was just nice to enjoy each other's company.
"How do you get them to be so fluffy?" Miles wondered aloud.
"I just don't use that much milk," Phoenix answered. "And I add a touch more baking powder. You have to be real careful though, if you make the batter too thick they'll burn because the inside wont cook up properly."
"Makes sense," Edgeworth knew he probably wouldn't remember that, but he enjoyed the sound of Wright's voice regardless.
Because the pancakes were so rich and fluffy, it didn't take very many to fill up on. Once they were done eating, Phoenix packed up the rest and put them in the microwave to sit until Franziska and Maya showed up.
"Want to try out my new TV?" Phoenix asked, leading Miles back to the living room. Miles nodded.
He had seen it on his way in, but hadn't really given it a good look. It was a fairly nice TV: a sleek black flat screen of decent size.
"It's really cool to re-watch my favorite movies on it," Wright explained. "You can see so much more detail and the picture is so pretty."
"Want to watch one right now?" Miles suggested. Phoenix shook his head and bent down to rummage around in a small box stashed by the wall.
"Actually, I was thinking we could do something a bit more engaging," he said, standing back up with his hands full. "We should play MarioKart," Phoenix handed Miles a white remote.
"MarioKart?" Miles had never heard of the game.
"You've never played MarioKart?" Phoenix shook his head incredulously. "Okay, now we have to play MarioKart." He bent down and turned on the game console. "It's fairly simple, it's a racing game. You steer with the remote. The two button is the gas and the B button activates items."
Miles examined the sleek remote, locating both buttons. "Items...?" He asked, utterly lost and confused. Video games were not his forte.
"Oh, there are these rainbow cube things that give you items, like power-ups and stuff."
"Power-ups." Miles repeated blankly.
"Uh, like you can get bananas to throw at people and mushrooms to speed up," Wright seemed to realize he wasn't making any sense. "You know, lets just try it."
"It sounds interesting," Miles hoped he wouldn't make a fool of himself. Phoenix started up the game and chose a profile and a few options that appeared nonsensical to Miles.
"Now, pick your character with the little cross-shaped button," Phoenix explained, maneuvering his own selection over a small cartoon ghost.
Unsure of who he should choose, Miles went with the first red character he saw.
"Really? You're going with Mario?" Phoenix said teasingly.
"I like red," Miles replied simply, his face rather warm. "I mean, I wear it everyday."
"Eh, I would say your suit is more maroon," Phoenix shrugged. "Anyways, pick your car or bike or whatever, it doesn't really matter that much."
"But they have stats," Miles pointed out, referring to the charts that accompanied each vehicle.
"I'm ninety-five percent sure the stats are just for show."
Miles huffed and continued to read the stats. He chose a bike that had stellar speed and decent scores on everything else.
"I knew you would choose that one," Phoenix whispered. "Okay, I'm going to choose the easiest course just so you can get a feel for the controls."
"That would be much appreciated," Miles was almost positive that the track would have little effect on his imminent failure.
"I'm gonna follow you around and stay next to you so we can race together for this one, is that okay?" Phoenix turned and gave him a look that solidified his unsaid statement of "I wanna do this with you."
Miles nodded as the screen morphed into a preview of the course. When the countdown ended, he clumsily found the '2' button. The controls were quite sensitive, much unlike the steering wheel of his actual car. He found himself careening into a wall almost immediately.
The first race was painful. He commended Phoenix several times on his patience in his attempts to help Miles improve.
The second race was slightly better. He slowly got used to how to turn the remote and how to maneuver the character. After a few races, Phoenix didn't have to follow him around anymore. He found himself being much prouder than he should've been after pulling a solid 3rd place win.
"You learn fast!" Phoenix complimented him.
"You teach well," Miles said in return. It was nice to do something so simple and meaningless for once. "Maybe I will teach you how to actually drive in return."
Phoenix laughed at that.
However, as Miles began improving, the competitive tension between them began to grow. Phoenix was easily pulling first and second place wins, but Miles was starting to catch up quickly.
