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“Psst. Daddy.”
“Mmngh.”
“Daddy, get up!”
Phoenix pulled the throw-pillow over his head as he sunk deeper into the couch, refuting his daughter’s request. “...No…”
“Wright, get up,” a much more masculine voice demanded.
“Nng-” Forcing the pillow off his face, Phoenix cracked an eye open. Trucy stared down at him, pouting. Behind her, there was Edgeworth, looking over the defense attorney with a slightly disapproving glance. “What?”
“Come on Daddy! If you don’t get up in time, we’re going to miss the show!”
“Mmngh. I’m too tired. Go on without me,” Phoenix said, pulling the pillow over his face again.
“Daddy!” There was a brief moment of silence, then the painful sensation of something slamming into Phoenix’s gut. He squawked, lurching into a sitting position. “That’s what you get!” Trucy said.
‘You didn’t have to hit me!’
“If you’re quite done fooling around, Wright,” Edgeworth said, grabbing his coat off the chair, “We really should be going, lest we be late.”
“All right, all right,” Phoenix grumbled. He swung his feet off the side of the couch, and rubbed his face, as if trying to wipe away his exhaustion. “Trucy, get your coat.”
“Already got it, Daddy.”
“You’re the only one holding us up, Wright.”
Phoenix groaned. ‘Everyone’s against me… It’s not my fault both of you have a supernatural resistance to jet lag!’
Edgeworth spread the blanket out over the thick rock wall level to the ground, which served to separate land from lake. Once the blanket was settled, Trucy plopped down right at the edge, dangling her feet over the water. Edgeworth and Phoenix sat further back, closer to the grass.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve done something like this,” Phoenix murmured.
“Indeed,” Edgeworth said. “I don’t think I’ve invited you abroad since you got your badge back.”
“Mm. Glad to know you want to spend time with me, even when I’m not totally pathetic.”
“Phoenix…” Edgeworth warned. Phoenix smiled, taking Edgeworth’s hand and kissing the back of it.
“Just kidding,” he said. “I know you can’t get enough of me.” Edgeworth rolled his eyes, and Phoenix chuckled. “But seriously, I am thankful. It’s nice, being able to spend time with you like this.”
“Shush!” Trucy said. “Stop flirting Daddy, the show’s about to begin.”
Phoenix laughed at that, and Trucy had to shush him again. Indeed, the music was starting up. Trucy fidgeted excitedly. Then, suddenly, a streak of fire shot up into the sky, exploding in a burst of bright color. The spectators ooh’d and aww’d around them, as more and more fireworks were sent up into the air.
Phoenix took the opportunity to lean against Miles. It wasn’t freezing, but there was a chill to the evening air, and Phoenix had never been opposed to the idea of sapping someone else’s body heat. He felt Miles’s weight settle back against his own, as the two leaned against each other, shoulder to shoulder, staring up at the lights above. At some of the louder ones- the ones that shook through your whole body- Phoenix could feel Miles tense up a bit. He put his hand over Edgeworth’s, in order to comfort him, and he felt him instantly relax. Sneaking a peek at Edgeworth’s face, he found the man staring back at him. The lights from the fireworks were reflected in his glasses.
“You’re missing the fireworks,” Phoenix chided.
“So are you.”
“Mmm. Am I, though?” Phoenix said, right before leaning to steal a quick kiss on the lips from his boyfriend.
“Whoa, did you see that?” Trucy exclaimed. She clamored back towards Phoenix and Edgeworth, plopping herself right in the middle between them. “That one was in the shape of a star! I could definitely use something like that in one of my acts!”
“Trucy, I thought we agreed- no guns or gunpowder,” Phoenix said.
“Aw come on, it’s just fireworks! I promise I’ll be careful!”
“No, absolutely not. If you can get some show producer to buy them for you and set them off from a safe distance outdoors, that’s fine, but you’re not allowed to do some sort of trick with them on stage. That’s too dangerous.”
