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Phoenix Wright is many things. He’s smart, lucky, and a genuinely nice guy, according to most people.
Not one of those people would refer to Wright as “subtle,” and for very good reasons.
This thought comes to Miles as he stands across the courtroom from Wright, who’s staring the prosecutor down. As usual, the case is in Miles’ favor, as the accused stands on trial nervously. But Miles knows that this defense attorney has something up his sleeves. Every time, there’s something that is unexpected, leaving the courtroom stunned. He watches as Wright looks him down, searching for any sign of weakness-
Wait.
Is Wright...checking Miles out?
That...no. Wright is a unique lawyer, but even he wouldn’t resort to such indignant methods of psychological warfare. Especially in a professional setting, right? (Miles ignores the way his heart squeezes at the thought of Wright being serious. If he knew anything, it was that Wright was never serious.)
Maya nudges the defense attorney, gesturing for him to say something. Immediately, Wright adverts his eyes, caught red-handed. As he begins his statement, Miles wonders when he became a decent actor. He looks as if he actually is embarrassed.
Even then, Miles won’t let Phoenix Wright get the better of him. Gripping the edge of his stand, Miles stares right back at Wright. Not wavering for a second, Miles watches as their lines of sight cross, and Wright turns a brilliant shade of scarlet at Miles’ intensity. Good, he thinks to himself, that’ll show him.
(His pulse, against Miles’ control, speeds up.)
The soft ding of a notification from his phone distracts Miles from the case files, spread across his desk. Clutching a glass of red, he reaches for his device, a smile threatening to spill at the sight of the texter.
Phoenix: Hey Edgeworth, how’s the prosecution going?
Miles: You are aware that we are on opposite sides of the case, correct?
Phoenix: So?
Miles rolls his eyes. This was very...Wright of him.
Miles: So, I won’t be sharing any of my points with you if that’s what you’re searching for.
Phoenix: Oh!
Phoenix: I didn’t mean to come off that way, I just wanted to talk to you.
Phoenix: it does sound like that oh god
Miles laughs, wondering why he felt a flush in his cheeks at Wright wanting to talk to him. It feels nice. He likes the way he feels right now. His eyes flicker to the papers in front of him, before sighing. Just a few minutes wouldn't hurt, would they?
Miles Edgeworth is not having a good day. He’s standing in the midst of a terrible downpour, his usual outfit drenched. Standing at the edge of the crosswalk, he waits for the light to change. Of course, the one day he decides to take a walk this happens. Clear his brain and get some exercise, he said.
Wright’s firm is around here, isn’t it? For a second, he considers going to visit him, but that idea is shut down rather quickly. He looks disgruntled and a mess, and he does not want to be seen by Phoenix like this. With a sigh, he keeps walking, knowing that it can’t get worse. Can it?
“Hey, Edgeworth!” It can.
The rain stops around Miles, and he turns to see Wright himself standing in front of him. He’s holding an umbrella, keeping both of them dry. Hair dripping with raindrops, Miles has to restrain himself from watching the way Wright’s suit sticks to his skin.
“Wright.” Miles tries to hide the way his heart rises in his throat. “What brings you here?”
“Well,” He scratches the back of his head sheepishly. “I went to pick up dinner, but then I saw you outside the window, and I thought you might need help.” He holds up a plastic bag filled with styrofoam containers.
Miles nearly falls for it, too, before he reads the logo on the bag. “You ran two blocks to talk to me?”
“You were pretty fast.” Then, Wright’s face turns pink. “Besides, I wanted to make sure you were alright.”
Oh. Oh . Miles doesn’t know why his chest feels light, but it’s concerning. The two of them stand there for a moment, illuminated by the streetlights and stars. He doesn’t know why, but Miles likes to look at Wright’s face. With his strong jawline, and two dark blue eyes that liked to crinkle when he laughed, he was quite the looker. For a second, Miles’ eyes rested on Wright’s lips.
