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Miles blinks as something wet hits the center of his head. He blinks again before looking up at the snow covering the tree he’s sitting under has been clearly shaken, considering the state he saw it in before he sat beneath it. He sighs, running a hand through his hair, shaking out snow. The small curl at the back of his head springs back up as soon as he’s done; remaining an ever-present cowlick.
These are the facts. It is January 10th. 2002. His father has been momentarily displaced from his goal of getting Miles’ best friend Phoenix Ryuuichi Wright out of the clutches of a prosecutor named Manfred Von Karma. The reason his father has been momentarily been displaced is due to a woman named Misty Fey. She was involved in the trial that took place concerning Phoenix’s mother’s death. She is seeking legal aid.
Unfortunately Miles does not know exactly what type of aid she’s seeking. And. It’s frustrating. Usually his father is very open about things with him. Yet ever since Tori Elpis Wright was killed, things have been...tense.
So now. He sits below a snow-covered tree, in a garden, in the small town of Kurain. This is absolutely atrocious, it wasn’t that long ago we were watching Signal Samurai...and you were helping me fold paper cranes. And now...you’re gone. He thumbs the keychain in his pocket. He’s memorized the feel of it.
My hands are cold. “I should’ve brought gloves.” He says aloud to the garden. He rubs his hands together, bringing them up to his mouth and blowing warm air onto them.
I wonder what you’re doing right now. I wish that you were here. That prosecutor is possibly the scariest person I’ve ever seen. The most...the most creepy, chilling, eerie prosecutor ever. He sniffs. He’s cold. He wishes he’d brought one of his lawbooks or dictionaries.
A sudden crack sends him shooting from his sitting spot. “Hello???” Miles sees no one. “Is anyone...here?” He looks around, but he can’t seem to see- a tap to his shoulder makes him jump again.
Behind him is a girl that can only be a few years older than him. She’s wearing what he can only presume is the appropriate training outfit of a spirit medium. Or something.
“H-Hello.” He says, actually thankful that the cold has already flushed his cheeks instead of from embarrassment.
“Hello.” She replies, a curious tone in her voice. She tilts her head, brown hair dripping down her shoulder, and offers him something from her hand. “I heard you needed gloves.”
He stares at her. Then at the aforementioned gloves. She isn’t wearing gloves, either and yet.
“Thank you.” He says, relief flooding into his voice as he gingerly takes the gloves. “I...am very fortunate that you overheard me.”
She nods, a smile spreading across her face. Miles puts on the gloves quickly, and then offer his hand.
“I am Miles Edgeworth,” he says in his most cordial tone, “Again, I thank you.”
She laughs and meets his hand with her own.
“I’m Mia Fey. Nice to meet you.”
“Fey? As in…?”
“Ah,” she looks as if she’s been through this conversation many times, “My mother is Mystic Misty, and I’m guessing your dad’s the lawyer?”
“Yes.” He nods seriously, “And I’m studying to one day be one as well.” Mia laughs again, but it’s not one of scorn, like some of the kids at school.
“How old are you?” She asks, her brown eyes scanning his face, “I’m thirteen.”
“Nine.” He says. There is something about Mia Fey that reminds him of Phoenix. Of his best friend. It must be the eyes. Phoenix’s brown eye has that same look in it all the time. The thought of his best friend makes him deflate a little, his normal good posture slouching.
Mia notices. “Hey, since the adults are talking, do you wanna play pirates?”
Miles scoffs, “Pirates? I didn’t know thirteen-year-olds played such...childish games.”
She smiles widely. Her teeth seem a bit cramped in her mouth, her two front teeth slightly overlapping. “Yeah, well I don’t know many nine-year-olds who are studying to be lawyers.”
“Besides,” she continues, “There’s not much to do here. Unless you wanna break an urn or two. ” Mia grabs his hand dragging him through the garden, picking up to running speed.
“Excuse me, what was that last part??” he shouts as they rush through the garden.
“Excuse me, sir ! I’m Captain Mia, and you will refer to me as such, First Officer Miles!”
Miles yelps a bit as he almost trips over a bridge going over a pond. “Of course, Captain. ”
Miles taps his pencil on his desk. It’s a brilliant mahogany, dark in color. A long sigh escapes him. He’s officially decided that law is...well it’s hard. His brain hurts. His mind has been wandering lately, thinking of other careers. It’s stupid. He has to... has to ...well he just needs to be a lawyer.
