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“Is there anywhere you really want to go but haven’t been there before?” Kay babbles, bounding into his office.
Miles jumps, not having anticipated the teenager hurtling into his room at this time of the morning. Besides…
“Kay, my door was locked,” he says.
Kay grins. “I know. I picked the lock!”
“Kay Faraday, what have I told you?” Miles says, suddenly realising that he sounds a lot like a father (and resisting the urge to slap himself across the face).
“I know, I know,” Kay says, and she pulls her best ‘Mr Edgeworth face’ and mimics his voice as she says, “Don’t pick locks, Kay. You could get arrested for that. You…”
Kay trails off when she begins to laugh at her own impression of Miles, hunching forwards and wrapping her arms around herself. Miles raises his eyebrows, still struggling to believe that he really ended up with this girl as his assistant, even though the whole mess where they met for the second time only happened a few months ago.
“Have you quite finished?” he says.
“Uh, yeah, I think so,” Kay says, managing to stop giggling. “Hey, you never answered my question?”
“And what question is that?” Miles says, despite having heard her clearly.
Kay must realise he is only winding her up, because she grins. “You know, I asked you if there’s ever been somewhere you’ve wanted to go to but haven’t ever been there. So, is there?”
Miles thinks, but then shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t think so. What about you?”
Kay starts to smile. “Um, maybe. Mr Edgeworth, can we go on a road trip?”
He stares at her. “Was this entire conversation an excuse to ask me to drive you somewhere?”
“Yep.”
Miles sighs. “Fine. Where do you want to go?”
And Kay grins and jumps up and down, and says, “Can we go to Stonewall?”
---
That weekend, Miles finds himself in his car with Kay Faraday sat beside him, taking them both on a road trip. Kay wants to visit the Stonewall Inn, the sight of a huge riot in 1969 that is considered to be one of the key points in the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. Miles has never been there either, but he has always thought it would be an interesting visit, and Kay seems so excited that they might as well go. But Miles had hoped they would take a plane, and not drive the whole way across America.
So even though Kay is an annoyingly chatty passenger and she insists on having the radio on, the long car journey isn’t too unbearable. At countless points, they stop to use the bathroom and get food, and Kay never seems to get tired (although, she never seems to get tired in general), and they spend several nights in crappy motels, Miles wondering how he got dragged into this.
And as he drives, Miles has to wonder why Kay, a teenage girl, wants to visit a place like this. But he doesn’t question it. She must just appreciate the history of her country.
---
Soon after their arrival, Miles and Kay realise that they made a very stupid mistake. As they stand outside the bar at 4:30pm, staring up at the pride flags fluttering above the entrance, Miles remembers something important.
“Kay, this place is a bar.”
“I know.”
“And how old do you have to be to go into bars in America?” he says.
“Um…” Kay’s eyes widen as she realises what he is implying. “Twenty one.”
“Exactly. So you can’t go in, can you?”
“Oh yeah,” Kay says, and she starts giggling.
“I think you might need to do more planning next time, Kay.”
“Says the man who also forgot that I’m too young.”
Miles raises his eyebrows and decides not to answer. “Anyway, while we are here, do you want to do anything?”
Kay shrugs. “Take some photos?”
“Fine. But don’t include me.”
But he doesn’t get his own way. After taking a load of selfies and photos of the exterior of the bar, Kay insists on grabbing Miles around the neck and taking a selfie with him. And when she promises to show it to Phoenix, Miles groans.
---
“Well, that was a disaster,” Miles says, suppressing a yawn. He has been driving for hours, and they have barely made a dent in their long journey home. He’s lucky he had no court cases scheduled this week, because he would surely get in a lot of trouble. “You are a bad influence on me, Kay Faraday.”
Kay giggles, but her laugh is weak. She leans her head against the window, staring out into the dark.
“Are you all right?”
Kay shrugs her shoulders. “Um, yeah, I think so. Sorry that didn’t work out.”
“Are you sure there isn’t anything on your mind? Kay, you’ve dragged me across the country on a road trip. I think you can talk to me.”
“Thanks. It’s just… I was thinking about all the flags we saw outside the bar. And… Mr Edgeworth, are you queer?”
Miles blinks, slightly puzzled by the question. “Kay, I’ve been dating Phoenix Wright for years. I’m definitely queer.”
Kay smiles. “Sorry. I meant, what labels do you use?”
“Oh, I see. Well, I’m asexual and demiromantic, so I only developed romantic feelings towards Wright after we formed a deep connection, and romantic feelings are all I have ever felt. Why do you ask?”
“Um… I was just… can I tell you something?”
“Of course you can.”
“The thing is… Mr Edgeworth, I’m trans. I came out to my dad and Uncle Badd when I was six and they’re the only ones who know. I’m a trans girl. Is… is that okay?”
“Kay, of course it is. If I put up with your hyperactivity and minor crimes, I think you coming out as transgender is nothing. But thank you for telling me. I know how scary coming out can feel.”
Kay smiles weakly, and reaches out to cover Miles’ hand as he holds the steering wheel.
“Thanks, Mr Edgeworth. That means a lot to me.”
And Miles smiles too, glad that something has come out of their redundant road trip.