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Wright and Co Law Offices
“Hey, Nick, I’m hungry."
“Tell me something I don’t know, Maya.”
“I’m serious. It’s way past lunchtime and neither one of us has eaten a thing today. You have to be hungry too!”
Phoenix nodded in agreement and folded up the newspaper he was reading. “I suppose you’re right. Maybe we should eat something. How about the cereal I bought the other day?”
“Niiiiiick.”
“What? We haven’t had that many high-paying cases lately. I’m trying to save us some money here. There’s rent, you know.”
Maya rolled her eyes and Phoenix just shook his head. “And thanks to your extreme eating habits, I’m about as skinny as my wallet.”
“Oh c’mon, you’re being overdramatic again. All I want is a decent lunch,” she said, flashing her million-dollar smile, hoping to win him over.
Phoenix was known to give in easily, at least when it came to his assistant and friend, Maya Fey. He reluctantly fumbled through his wallet and handed her some cash. “Alright, but don’t get any deluxe burgers, please. The value menu will do just fine.”
She took the money happily and clapped her hands together, “I knew I could count on you, Nick.”
The attorney shrugged and went back to reading the paper. The cover story was all about the recent trial he won, and Miles Edgeworth was all over it. Phoenix just stared intently, as if lost in a trance. His eyes stopped on a picture of his long-time friend. He sighed.
Maya leaned over to catch a look at the article. A spark lit up in her eyes. She thought of a wonderfully brilliant plan that was sure to turn out interesting, and hopefully, good. “Hey, wanna make a bet?”
Without his eyes even leaving the paper, Phoenix simply replied, “No.”
“Ah, but if you make this bet with me, you won’t ever have to buy me lunch again.”
That, of course, caught his interest and he quickly turned to look her in eyes. “What could be so important that you would gamble food?” he asked, questioningly.
She tilted her head and smirked, “I want you to ask Mr. Edgeworth if he has a crush on you. And if he doesn’t, no more using your wallet for my lunches. I’ll go get a part-time job or something.”
Phoenix burst out laughing so hard he almost stopped breathing, “You’ve got to be kidding me! That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard you say in a while. You should really think of being a comedian.”
Maya jumped on the couch and grabbed his arm. “I’m being totally serious. It’s simple really. All you gotta do is ask him. If he has no feelings whatsoever for you, just tell him I set you up to it.”
He rubbed his chin in thought, “What’s in it for me, besides saving money?”
“The gift of knowing.”
Although Phoenix could think of a million reasons he should say no, he actually was curious. It couldn’t hurt just to try asking, right? I could probably just play it off as a joke if I needed to. “Okay, but how will I know for sure he’s telling the truth? He is in fact, Miles Edgeworth: Demon Attorney, or so they say in the papers.”
Maya grinned. “You should already know how to do that. Just treat him like one of your witnesses and use the magatama on him. There’s no way he can deny it without you knowing.”
He sat there, contemplating the idea. “You’re really serious about this?”
“I’ve got you interested now don’t I? I know you wanna do it. So go on, ask him!”
Phoenix stood up and tossed his magatama in the air, catching it with a smile. “I’ll take you up on your offer Maya. You better start looking at those classifieds.”
“We’ll see about that now, won’t we?”
The attorney made his way to the door completely determined. There’s no stopping Phoenix Wright when his mind is set. “Well, I’m off! I’ll see you tonight.”
“I’m sure Mr. Edgeworth would love to get you off tonight.” She smiled, deviously.
Phoenix looked back with a glare, “What was that Maya?”
“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all. You have fun and don’t stay out too late.”
And he left without another word. Maya just snickered to herself and got ready to leave as well. After all, she still had his money.
Gourd Lake Park
The day was perfect for a walk in the park, or rather to inspect a crime scene, which is exactly what Detective Gumshoe and Miles Edgeworth were doing when Phoenix arrived. On his way out, Phoenix called the detective and convinced him to spill Edgeworth’s whereabouts. There’s no one better to get information from than good ol’ Gumshoe.
“Hi pal!” Gumshoe said with a smile as soon as he saw the attorney.
Phoenix waved and laughed nervously, “Hey Detective. You said Edgeworth’s around here?”
“Look, I don’t know what you’re up to, but you better not stress out Mr. Edgeworth more than he already is. There’s no way I can handle another cut to my salary,” he said sheepishly, with a hand to the back of his head.
“It’ll be fine! I just have to ask him a question, that’s all.” He nodded, but in reality, he was actually starting to feel slightly nervous about the whole ordeal.
“Alright, he’s close to the lake, but don’t you dare touch anything! It’s a crime scene and I really shouldn’t allow you to go near…”
“Hey, you can trust me. I won’t be long.”
So Phoenix made his way to Gourd Lake, and a certain shade of maroon caught his eye by the water. Edgeworth was bent over inspecting every possible piece of evidence he could find, which were all scattered on the ground.
“Hiya Edgeworth! How’s it going?”
The man shot up, obviously startled by the sudden greeting. “Wright. You’re not supposed to be here.” He crossed his arms with a scowl on his face. “Gumshoe’s not getting off easy this time.”