These are the facts. It is October 11th. 2007. Phoenix is turning fourteen today. Phoenix is still with that disgusting prosecutor. His father has put his best friend on the backburner. Miles feels a bit betrayed at this.
He sits back, pushing the law book away from him. He glances up at the Signal Samurai posters above his desk. “What are you doing today, Signal Blue?” He asks the memory of his friend.
Has he cut his hair? Finally figured out how to get rid of those spikes? Does he still draw? Still in love with musicals? Has he gotten over his mother’s death? Does he even remember Miles?
A knock startles him. “Come in.” He says, presuming it to be his father. He is wrong.
“Why, Captain , what are you doing here?” His old friend and penpal, Mia Fey has just walked into his room. She’s seventeen now. And it shows. She must be quite pretty too. Yet Miles has never felt any pull toward her appearance. In fact he never has towards any girl. The simple reminder of this...this anomaly makes his pointer finger tap the arm of his chair nervously. I’m perfectly normal. I’m just...
“Hey Miles.” She says with a smile. He can see that she’s exhausted. She has been since...since forever it seems. Since Misty left.
Mia’s wearing ‘civilian’ clothes, a purple t-shirt and brown slacks. “I’m...I’m working with your dad on getting emancipated.”
He starts. “I thought you said you were going to wait it out.” He gestures to his bed. It has blue bedsheets with quotes from Sherlock Holmes written on it.
“I thought I could.” She says sitting down. Miles frowns. He doesn’t like the tone of voice she’s using. It’s somber, and he knows for a fact it has to do with something from her family.
“Is it her?” He is of course referring to the infamous Morgan Fey. The woman was almost as bad as Von Karma. Granted, he hadn’t seen her much, and heard her only a few times through Kurain’s only telephone. Still, he’s heard enough from Mia to know that Morgan is...cold. Uncaring. Creepy.
“Who else would it be?” Mia says, letting the frustration show in her voice, shrugging her arms. “That woman’s...she’s...ugh.” Mia picks up an idle chess piece from Miles’ bedside table. I need to stop putting those things around everywhere.
“What about your sister?” He asks. He’s never actually met Mia’s sister. Maya Fey is a mystery to him. Everything he knows about her is second-hand information. One day I’ll meet her.
Mia freezes. “I-I…” she sighs, “I’m- uh, I’m not quite sure to be honest. She’s gonna be the next Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique. I guess. Since I’m...it’s...it’s one of those things I’m gonna figure out along the way, you know?” She fidgets with the chess piece, before setting it down, instead reaching for her magatama. It’s ever-shifting surface of purple and white glinting in the low lighting of the room.
“Anyway. What about you?” Mia asks, carefully steering the conversation away from herself.
“Me?” He echoes, “What about me?”
“Well. You’re obviously still studying law.” She gestures to his desk, numerous law books.
“Of course.” He says flatly. Just. Like I always have.
She raises an eyebrow. He hates that she always notices when he’s not at 100% “You okay?”
He opens his mouth a fraction, then closes it. A sudden thought occurs to him, and he furrows his brows. “Where are you going to live?” It’s a genuine question rather than a misdirection.
Mia doesn’t answer right away. She thinks it's misdirection. He can see it in her eyes.
“Well...your dad and I have been talking…”
“You’re going to live with us!?” He exclaims, standing up. He can’t help a grin that spreads across his face. Miles values the few friends he has. He’s always had trouble making friends. It’s always seemed like his personality repelled rather than attracted them.
Mia’s melodic laugh is what he gets in response. A light sound compared to her deeper voice. “Yeah. Your dad thinks he can help with me with studying the law as well.”
Miles bounces on his toes. He feels an excitement he hadn't felt in quite some time. Not since the last Signal Samurai movie came out.
“This is great news! I mean, granted the circumstances are less than ideal, but-” he stops his sentence. He realizes that he wants to tell Mia something he hasn’t ever told anyone.
“Mia. Can I tell you something?” His tone has quickly turned serious. Mia nods a clear question in her eyes at the sudden change in topic.
“I’m,” he takes a deep breath, You can do this Miles, it’s not like you haven’t practiced this in your head a zillion times, “I’m gay.”
He’s said it quickly, and edge of panic in his voice. For a moment, Mia stares at him, and Miles feels like he’s made a grave mistake.
“I’m pan.” she says finally.
His heart lifts. Not only does Mia accept him. Mia is like him . “I-I-well. I guess I-” He’s blushing wildly now. “I actually don’t know how to respond to that.
