Work Text:
Franziska had a problem, and her name was Maya Fey.
Now Franziska was the very definition of a workaholic. If the dictionary definition of the word workaholic had pictures then a photo of Franziska would no doubt be on there. She had dedicated her entire life into prosecution, and by entire life it really was her entire life. Franziska was pretty sure she started reading books about law ever since she could read, and she started reading when she was only 3 years old. Every Christmas and every birthday celebration, she would be gifted with law books and whips, gifts that she accepted with enthusiasm. Once she was 13 she had taken the bar exam and passed, and she had been prosecuting ever since. For all intents and purposes, there was not a prosecutor in the world who was more focused on their job than Franziska von Karma.
But even the mightiest falter, and lately Franziska seemed to be distracted by a certain someone.
That someone was Maya Fey.
All she could think about was Maya Fey. Maya Fey this, Maya Fey that, all her mind focused on was Maya Fey. When she should have been thinking about how to properly obliterate the secondhand defense attorney she was supposed to be going against, she instead found herself thinking of the foolish mountain girl that had somehow won her heart. It was infuriating really, how much Maya Fey occupied Franziska’s mind. All Franziska could think about was her dark blue eyes that always seemed shining and lively, her wide toothy grin that brightened up the moods of anyone who saw it, her clear loud melodic voice that Franziska loved to hear, her soft beautiful long black hair that was downright radiant, her happy infectious laugh that always managed to make Franziska’s heart skip a beat-
Goddammit, she was doing it again.
Franziska groaned and bashed her head into the mahogany wood of her desk, in an attempt to try and stop the foolishly foolish thoughts about Maya Fey. Though she knew that it wouldn’t stop, it would never stop. No matter what she did or what she was doing, the thoughts about Maya Fey never seemed to go away. She was thinking about Maya Fey so much that it was starting to interfere with her work. For the past few weeks Franziska had rejected every single case that was given to her, something that she had never done in her entire life. It had gotten to the point where the new Chief Prosecutor started to worry about her. Franziska understood why he was so worried, but she just couldn’t help it. How was she supposed to work when she was burdened with persistent thoughts about Maya Fey?
At this point, Franziska would never work again if this carried on.
She had to ask someone for help, and while Franziska wasn’t usually the type to ask for help this had gotten so out of hand that she needed the help at this point. But who should she ask for help? She couldn’t ask the scruffy detective Gumshoe for help, she was sure that his advice would not be helpful. Even if he was helpful, Franziska was sure that his big mouth would blabber about her predicament to someone, leading to the entire world knowing about her…feelings towards Maya Fey. That would be a disaster. Her brother Edgeworth wouldn’t be helpful either, not with his pitiful situation with the fool Phoenix Wright. Besides, feelings were definitely not something Edgeworth was well versed at, so he’d be useless anyway.
Franziska needed someone compassionate, someone who had been through hardships and struggles. She needed someone who had dealt with strong emotions before in their life, maybe their whole life even. That description perfectly fit Franziska’s friend, Adrian Andrews.
Adrian it is, then.
Franziska opened her drawer, fishing through it for her phone. She found her phone after a few seconds of looking, and she turned it on and opened her contacts. She searched through her contacts, which thankfully didn’t take long since she had only a few contacts. Franziska dialed the number and waited for the other person to pick up. The person she had called had picked up after the second ring, something that Franziska was more than grateful for.
“Hello?” The voice of Franziska’s friend Adrian said. “Franziska? Is this you?”
“Hello, Adrian Andrews.” Franziska greeted professionally. “Yes, this is Franziska von Karma.”
“Hi Franziska! Gosh, it’s been so long since we’ve last talked, it’s nice to hear your voice again!” Adrian said, so cheerily that Franziska could hear her smile. “How are you?”
“Horrible. I have not taken on a single case in weeks.” Franziska said.
“Did something happen?” Adrian asked, and then she gasped. “Oh my god, are you sick?”
“No no, nothing of that sort. I am in perfect health, Adrian Andrews.”
“Oh thank god.” Adrian let out a breath of relief. “So, why haven’t you taken any cases then?”
“Actually, that has to do with why I’m calling you, Adrian Andrews.” Franziska said.
“Oh?” Adrian’s voice asked, sounding intrigued. “It has to do with me?”
“Yes, it does.” Franziska said. “You have dealt with depression, have you not Adrian Andrews?”
“Well, I was diagnosed with depression when I was 14…” Adrian trailed off. “So I guess so.”
“And depression is a strong emotion, is it not?” Franziska asked, though the question was rhetorical.
“I…I guess it is.” Adrian said, so uncertainly that Franziska could practically see her shrug.
“Meaning you have experience dealing with strong emotions?” Franziska asked, and this time it was not rhetorical.
“Sure.” Adrian said, though she sounded very not sure.
“So you can help me.” Franziska simply said.
“Help you?” Adrian asked, very much confused. “Help you with what?”
“Lately I’ve been experiencing strong…emotions, related to a certain someone that I know.” Franziska said, being vague on purpose in the hopes that Adrian wouldn’t find out who this was about. “Since you yourself have dealt with strong emotions, I was hoping that you could help me with my…predicament.”