“Aww c’mon, lighten up a bit. I just wanted to ask you a question.”
“Couldn’t this have waited until later, when I’m off duty?” He was slightly angry now and started tapping his finger.
“Let’s be honest here. You and I both know you’re constantly working. I’m not sure if any time would be ideal for you.” He nodded, matter-of-factly.
“Hmph, fine, but it had better not be a waste of my time.”
“Uh…sure, I think?” Phoenix said, nervously.
“My confidence in you is failing by the second.”
“Ah well, jeez Edgeworth.” He reached into his pocket and held his magatama tight, his determination rising once again, “Okay so Maya made this bet with me, and I’m supposed to ask you if you have a crush on me… I have no idea where that came from, and there’s no way it’s true…right?”
Edgeworth froze, unsure of what to say. “…That’s absolutely absurd.”
Suddenly, as unexpected as ever (to Phoenix that is), he saw the chains quickly surround the man. He had only seen these red Psyche-Locks a few times before, but there was no hiding it. Edgeworth was definitely hiding something.
“Absurd? Now, I’m not so sure,” he said with a tilt to his head, thinking of how to go about this.
A look of fear filled Edgeworth’s already flushed face, but he tried to play it cool. “There’s no way I’d be infatuated with someone like y-you.”
His voice wavered on ‘you.’ Is this for real? “Edgeworth, I do believe you have some kind of feelings for me.”
He shook his head and laughed, “Feelings of annoyance maybe, but nothing further I assure you.”
“You’re lying!”
“Are you insane?”
“Insanely curious. Say you don’t have feelings for me.”
Edgeworth replied, defensively. “I don’t have feelings for you.”
Phoenix smiled. “So Maya was right.”
“No. You’re both deranged. I will not tolerate this line of questioning. I have work to do, Wright.”
With a joyful stride, Phoenix began pacing. He was sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Miles Edgeworth was indeed in love with him. At least, to a certain degree. How could he test that? I don’t want to scare him off, but would he ever really admit to it? I need to do something. I might never get another chance like this. “Alright. I won’t bring it up again…if we kiss and you tell me it means nothing to you.”
Edgeworth stared at him, stupefied. What should he say to that? No, right? Would it really be so bad? The prosecutor stood there, biting his lip, thinking it all over. Finally, he broke the silence, “I’ll agree to that only if you swear this will never come up again and you will not let this out to a soul, for any reason. Understand?” What on earth am I thinking?!
Phoenix’s jaw dropped in shock. “W-Whaaaat? I was kinda joking…kinda. I didn’t think you’d actually agree to it.” He nervously ran his fingers through his hair and had a stupid grin on his face.
The prosecutor turned and clutched his elbow. “If you want to do it, then let’s do it. I don’t want there to be any doubt between us.”
Phoenix blinked and put his hand on Edgeworth’s shoulder. “If it means nothing, then there’s nothing to worry about, okay?” His sincere smile caught Edgeworth’s gaze. They stood there, almost forgetting where they were.
They faced each other, and Phoenix gently put his hand on the back of Edgeworth’s head, fingers weaving with his dark silver hair. Edgeworth blushed at the move but didn’t think to turn away, because he was far too mesmerized. Phoenix drew in a breath and slowly pressed his lips against the other’s. Edgeworth’s eyes closed and accepted the kiss, ever-so-willfully.
When they pulled away, both were breathless, close, and unmoving. Phoenix was the first to speak.
“That was…wow.”
“Ahem, yes…,” Edgeworth said, clearing his throat and averting his eyes.
“Well?”
The prosecutor was still lost in a daze. The kiss was beautiful. The kiss was more than he could have imagined. The kiss was… “Wright, we’re at a crime scene. This action was highly unprofessional. I don’t believe-”
“I think it’s a crime it took me so long to do that with you.”
“W-What? What are you saying?”
“I can see it in your eyes, Edgeworth. That definitely meant something. I think it means much more than what we both can handle right now.”
Edgeworth hesitantly nodded.
Phoenix took him by the hands. “You mean a lot to me. You always have, and now…now I think I need to admit it.”
“Wright, you…”
“Hey, pals! It sure got awfully quiet over here!”
Dropping their hands suddenly, Edgeworth pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. “Detective, is there something you need?”
“Oh! No, I just came to check on you two. I wanted to make sure everything was going well. Looks like it is,” Gumshoe said, chuckling. “I’ll just go now. Sorry for the interruption, pals.”
The detective left and Edgeworth brought his focus back to Phoenix, who was standing there, annoyed. “Wright, how about we discuss this more intimately at dinner? I would hate for us to get interrupted, again.”
“You know, I’d love that,” he said, with a brightening smile on his face.
“I’ll pick you up at 6:30 tonight. Will that be an acceptable time?”
“Of course. It’ll give me enough time to get ready, and to thank Maya for being the most helpful assistant I could ever ask for.” He smiled as he looked at Edgeworth; no Psyche-Locks in sight.