“I do. Can I give you a hug?” Miles is delighted by the fact she thinks to ask. Not like she would ever need permission. He doesn't give her a verbal answer but just the hug.
Miles tugs on his ponytail. His hair is long, and he only has one bang parted to the right side of his face, the other bang that he used to have only remains in a singular short strand that pops up. He doesn't feel like himself. He looks at himself. He’s wearing a sweater over an oxford shirt. The sweater is a sky blue, with a pawprint that’s an even lighter blue right in the center.
Dahlia knitted him this sweater.
These are the facts. It is April 11th, 2014. He’s just been declared Not Guilty at a murder trial. He was accused of killing Doug Swallow. His boyfriend. In truth, he had actually been killed by Dahlia Hawthorne. His best friend. He had been defended by his old friend Mia Fey, due to the fact that his father was traveling and Raymond Shields was already working on a case.
His hands tightened their grip on the courtroom couch he was sitting on. He closed his eyes. He only cried once today, mourning the loss of Doug and his friendship of Dahlia. Yet now he felt like crying from now until the end of the world. That aside the only emotion he had really felt all day was embarrassment, his face constantly aflame perceiving that he had said something or did something wrong.
He squeezed his eyes tight shut as he felt someone sit next to him. “It’s only me, Miles,” Mia said quietly.
“I-I know.” He said, his voice cracking with a half-laugh, that sounded more like a cry. He opened his eyes and looked at Mia, hesitation filling his entire body. “I know it’s you.” Her collar was popped up, and her magatama was now attached to a yellow choker.
They were silent for a moment. Miles’ hands were shaking. “Hey,” she said, “we’re matching.” She had a tone of...teasing in her voice? It’s been so long, I can’t- She was pointing at Miles’ ponytail.
“Oh…!” He exhaled, looking from it, to Mia. She too had her hair in a ponytail. She’d also gotten a haircut different from what she used to have, considering her bangs.
“I like your bangs.” he said dumbly. Mia smiled, soft, and reached out her hand to Miles’, and gave it a squeeze.
“How are you doing?” she asked.
He felt his face heat up from his nervousness. “Well. You know. Not great.” She nodded in response.
“I’m sorry for being snappy today. I know my frustration wasn’t helping either of us. At least. Not much.”
Miles let out a shaky sigh, “Are you sure? I purposely tried to continue framing myself for murder. I shattered that necklace and ran it through the sink in the bathroom? I said I didn’t even know my boyfriend, the victim? I was literally the best example of someone trying to obstruct justice as you could find.”
“And doing it pretty badly for someone who’s been studying law since they were nine.” She agreed. Miles froze, eyes wide at the statement.
He actually hadn’t gone to college for law. Despite everything. The only reason he had met Dahlia, and eventually Doug was because he had gone to the court library. And the only reason he had done that was because he had seen that picture of The Manic Prosecutor in the newspaper . Phoenix Wright.
“Yeah well. I guess that’s what you get for going to college to be an event planner.” His voice was full of shame.
Mia hummed in acknowledgment. They sat there in silence for a moment.
“Why an event planner?” She finally asked, interest in her voice.
Miles’ gray eyes met her brown eyes trying to read into the question. Is she asking why I chose it? Or why I didn’t choose law? “You know me, Mia. I like planning things. Granted events can involve people...and you know how I am with people...eh. But I thought it would be good. But I guess know I’ve done a full 360 and gone back to law.”
He thought about Dollie. He thought about Doug. How odd was it, to meet her in the courtroom library, to have her profess love for him? For him only to let her down by letting her know he was gay? Then for her to insist they still be friends, and eventually introducing him Doug?
“Miles.” She said, bring his mind back to the conversation, tone firm, “About everything. Us? I never wanted us to lose contact. I value everything your family has done for me.” She paused, then reemphasized, “I value our friendship. ”
Miles Edgeworth studies the way the fabric of his pants wrinkled at his knees. The beige tone of the khaki matches the floor of Lobby No. 3.
“Just because...things happened to me in college...I shouldn't have cut contact off from you guys entirely.” Her eyebrows are drawn close together.
“I...it’s...okay. I think.” His face hurts from how often he’d blushed today. “We can...we can make this better.”
“Is it too much?” Edgeworth asks, gesturing to himself. Mia quirks her eyebrow at the question at the new attorney standing in by his new desk.
“It’s very...uh,” Miles quirks an eyebrow daring her to say it, “Wine red?” He runs a hand through his newly cut hair. Pink. The word you’re looking for. Is pink. Sometimes. Sometimes it’s red.