Trucy looked like she wanted to argue the point, but thankfully, she decided to turn back to the fireworks. Phoenix wrapped his arm around her, and leaned against Miles again. A comfortable silence settled upon them, broken only by the cracking and booming of fireworks. It was perfect.
“Trucy, sweetie, we’re back.”
From the rear-view mirror, Edgeworth could see that Trucy wasn't budging, despite Phoenix reaching back and nudging her.
“Muh.”
“Now, what was all that about not being jet lagged?”
Trucy groaned, obviously out of it. Phoenix chuckled, unbuckling his seatbelt and stepping out of the car, stepping around to open Trucy’s door for her. Edgeworth followed suit, meeting the Wrights on the opposite side of the car.
“Okay, up we go,” Phoenix said, picking up Trucy. “Nngh! This was a lot easier back when you were eight!”
“Having some trouble?” Edgeworth teased.
“Only a little,” Phoenix said. With some maneuvering, he eventually coaxed Trucy into piggy-backing him instead. Her signature top hat drooped a bit, and Edgeworth caught it before it could fall.
“Mind getting the door?” Phoenix asked. In response, Edgeworth shut the car door, locking it by pressing a button on his keys. “Thanks.”
Edgeworth led the way back to the hotel suite, mostly so that he could open doors for Phoenix. When they finally got back, Phoenix tucked Trucy into bed, while Edgeworth put the top hat on top of her dresser.
“I can't believe she actually passed out like that,” Phoenix said, quietly enough that it wouldn't rouse Trucy.
“To be fair, it has been a very full day.”
“Yeah, you're telling me,” Phoenix said. “Still, she had a lot of fun. She's been acting like an excited little kid all day.”
Miles smiled warmly as Phoenix got up, placing a kiss on his daughter’s forehead. “Perhaps traveling abroad has stirred up some childhood memories.”
“Mm. Maybe.” Phoenix walked over and hooked his arms around Miles’s waist, pulling him in for a kiss. As much as Miles hated to admit it, things like that still gave him a warm, fuzzy feeling, even after all this time. They let go, and as they left, Miles hit the switch for the light, closing the bedroom door.
Their daughter asleep (it was okay to think of Trucy as his own daughter now, wasn't it?), Miles and Phoenix made their way to the couch. They didn't turn on the television, but instead huddled close as Miles threw a blanket over the two of them. Even though he was used to traveling, it truly had been a long day, and Miles was happy to take the time to unwind.
When they had first begun dating, it had been like fireworks. Every touch had been explosive, every experience, new and loud and exciting. He smiled. They had long moved past that now. Now, their feelings were less like fireworks shooting across the sky, and more like a fire, crackling in the fireplace. It was heated, but gentle. It was something that belonged in a home, to keep you warm at night. It was love- real love. The kind of love that could burn forever, with the right amount of care. Forever and ever…
Miles felt Phoenix’s head fall onto his shoulder, and he smiled. “Phoenix,” he said. “Thank you for coming here with me.” Miles took one of Phoenix’s hands out from under the blankets, and kissed it. “I love you. I'm sure that goes without saying at this point, but it's true. I love you- more than I used to think it was possible to love another human being.” He rubbed his thumb against the back of Phoenix’s hand. “As a result, there is something I would like to ask you.”
He turned to face Phoenix, in order to gauge his reaction, only to find the defense attorney fast asleep. He blinked in surprise, before shaking is his head with a smile. Well, Phoenix had been complaining earlier about how tired he was. All things considered, it was a surprise he hadn't passed out on the car ride back.
“You,” Miles said, planting a kiss on his boyfriend’s forehead, “are an absolutely ridiculous person.”
Once again, all of his carefully laid plans had been undermined by the mighty Phoenix Wright. Not that Miles was particularly bothered, or had failed to plan ahead for exactly this kind of thing. He sighed, settling back against the couch, letting himself believe that he wouldn't regret falling asleep here instead of the extremely comfortable bed they had just a few yards away. No, Miles thought to himself as sleep began to take him, he wasn't much bothered at all. As long as that ring in his pocket made it onto Phoenix’s finger some point this week, he would be a very happy man indeed.