"Wright!" Edgeworth yelped as Phoenix nudged his shoulder to knock him off course. "That is blatant sabotage!"
The accusation only managed to make Wright laugh, however.
"Mm, what are you gonna do? Tell on me?" Phoenix teased, nudging him again.
"No!" Miles shot him a glare, his natural competitiveness taking over. He was not going to let Wright shove him around like this. "I'm just going to serve you a touch of your own medicine," he took one hand off of his controller and shoved Phoenix over. Phoenix's little character drove off the edge and into a river.
"Hey!" Phoenix protested, bouncing back up immediately to get on track again. "And it's taste of your own medicine, not touch, you idiot-"
"Oh, my sincerest apologies, have fun complaining about my use of different terminology from twelfth place-"
"I'm not getting put in twelfth without taking you down with me!" With that, Phoenix abandoned his own controller to attack Edgeworth's. Edgeworth yelped and yanked it back, causing Phoenix to fall forward.
Miles felt like he was either going to die or faint. Preferably both. Phoenix had one hand on Miles' remote, and by consequence, their hands were practically clasped together against the plastic. Wright's other hand was (terrifyingly!) on the ground next to Miles' waist, pinning him and his coat to the carpet. Their faces were extremely close. Miles could smell the spearmint toothpaste on Phoenix's breath. He could see the tiny specks of gray in his one blue eye and the delightful amber shine of his brown one.
Both of them seemed to short-circuit for a moment. Miles, to his horror, could feel the very obvious blush across his face. Phoenix seemed to be frozen in the moment as well, with his face slightly red. Neither of them moved for a few minutes of eternity.
Finally, Edgeworth managed to pull himself together just enough to tell Wright off.
"Wright," he got out shakily. "You're pinning my coat to the ground."
"Oh!" Phoenix's face flushed an impossible shade of red and he immediately fell backward in retreat. "Sorry!"
"It's all fine," Miles waved it off in a poor attempt to hide how utterly flustered he had become.
"Right," Phoenix cleared his throat. The race had ended in all of the heat and confusion, with both of them in the two last places. "Hey, you beat me!" He said weakly, pointing to indicate Miles' 11th place spot versus his 12th place.
"Naturally," Miles sniffed. How abhorrent, his heart was quite literally fluttering. He couldn't shake how, in that moment, he could have easily pulled Wright in by the collar and kissed him. Or, with less effort, he could have simply taken Phoenix's hand and guided them together. His heart jumped at these thoughts, reminding him of how hopeless he was for that man.
"Uh, rematch?" Phoenix asked, clearly desperate for things to go back to normal.
"Only if you are mentally prepared to lose again," Miles attempted to fall back into being smug and aloof, knowing full well it was more likely he would be the one to take defeat.
"Must you always be so cocky, like all the time?" Phoenix groaned. "Now I have to beat you because you'll be insufferable for the next few weeks if I don't."
"Every lawyer has their tactics," Edgeworth mused. "Personally, I elect to use confidence over blind assumptions and bluffs like a certain defense attorney I know."
"Mmm, you always bring that up, makes me wonder if it's something you actually admire about me..."
Miles allowed himself a small smile. "Mere conjecture with no proof, as always," he said airily.
Phoenix sighed in defeat. "Why are you always right?"
"'Right'? I thought you were Wright, I'm Edgeworth."
"Did you just make a pun?" Phoenix stared at him in disbelief, then burst out laughing. "That's amazing, oh my God."
Miles silently commended himself for making Phoenix laugh, but refused to admit to himself that that had been his initial intention.
"You wouldn't believe how many opportunities I've passed up to make that jest in court..." Miles said wistfully.
"Please make puns in court, I'm begging you," Phoenix was fumbling with something in his pocket absentmindedly. "Want to watch a movie instead? I think we've done enough racing for tonight."
"Sure," Miles checked his watch and saw that an entire hour had passed since they started playing. "You can pick the movie, since it's your house."
"But you're my guest," Phoenix argued.
"Yes, but I like your taste in media and I would like to try something new."