“And quite a charming red wine as well?” Miles asks a hint of teasing in his voice, as he turns to the box on his desk. Now to decide where to put my ‘Steel Samurai’ bobblehead.
“You know. I actually went against your friend in court once.” Mia says as they’re doing paperwork from their latest trial. Miles is itching to actually be the lead attorney since it seems he’s been co-counsel since...well since whenever his dad let him start co-counseling with him.
“Really?” His head pops up from his work.
“Yes. He was quite eccentric. Called me an ear banger. Whatever that means.”
Miles quirks an eyebrow. “I believe it means that it’s an insult for someone who wants to please their superiors. A bit too much.” He taps his pen on his pointer finger.
Mia snorts. “It could’ve been worse. He could have called me a novice bimbo, or something.” She laughs a little to herself before settling back into the paperwork.
Miles watches her for a little bit after. For some reason that the last comment really makes him uncomfortable.
They’re sitting on the couches opposing each other eating boxes of takeout when Mia asks a question Miles had actually thought she’d ask day one. “Why didn’t you go to work for your father’s law office?”
He stops in the middle of bringing his chopsticks up to his mouth. He slowly lowers them back into the box. “He’s been traveling. Studying law.” Looking for your mother, “ And Raymond...he’s...a bit much for me sometimes.” The fact that he always insists on me calling him Uncle when we’re not related is always weird. He finally brings the chopsticks back up to his mouth.
Mia watches him, a careful look in her eyes. He feels the need to ask a very similar question. “One could question why you didn’t go work for my father.”
They’re quiet for a moment as they both eat. “I had a girlfriend in college,” she says slowly, “She-I- We had a bad breakup. I think it broke me a little. I’m not sure I think that I thought that going to your father, and you would’ve made it worse. For some reason. So I went to work for Grossberg. And at least there was Di-” She cuts herself off, stabbing at her takeout.
“Hm.” Is all Miles can manage to reply, biting the inside of his cheek.
“You ready for your first case?” Mia asks, an eyebrow quirked in challenge. He looks up from his desk, releasing the Steel Samurai bobblehead from his finger’s hold. It’s head bounces rather angrily.
“My first what?! ” He smiles one of his rare full smiles, rather than one of the small ones, “You’re not playing a prank of some sort on me, are you?”
Mia tilts her head and crosses her arms. Miles blinks. “You’re not joking then?” He asks in a very serious voice.
She snorts, “Of course not.”
Miles’ eyes light up. In all of his life, he’s only ever studied law, and been an assistant. He’s never led a trial before. The possibility lights a certain spark in his chest that he hasn’t felt for quite some time. So long he can’t even remember when the last time it happened.
“I’m ready then, Captain.” He says, smile going back to his usual small, almost smirk like one. “So...who’s ou- my client?”
She brightens visibly at the use of ‘my’ but almost as quickly turns to unhidden amusement. “Oh. Just a mutual friend of ours~”
“ Oh no .”
Miles feels shaken. This isn’t right. This isn’t right. This isn’t right. His hands are shaking. He wants to cry, but his eyes refuse to water. He stares directly at the wall of his living room.
These are the facts. There are no facts. This isn’t real. This can’t. Can’t. Be. Real.
Its. September 6th. Probably. 2016? That sounds right. Nothing is right. And Wright-
Mia Fey is dead.
And all he has is a fucking hole in his heart, a stupid wiretap. And her sister- Her sister…
Maya. This isn’t how he should’ve met her. Mia should’ve introduced them. They had even talked about it. It was long overdue. So why didn’t we…?
She calls him ‘Mr. Edgeworth’. It’s wrong. It’s so wrong. And every time he looks at her he can only see Mia’s dead body.
Miles blinks. He blinks again. “Excuse me, what did you just call me?” His voice is hoarse from the past few days.
“Smiles. I called you Smiles. I know your friend calls you Edgy. But I didn’t like it, but. I do like it when you smile, Smiles! Er...you don’t mind do you?” Maya Fey smiles nervously as they stand in Fey & Co. Offices. Or...formerly? I’ll. Figure it out later.
“I...I don’t mind.” He smiles, strained, but still a smile. For a moment he thinks he sees the specter of Mia standing right beside them.
These are the facts. It’s September 9th, 2016. And...things are a little bit not real. His best friend is dead. He now owns her law office. Her sister is now his assistant. He met his old best friend in court again. And he kinda has a crush on him again. But.
Everything’s going to turn out fine,