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Miles breathed a sigh, bringing his mug away from the cooler spout and to his lips, sipping to quench his thirst. The majority of his morning had been spent on call after call, appeasing clients, negotiating with suppliers, and damn it, where is that human resources manager? Closing his eyes, he let the cool liquid clear his head as it trickled down his throat.
“Hey, Edgey!”
At the greeting, Miles glanced to meet Larry Butz’ eyes as the man sauntered easily over to the water dispenser. Miles had thought that the morning couldn’t possibly get any worse.
The clatter of the coffee mug as it was placed on the nearby countertop gave away his annoyance despite his pleasant “Hello, Larry.” Of course, Larry wouldn’t have noticed even if he had shown his irritation. The man was so dense that Miles could probably stare daggers straight into him, eye to eye, and he would take it as a friendly gesture.
“Soo,” Larry propped one elbow up on the cooler, propping his other hand against his hip in a laidback manner, taking no heed of Miles’ personal space. “Are you going to the company christmas party tonight? I heard that girl from PR who has the hots for you will be there.”
“Christmas party?”
“Yeah. The one you never RSVP’d to. I should know- I’m the organizer!”
The company christmas party. How could he forget? He had glanced over the email a week prior, grimacing at the garish bright red and green text, animated fairy lights, and suggestively dancing santa claus that had adorned the message, but never thought to reply, assuming it was some spam message that had made its way through the company’s network security. Apparently, it had been no mistake, and Miles forced the beginnings of an embarrassed frown to loosen into a vaguely intrigued expression.
“Tonight? Yes, I’ll be there. I apologize for not responding sooner.” While he didn’t care for such get-togethers, they were always good for building rapport.
“Great!” Larry grinned toothily, eyes crinkling. “So, about the dress code…” He paused, looking at some indeterminate point above his head, pondering. “Edgey, you’re gonna love this one. It’s fancy dress!”
“Fancy dress?”
“Yeah, you know. Tuxes and shoes and bowties.” Larry winked. “Right up your alley.”
“Hm.” As much as it did seem unorthodox for a company party, Miles supposed that it would be no hassle to simply dress up. After all, he kept his lesser used clothing in excellent repair, and though Larry had gotten it wrong- the term was formal dress, not fancy dress- he would much rather wear a tuxedo than some gaudy festive sweater.
“Thank you for the reminder, Larry. I’ll be there at- what was it, seven?” Miles picked up his mug, giving it a final refill before turning to leave. “See you then.”
“No problem, man!”
When Miles walked into the party venue fully clad in black-tie attire, he quickly realized something was terribly wrong.
There wasn’t a tuxedo in sight. Rather, the room was a sea of tacky red and green, a horrific mixture of misguided elf costumes, reindeer bodysuits, christmas tree costumes and various representations of Santa, and Miles felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach.
No. Oh, no.
He turned to leave, cursing Larry Butz under his breath and flushing with angered embarrassment, but it was too late.
“Edgey! Hey!” Larry ran up to him, maneuvering awkwardly around the bulging faux pot-belly of his costume. Even through the thick white beard that masked his features, it was clear to see he was on the verge of laughter, tears forming at the edges of his eyes. “Glad you could- pff- make it!”
More people were turning his way now, gathering around Larry as they noticed the commotion.
"Larry, you told me it would be formal dress." Miles hissed, eyes focused indignant and steely on the other man's stupidly smiling face. "This is not formal dress."
"Really? I thought I said it'd be fancy dress." Larry scratched the back of his head, bewildered, eyebrows raised. "I mean, we're all in fancy dress. Well, except you. What's with the tux anyways? You look like you're going to a wedding!"
"You informed me, Mr. Butz, that this 'fancy dress' party abided by a dress code of tuxedos and bowties."
"Really? I don't know. I don't think I'd make THAT big of a mistake..."
The chuckles from the crowd grew, to Miles' mortification, and he gripped his fists tight to his sides.
"Oh, I know! We'll just come up with a costume for you!" Larry exclaimed, perking up significantly from his confusion and turning to face their coworkers. "Okay guys, what's he dressed as?"
"A butler!"
"A millionaire!
"No, wait, a penguin!"
At the last suggestion, the crowd burst out in unanimous laughter.
"All he needs is a beak!"
"What-" Miles' protest was cut off, a party hat slipped clumsily over his head, nose, and mouth as already half-drunk partygoers clambered around him. Surrounded on all sides, it was the best he could do to freeze in position, willing the chagrin to pass.
He stayed until the interests of the group strayed elsewhere, the novelty of having dubbed him a "penguin" wearing off. Nothing could repair his mood now. He would never live this party down, and to see these people the next morning- Miles grimaced, pulling the conic hat angrily off his head- would be aggravating, if not just distressing.