Phoenix turned slightly pink at this. "Okay!" he said. "I'll try to pick something at least halfway decent."
"Ah, I'm sure I will enjoy it regardless," Miles assured him.
Phoenix picked what seemed like some sort of action/superhero film that Miles had never heard of before. He refrained from asking questions as to not distract from the actual movie.
"So, what do friends normally talk about when hanging out?"
Miles almost laughed at the absurdity of Phoenix asking him this question. "I'll have to admit that you are the first friend I have hung out with in years, so I wouldn't know."
"Oh.. right, sorry," Phoenix had his hand in his pocket again, as if he were checking to see if something were there. "So, uh, how's life?"
"Life is fairly normal," Edgeworth said truthfully. "Though, I have been putting more effort into the social aspect of my life, which is different for me. What about yourself?"
Phoenix thought for a moment. "Life is good. I feel like things have gotten a lot calmer, and I enjoy that. Though, I do find myself wishing for something exciting and interesting to happen."
"Exciting and interesting how? Like a particularly complex case?"
"Er, not really, I don't think," Wright's eyes narrowed in concentration, as if he were searching for the proper phrasing. "I- I don't really know how to explain it."
Phoenix turned away, oddly. He seemed awfully flustered all of a sudden.
"I suppose I know what you mean," Miles tried to dissipate the awkwardness. "Things have been rather quiet lately, I believe some healthy excitement would do you some good."
"I guess so," Phoenix gave him a small smile that bordered on shyness. Miles fought the urge to reach out and take his hand. He decided to change the subject instead.
"How was law school for you?" He asked, knowing his question was way out of left-field. It had been something he was always curious about and now was a good time as ever to ask.
"Law school was hard as hell," Phoenix answered honestly. "Mia helped a lot though. She was a true inspiration."
"I wish I could have known her." Miles regretted how rude he had been to her. Part of him wondered how things might be different had he talked to her that day after the first case with Dahlia.
"She does kind of know you," Phoenix said. "Indirectly, I guess. She knows you from what I've told her about you when Maya channels her."
Miles raised an eyebrow. "You talk about me with your mentor?" He hadn't realized his name would be something to come up during such conversations.
"All good things, I promise!" Phoenix promised hastily.
A burst of warmth bubbled up in his throat. The idea that Phoenix spoke highly of him to his former mentor made him indescribably happy.
"Hopefully I can live up to such high praise," Miles concluded quietly.
"You already have," Phoenix chided, the phrase falling so easily off of his lips it was impossible for it to be anything but the truth.
Talking about life with his best friend was a luxury, Miles decided. He would never take these moments for granted ever again.
The conversation continued much more lightly, skipping from Edgeworth's favorite teas to Phoenix's favorite type of pen. It was so easy to talk to him.
Miles had never known this level of relaxation and bliss, and he wanted to feel it forever.
Time went on and the sun sank below the horizon. The first movie had ended and Phoenix put on a second one. It was then that Miles had noticed Phoenix seemed like he had something on his mind.
Phoenix kept glancing nervously around the room, and his mouth was moving subtly as if he was about to say something.
"Have... have you ever had a girlfriend?" Phoenix asked tentatively.
"Oh," Miles briefly wondered how he was going to answer. He would readily bet his life that his friend was not homophobic, but Miles wasn't sure if it would change their relationship or not. "I'm gay."
There wasn't really any shock on Phoenix's face, but a tiny bit of surprised leapt to his mismatched eyes. "Oh, that's cool," he said. There was a genuine smile on his face.
'Oh that's cool' was exactly how Miles had expected him to reply. 'Oh, that's cool' with the wonderful smile that was warm and welcoming all the same. He felt foolish for ever worrying. Phoenix Wright, who had trusted him and loved him through his darkest moments, would never let a simple thing like sexuality change anything.
Phoenix turned back to the TV. "I know I've only dated girls, or one girl- wait, technically it was two-" he winced and shook his head. "But I know that I'm bi."
That was something Miles had not been expecting, but the new information was quickly added to his assessment of the current situation.