The dark haired-man coughs, breaking the tension between the two. “So, are you going anywhere after this?”
Miles blinks, trying to understand what just happened. “The office, why?”
“You know what? I think you work too hard.” Swiftly, Wright links their arms, before dragging Miles along. “Come with me.”
“What?” Miles tries to step back, but the other man is moving too fast.
“Let’s have dinner together.” Wright keeps walking, despite Miles’ resistance. “I have enough for the both of us, since Maya was coming back from Kurain Village to have dinner, but her train got delayed, so why not?”
Miles is about to say no, until he sees Wright’s face once more. He looks at him hopefully, and Miles’ heart starts pounding in his chest. What is this feeling?
“Very well. I hope your place is clean.”
“I was desperate, okay? And at the time, it didn’t seem like that stupid of an idea.”
“Your witness was a bird, Wright.”
“His name was Polly, for your information.”
“A bright red parrot. Was the only thing between me and jail.” Miles raises his eyebrow, while Phoenix snorts loudly.
It seems strangely intimate, as Miles sits across from Wright, alone. In his apartment. The rain pitter-patters against the window, as the two chat. The moment the two arrived, Wright offered to take Miles’ clothes to dry, after offering some of his own clothes. Even though Miles tried to get out of it, he was soon shoved into the bathroom with Phoenix’s spare clothes.
Even though they were slightly too small on Miles, he couldn’t help but like being in Wright’s clothes. Everything about them reminded him of the defense attorney, and he liked it. (Although he’d never never admit it, the first thing Miles did when he put the sweatshirt on was take a deep breath, and realize it smelled like Phoenix. With hints of cheap body soap and citrus shampoo, Miles likes the smell very much.)
“Hey, why do you call me by my last name?” Wright asks.
At which, Miles asks right back. “Why do you call me mine?” He considers what he’ll say next. “You can always call me Miles instead.
“Then you have to call me by my name as well.” Wright, no, Phoenix responds. “So how about you? What is the stupidest thing you’ve ever done for a case?”
Miles scoffs. “I don’t believe anything can top that.”
“Please?” Phoenix asks, and Miles doesn’t know why he can’t say no.
“Fine.” Miles thinks about it for a moment, before relenting. “Once, when getting evidence on a case, a witness that was the key to the answer started,” A pause. “Flirting with me.”
Phoenix snickers at that, while Miles shushes him. “She was rather...crude, if I’m to be honest. When I got her to relent the information I needed, she kept approaching me. Only when I finally told her she wasn’t my type did she stop.”
“Oh?” Phoenix’s voice wavers for a moment. “Then what is your type, Edgeworth?”
“Men.” The moment he says that, Phoenix chokes on his water.
“W-What?” He chokes out, before regaining his composure. “I mean, well, um.”
“I’m gay, Phoenix. I thought you were aware of this?”
“No! I mean, there’s nothing wrong with being gay, it’s just,” Phoenix hestitates, before looking Miles in the eyes. “I’m bi.”
“Oh.” And that’s all Miles' brain can conjure up on the matter. It’s almost like a weight has been lifted off his chest, as strange as that is. Why does Miles care who Phoenix is attracted to? (Or that he could be attracted to him?)
The rest of the night continues, but Miles cannot get that moment to leave his head.
Miles knows that he’s in for the long haul when someone abruptly slams open his office door. He expects something serious to have happened, for someone to come waltzing in without so much as a warning. Scowling, he stands up from his desk to look up at the visitor.
“Are you sleeping with Nick?!” Maya yells, hair messy and eyes wide with surprise.
Miles pauses, before responding. “Excuse me?”
The young girl throws up her arms. “I go to Kurain Village for a few days, and suddenly all the drama happens.” She looks up at Miles, before smiling. “Now, are you two finally dating? Nick gets all blushy when I ask him, so I thought I’d go to the man himself.”
As if on cue, large footsteps come from the hallway, and an even messier looking Phoenix appears. His hair still sticks up, against the sweat across his forehead.