The music was loud, the food cheap, and the atmosphere stifling; it was exactly the type of party he hated most. Who had put Larry in charge of organizing this party anyway? Sighing heavily, he settled into the hard-backed seats pushed to the side wall of the room, having already visited the buffet table for a well deserved glass of wine. It wasn’t any quieter, but at least he had some breathing space.
Sipping at the pungent dark alcohol, he wrinkled his nose at the taste and quickly lowered the glass from his lips. Would it hurt to get some decent drinks for once? Miles hunched his back, placing his glass aside before closing his eyes and rubbing his temples with both hands. He was just about done with the night. Nothing sounded better than to leave this infernal party and just slump into his armchair at home with a cup of tea-
“Um, hi.”
The voice startled Miles out of his troubled thoughts, and Miles looked up to see Phoenix Wright standing sheepishly in front of him. They had worked together before, and were in the same department- his expression softened. Phoenix was dressed relatively simply for such an event in felt reindeer antlers and a sweater decorated with a tasteful holiday string light pattern, a change from the blue suit he usually wore. A paper plate of sandwiches in one hand and a can of soda in the other, he motioned to the seat beside Miles.
“Can I sit here?”
Miles blinked, still tired from earlier that evening. “By all means,” he answered, shifting to his right slightly to allow the other man space for a seat.
“Hey, sorry that stuff happened to you earlier tonight.” Phoenix started, easing into the chair and putting the plate of food on his lap. “Larry’s a real scatterbrain a lot of the time- I don’t think he gave you the wrong information on purpose.”
“Yes, well… The damage has been done; you needn’t apologize on his behalf. It wasn’t any fault of yours.” Miles coughed, sipping the wine again to wet his throat. “I should have known that a company party would never be black tie.”
They laughed casually for a while, falling silent when their conversation came short. Miles was content to just watch the party pass by, the buzz of the party becoming mere background noise and tiredness dulling his senses.
It was Phoenix who broke the silence.
“You know, you look good in a tux.”
The sudden praise caught Miles by surprise, and he raised an eyebrow. “Oh,” Tilting his head to the right slightly, he glanced down to look at the glass he’d rested between his legs. “Thank you.”
“Just, uh, speaking the truth.” Phoenix stuttered in reply, clearly not expecting Miles’ appreciative response. He returned his movements to his food, taking a bite out of a finger sandwich before wrinkling his nose.
“Are they stale?” Miles asked, having noticed Phoenix’s reaction.
“Yeah… very.” His coworker made a face, placing the sandwich back on the plate. “I thought the sandwiches would be safe, but I guess not.”
“The crudités seem decent.” Chuckling, Miles motioned over towards the nearby buffet table. “It’s extremely difficult to go wrong with those.”
“Let’s just hope this hummus is all it’s cracked up to be,” Phoenix joked, getting up to weave his way to the food. A moment later, he returned, a small pile of dip and various dipping foods replacing the sandwiches that were on his plate.
“Celery stick?”
Nodding slightly, Miles accepted Phoenix’s offer and took the food, nibbling at the savory vegetable. Phoenix did the same, and they sat quietly, staring absentmindedly into the gaggle of party-goers as they ate.
“You know I meant it, right?” Phoenix started, glancing sideways at Edgeworth.
“What?”
“That you look good in a tuxedo.”
Miles tilted his head again, confused. “I-I suppose?” He answered. It wasn’t a particularly hard concept to grasp. Was his expression or body language suggesting that he thought otherwise?
“Oh. Okay.”
Phoenix relaxed into the chair a little, deciding to focus his attention back on the bustle of the party, holding the vegetable stick halfway in his mouth. Feeling a small grumble in his stomach, he looked down at his belly, resting one hand over it as he furrowed his brow.
“I guess vegetable sticks alone can’t satisfy my hunger.” He sighed, popping the rest of the piece of celery into his mouth.
“You didn’t have dinner?” Miles asked.
“I was roped into helping Larry set up, so I haven’t had time to get anything substantial.”
“Neither did I. I believed this party would offer some form of nourishment, but apparently not.”
Another tiny gurgle came suddenly, though not from Phoenix; Miles frowned as a light flush spread over his own cheeks.
“Excuse me.” He apologized, coughing embarrassedly.
Phoenix chuckled, shrugging. “That’s okay. We’re even now, right?” He’d been surprised when Miles apologized for such a small thing, but that was one of his coworker’s endearing points. People around the office tended to see Miles as obstinate, unsociable- cold, even; Phoenix couldn’t understand why. True, it was hard to get Miles to warm up when he first started working with him on that project months ago, but overall, he was great to work with. The rumors he’d heard from the office ladies and some of the men, scant whispers in the breakroom about the man’s demeanor and looks, were all blown way out of proportion.
Everything but the part about his looks, I guess. He thought, sneaking a quick up-down glance at the man sitting next to him. He’d definitely meant it when he said what he did about the tuxedo- Miles was usually very well put together, but in the crowd of sweater-clad party attendees, he stood out in his finely tailored coat, crisp white shirt, and striking silhouette.
