Chapter Text
Phoenix Wright was not an organized man. He didn’t need to lay on the floor, wrapped in a blanket of unsorted, unsigned paperwork to make this apparent, however that was exactly the situation he found himself in. He lay there, unperturbed and uninterested in his surroundings until the entrance of a woman in her late teens. She was garbed in robes of purple and a pale pink, her hair tied in a loose knot on the top. The scene before her put a sly smile on her face. “Oh Nick,” she leant forward and spoke to him in a mocking tone. “How will you ever survive without your wonderful assistant?”
“Wh…” Phoenix yawned and rubbed his eyes. “Maya… What are you doing here? Isn’t it like midnight?”
“Phoenix! Did you seriously fall asleep? And you forgot we were going out for hamburgers?”
His current yawn was interrupted by the sudden flourish of realization that went through him, he moved his paper-prison and got up as quickly as he could muster, that is to say not very quickly in this sleepy state.
“O-of course not!” Phoenix exclaimed, despite the apparent nature of how he totally did and was fooling no one. “I was just waiting for you, sorting through papers when I tripped and…”
“Fell asleep on the floor.”
“No! I was just… motivating myself to clean it up.”
Maya reacted to Phoenix’s chagrin with a grin of her own. “Sure thing, Nick. I’m sure you know that burgers are on you, right?”
Of course they were. The burgers were always on him. Phoenix pretended to get mad but in reality he didn’t mind that much. Hell, even if he didn’t normally pay, this was an occasion in which he’d insist on doing so.
It was three in the morning, later than either of the two would normally be awake, but not quite late enough for their usual burger joint to close. The moonlight threatened to swallow Los Angeles, but was held back by the streetlights. After a brief walk they found themselves in front of a familiar neon sign reading “LATE-NITE BURGS”, Maya led Phoenix inside. It was busy, as it normally was, but still they were able to grab their usual spot, a two person table at the back of the dining area, awkwardly packed into a corner. Granted it was less their usual spot out of nostalgia and more out of necessity, but I digress. They sat to chat as they waited for their orders to be completed.
“So Nick…” Maya prompted. “Are you gonna miss me?”
Phoenix sighed. “Of course I’m going to miss you. Listen… Promise you’ll come visit?”
Maya smiled. “Only if you come visit me in Kurain Village.”
“Well… it’s a deal then! It’ll… it’ll be lonely without you around, Maya.”
A look of mischief took over Maya’s face. “Well Nick, as my final gift to you as your assistant I’ve made sure that won’t be a problem!”
Phoenix was worried something like this would happen, this was the kind of parting gift you couldn’t exactly pawn off when they’re not looking either.
“I’ve made a few calls…” Maya began. “And let’s just say your friends will take good care of you.”
“Friends? What, I have friends now? Oh no, you’re not talking about-”
“I’m not an idiot, Nick. I didn’t call Larry, I’m aware you can’t stand him. As for who I DID call…” Phoenix awaited the answer with baited breath. “One, Maggey Byrde…”
Maggey? Um, he never really talked to her but she’s…. Fine? “Two, Dick Gumshoe…” Yeah, Gumshoe’s cool. Well, cool’s probably the wrong word but he is actually a friend.
“And finally, the one you’ve been waiting for… Miles Edgeworth!” Phoenix’s jaw unhinged itself as if to let out a scream, but only a heavy gust of air evacuated his lungs.
A blonde woman in a head bandana brought over their food, was she new here or something? She mentioned something about mouth-watering hamburgers, but Phoenix hardly noticed, too transfixed by the thought of spending time with Miles Edgeworth.
“You can thank me later.” Maya mumbled, mouth already filled with meat.
“M-M-Maya!” Phoenix struggled to get the words out, the side-effect of forcing them was that they were in a tone much louder than he would have normally liked, attracting the attention of everyone else in the restaurant. “Maya!” Phoenix repeated, a whisper this time. “I haven’t been around Edgeworth outside the courtroom or a crime-scene in… Forever! Why do you think this is a good idea??”
“C’mon Nick.” Maya swallowed the food in her mouth, gesturing towards Phoenix’s burger that he had been neglecting, he promptly began eating. “You know this is a good idea. You two not hanging out normally is all the more reason! You get along well, MUCH better than a couple years ago anyway, just… go for a cup of coffee-” Maya halted herself, leaving some silence for the recently departed. “-uh, go for a cup of tea! Go for a walk together! Just give yourselves time to actually become friends, not just in name.”
Phoenix sighed. “Agh… Maya I think I hate you when you’re right.”
“And I love you when you finally give up!”
The two shifted their focus to the burgers, but kept the conversation going in spite of that. They reminisced on old times, the good ones, the bad ones, the struggles and prosperity. They talked about Mia. Phoenix wasn’t sure if Maya understood how much this meal meant to him. He cared about her, he was closer to her than he was with… anyone, really. Tomorrow he would see her off at the train station, give one final hug for the time being, and return to his office and try to get used to the newfound emptiness, but that wasn’t what he wanted to think about in that moment. He forced those thoughts away, even if just for these alright burgers, so he could really be there, in that night with his friend.