Maya points towards Miles, looking back at Wright. “See, I knew you two did something while I was gone. Look at him!”
Miles’ eyes flicker towards the mirror on the wall, to which he notices his cheeks are now slightly pink. He is not blushing over the idea of having sex with Phoenix Wright. That is highly improper, right?
Wright looks between Maya and Miles, before burying his face in his hands. His entire face turns beet red, completely mortified. Why is he so nervous? He thinks to himself.
“Maya, it was raining.” Phoenix says between his fingers. “Miles came over to keep himself from getting wet.”
“But how come I found his clothes in your room?” Maya asks, raising her eyebrows.
“I think I can answer this one.” Miles, now having control over his rising embarrassment, interrupts. “Phoenix let me wear some spare clothes so they could dry. I was planning on picking them up this afternoon, actually.”
Maya lets out an “Oh.” before looking at the ground. But then, her head snaps up. “Hey, wait a minute! So you two had a date instead?”
“No.” Miles snaps. “We are not romantically involved. Period.” He doesn’t miss the way Phoenix’s face falls.
It takes a while for the two to leave, Wright sputtering apology after apology. He stills seems rather nervous, but with a slight sadness in his tone. Soon, they’re both gone, leaving Miles by himself once more.
Sitting behind his desk, Miles clutches his head. What is happening with him? It seems as if every time Miles sees Phoenix recently, he feels like a mess. A lighthearted, giddy mess that doesn’t know what to do with himself. He hates how uncontrollable he is around him, but at the same time…
Phoenix smiles at him, and Miles feels happy. Happier than he’s ever felt, like the entire world has become just the two of him. He wants to press his lips against his, feel the warmth of his body against his. Everything about Phoenix is beautiful, and Miles loves every bit of it.
The thought barrels towards Miles like a freight train, and he takes a sharp breath. Oh. Oh boy.
---
“I’m sorry Nick.” Maya mutters from the passenger seat, still in the parking lot of Miles’ office. Nick, however, has his head resting on the steering wheel, banging it over and over. Someone flips the two off at the noise of the car’s horn, but he doesn’t care.
How could he be so stupid? Why would someone as perfect as Miles Edgeworth want to go on a date with him? It’s funny that he thought, for a moment, he thought that sparks were flying. That maybe, just maybe, Miles would give Nick a chance. Hell, he thought his chance was last night in his apartment.
These days, Nick felt like he was back in highschool, constantly turning pink at Miles’ presence. Everything set him off, even a simple glance.
Nick groans, before turning to Maya. “It’s fine, it wasn’t your fault. Besides, it was bound to happen sooner or later.”
“C’mon Nick.” Maya attempts to comfort him. “Wanna go get burgers?”
Burgers. Food. Dinner. Miles.
Nick bangs his head on the steering wheel again, much to Maya’s dismay. “God, why was I so stupid.”
A knock at the car window causes Nick to jump, as he turns to find himself face-to-face with Miles Edgeworth. Silent, Nick rolls down the window, holding his breath.
“Phoenix.” Miles says. “I believe I let a misconception slide up there.” He bites his lip before continuing. “What I mean to say is...are you free this Friday evening?”
What? “What?”
Miles coughs, obviously uncomfortable. “I got the impression up there that you might want to pursue an actual,” He takes a look at Maya, who turns away in embarrassment. “Romantic relationship. Unless?”
Nick can’t breathe, as his shoulder tightens and his heart threatens to burst. This is actually happening. Holy shit. He nods, unable to say anything.
“Okay.” Miles nods. “I’ll send you a location soon.” He turns, and walks away.
The sheer impact of what just happened hits Nick all at once, before he jams the door open and runs to Miles. “Wait!”
“Yes?” Miles turns around to look at Nick, before he’s caught off guard. Nick grabs Miles’ shirt by the scruff, and kisses him. Their lips collide in a messy, uncoordinated way, and it takes a second before Miles kisses back.
But they both like it so much that they don’t care.