Crossing his arms behind his head, he slumped lazily on the hardback chair, letting out a dramatic yawn.
“I doubt anyone would notice if we slipped out to get something more filling.”
“Huh?”
Phoenix stopped mid-yawn, looking over at Miles attentively.
“Would you like to get some dinner? With me?” Miles suggested, one eyebrow raised slightly in question. “There’s a restaurant not too far from here that I frequent.”
After a brief pause, Phoenix trying to process the question, he replied. “Yeah, sure!” A grin started to spread across Phoenix’s face, pleasant surprise lighting his eyes. “Is that why you’re never in during lunch break?”
“I find the conversation in the company lunch room slightly... lacking.” Miles explained, standing and gesturing for Phoenix to follow him. “I hardly have time to pack meals for myself as it is, so eating out is much easier.”
“I usually pop down to the convenience store for a sandwich.” Phoenix laughed as he stood, walking along with Miles. “Though… having something other than tuna salad and a can of coffee every day would be nice.”
“I’m sure you’ll take a liking to this establishment. Their lunch special doesn’t disappoint.”
Establishment. It was such a strange word to hear out loud, Phoenix mused, but somehow, it fit this prim man. “Alright, lead the way!”
Upon opening the café door, a small bell rang and a waiter approached Phoenix and Miles, bowing in greeting.
“Welcome, Mr. Edgeworth. Table for two?” She smiled, extending a hand to her side in invitation.
“Yes, thank you.”
Once they were seated in a cozy booth seat, menus and glasses of warm water were placed in front of them.
It was easy to see why this restaurant appealed to Miles so much. With its classic menu, warm interior, and calm ambiance, he seemed right at home, sipping the water served in elegant glass cups.
After they ordered, the food was quick to come. Light conversation over oven-fresh bread (which, Phoenix noted, was leagues better than the spongy white slices of his usual lunchtime sandwiches) turned to silent eating of a satisfying yet deceivingly simple dinner of bright tomato sauce in pasta for Phoenix, and a lemon baked sole fillet with grilled vegetables for Miles. In the afterglow of their contentedness, they sat, sipping after-dinner drinks and having food-mellowed conversation.
“If the dinner special is this good, I’m going to have high expectations for tomorrow’s lunch.” Phoenix sighed happily, feeling the warm, sweet coffee flow down to rest comfortably in his stomach.
“I’m glad you liked it.” Miles took another sip of his tea. He fell silent, eyes moving to look pensively into the amber liquid.
“Care to join me?” Phoenix burst out after a moment of quiet, a little too loudly.
“Hm?”
“I’m going to need an expert to recommend dishes for me. After all, if I’m going to get the full lunch set experience, who better to go to than the regular customer?” Phoenix went on, putting the now empty cup on its saucer. “Your company’s a lot better than what I’d get sitting with Larry and the others at the office, anyways.”
“I… Well. I’d like that.”
A softer smile set itself on Miles’ face, almost bashful. It was such a rare moment to see him this way- maybe, Phoenix thought, it was because of the hard front he put on in the presence of other co-workers.
“Great,” Phoenix grinned. “Then it’s a date?”
“A date?” Tilting his head, Miles raised an eyebrow in question.
“I mean, that wasn’t what I meant, but if that’s what you want it to be…” Phoenix trailed off, a light blush appearing on his cheeks,“then I’d have no objections to that.”
The other man said nothing for a while; whether to digest the suggestion or to ponder the response, Phoenix didn’t know. It was all very sudden, he knew. But it was undeniable that there was something- whether it was his personality, demeanor, or looks- about his coworker that had attracted Phoenix to him ever since they’d worked together. Anticipating Miles’ response, he took a gulp of water.
“Just lunch is fine too!” Phoenix exclaimed, waving a hand dismissively when the silence continued. “I’d really just... like to get to know you better, I guess.”
“I’ll have to give it a little more thought, but I’m open to lunch tomorrow.” Miles replied, an awkward, earnest expression on his face.
Beaming from ear to ear, Phoenix finished the remnants of his water, putting the glass down to wipe his mouth. “I’m looking forward to it!”
Miles simply nodded before gesturing to their waiter for the check.
After Miles had paid for their food, Phoenix insisting that the next day he would pay for their lunch himself, they collected their coats and walked out of the restaurant, still feeling a little bloated from the dinner.
“I’m headed to the station from here.” Miles stated, feet coming to a stop on the pavement as he waited for Phoenix to follow. “And you?”
“I’m walking home- the other direction.” the brunette shrugged. “Shame. I would’ve liked to talk more.”
“There’ll be time for that tomorrow.”
“That’s true...” Phoenix trailed off, staring vaguely into the distance.
Nodding once, Miles raised his hand in farewell. “Well, good night.”
“Yeah, see you tomorrow!” Phoenix smiled, waving.
“And next time,” He said with a wink, “you don’t have to wear the tux.”