"Well, I guess we've been in sort of the same boat for some time now," Miles pointed out, wondering how he had missed this crucial detail in his best friend's life. His head was spinning and he forced himself to push his own feelings aside to properly process it. He almost felt guilty at the small amount of happiness he felt in Phoenix's confession, because Phoenix being bisexual meant that he must have faced the struggles Edgeworth knew too well.
"It is reassuring to know that I haven't been alone in that regard," he finally said, trying to find a proper way to say 'I'm here for you no matter what.'
Phoenix was quiet for a long moment before finally saying, "You've never been alone."
Miles could feel the heat rising in his face once more.
This strange discussion of emotions, particularly romantic interest and the capacity for it, had an odd tension to it. Miles knew that he was holding back something, but he had a reason to do so and being reserved was in his nature. Phoenix Wright on the other hand, who often had all of his emotions out in the open, seemed to be treading with caution. His speech was quick and regulated and his expression was ever-shifting. It was almost as if...
As if he had something to hide as well.
But what? The question echoed around Miles' head.
He had a theory. It was crazy, impossible, and almost entirely false. But he had to know if there was a chance it could be true.
"Phoenix-"
At that moment, the door swung open.
"Nick...!" The shrill, singsong voice of Maya Fey pierced the conversation. Miles jumped back and almost fell off the couch.
"Oh, wonderful, my little brother wasn't lying when he said he was taking my advice," Franziska strolled in after Maya, confident and stern as ever.
Miles was surprised to see her dressed so casually. He couldn't recall the last time he had seen her wear jeans. He was pleased to see she was happy and content.
"Maya!" Phoenix gave her a quick hug as she walked nearer. "How was dinner?"
"It was wonderful," Maya sighed, her eyes dreamy as ever. She glanced over at Franziska, who flashed her a knowing smirk. Maya immediately turned red.
"It was quite enjoyable," Franziska admitted. "We went to a lovely cafe on the other side of the city."
"It was such a pretty place," Maya gushed. "They had like, this cool stained glass stuff on the ceiling and the tables had these wood and resin designs... It was amazing!"
"I knew you would like it," Franziska carefully put her arm around Maya. Her voice was much gentler when she spoke directly to her. "Now, Phoenix Wright, I heard you made pancakes?" The harshness was back in her tone as she addressed the man.
"Oh, right! Would you guys like some?" Phoenix led them to the kitchen. "I hope they live up to your standards," he gave Franziska a nervous look. "Miles told me you have a knack for baking."
Franziska seemed taken aback at his skittish manner, for she was a lot kinder when she spoke next. "I'm sure they will be satisfactory."
"They were delicious," Miles stepped in. Phoenix Wright of all people deserved to have confidence in himself and his skills in the kitchen. "Maya and I should consider ourselves lucky to be surrounded by such talented chefs."
"Yeah!" Maya piped up. "Me and Edgeworth sure won the lottery in that department. Franziska made me macarons the other day and they were the best thing I've ever eaten!"
Franziska looked as if she could have kissed Maya right then and there. She refrained from doing so, however, and Miles wondered if that was because of the present company or if they hadn't crossed that boundary yet.
"Such praise from you is invaluable, Maya," Franziska murmured, very clearly flattered.
By that time, Phoenix had finished reheating the pancakes and was getting everyone plates and utensils. Miles moved quickly to help, doing his best to ignore the times their hands and arms brushed together. Franziska and Maya waited at the table, chatting and laughing as if they had known each other for years.
The situation was so comfortably domestic, Miles was having trouble keeping his head clear. The four of them eventually sat down to eat together, and Miles was extremely pleased to see Franziska speak positively of Phoenix's food. He didn't know Maya very well at all, but they got along surprisingly well. He had high respect for her for making Franziska happy. It was refreshing to see Franziska calm and letting her guard down somewhat. She didn't show it all that much, but Miles could tell she was content.
And Phoenix... Ah, Phoenix still managed to make emotion surge through his heart with every glance and smile.
For the first time in perhaps years, Miles Edgeworth felt like he was truly at home.