“Aw! Franziska, I’m happy that you come to me for help.” Adrian said. “What kind of emotions have you been having?”
“Well…” Franziska trailed off. “I feel nervousness around this person, I feel nervous that I might make a wrong impression, nervous that they might think lowly of me. What’s the saying, again? “Butterflies in the stomach”? Yes, I feel that. I also feel happy around that person, they make me feel happy to be around them. It’s confusing, the emotions that they make me feel. It’s foolish, even…but I find myself not minding.”
“Sounds like you have a little crush.” Adrian’s voice teased.
“D-Do not tease me, Adrian Andrews!” Franziska protested, her face going red.
Adrian laughed. “I was kidding, Franziska!”
“Hmph. Can you help me or not?” Franziska questioned.
“I can help you, I’ll try at least.” Adrian said, then asking. “Have you tried telling this person how you feel?”
“I’d rather die than do that.” Franziska answered.
“How about a diary?” Adrian suggested.
“Too embarrassing, and childish.” Franziska replied. “Very childish.”
“Hmmm…” Adrian hummed thoughtfully. “Why not try writing a letter?”
“A…letter?”
“Mhmm! A letter!” Adrian said. “You can write how you feel in a letter.”
“S-Send a letter? T-To her?” Franziska stammered, embarrassed at the thought of Maya Fey reading a letter that said how she felt. “I don’t know if I can do that…”
“Her?” Adrian repeated.
Fuck, she let that slip.
“U-Uh! O-Or him!” Franziska stammered. “Do not assume the gender of this…person, Adrian Andrews.”
“Franziska, you’re a lesbian…” Adrian pointed out.
“…Who said it was romantic feelings, hmm?”
Adrian sighed, exasperated. “Whatever, you know you don’t have to send the letter right? You know, in therapy there’s an exercise where you write a letter to someone and then burn it. Or you can just keep the letter, either one works.”
“Oh thank god.” Franziska let out a breath of relief. “So you’re saying I just write the letter and move on?”
“Or burn it, but just keeping it works.” Adrian said. “Make sure to keep it somewhere safe, though. Who knows? Maybe someone could start blackmailing you with that letter.”
“That is not gonna happen, Adrian Andrews.”
“You never know.” Adrian said in a teasing sing song voice.
Franziska rolled her eyes. “Adrian Andrews.”
“I’m kidding, Franziska!” Adrian said with a laugh. “But still! You could try writing a letter to this mystery woman.”
“I suppose that is a viable option…” Franziska trailed off, considering what Adrian had said. “Thank you for being so helpful, Adrian Andrews.”
“Great! Glad I was able to help!” Adrian said, and then the sound of papers rustling could be heard from the phone. “Look, it’s been nice talking to you but I gotta go. Work stuff, you know?”
“I understand. Goodbye, Adrian Andrews.” Franziska said.
“Bye Franziska! See you next week for our monthly hangout!” Adrian said cheerily.
Franziska couldn’t help but smile at that, it was always nice to see how cheerful Adrian had become, especially compared to the cold woman she used to be. “I will.”
Franziska hung up the phone, opening her desk drawer and putting her phone back in its place. She just sat in her chair and contemplated over what Adrian had said. The more Franziska thought about it, the more the option of writing a letter become more and more appealing. If she never had to send the letter to Maya Fey, then she would have no problem pouring out her heart and soul into it. It was a much more appealing thought than saying how she felt in real life. Franziska began to imagine how that would happen, looking Maya Fey into her soft blue eyes as she confessed how she felt-
Franziska shook the foolish thoughts away.
She knew that those feelings would never go away, but if writing a letter helped even a tiny bit, maybe it would be worth it…
It couldn’t hurt, right?
That’s how Franziska ended up here: with sheets of letter paper, a dip pen, and a bottle of ink on her desk, and about to write a love letter.
Did it count as a love letter if she was never going to send it?
Whatever, this wasn’t a love letter anyway.
Totally.
She just needed to start writing the letter. So she did, writing down the first thing that came to mind.
“To whom it may concern,”
No, that was too formal, too business like and clinical. Franziska may have been the formal type, but she didn’t want this letter to be formal. She was writing a (not) love letter, not a business letter to some high ranking official that she hardly cared about. Besides, the formality of that greeting might scare off Maya Fey, not that Maya Fey was ever going to read this letter in the first place. Still, it didn’t hurt to think of necessary precautions, did it?
With a sigh of defeat, Franziska crumpled up the letter paper, taking another sheet and trying again.
“Hello Maya Fey,”
It still wasn’t right. Now it was too friendly, too casual for Franziska’s taste. Franziska wanted the letter to be personal sure, but she didn’t want to be carefree of all things. She was the opposite of that, and she would rather die than ever be perceived as laid back in any capacity whatsoever. Besides, it was too casual of a greeting for the type of letter she was going to write. She was writing a…personal (not) love letter, not a friendly informal letter.
Franziska crumpled up this paper too, taking another sheet for one last try at this. She was sure that this one she was going to get right.
“To Maya Fey,”
It was perfect. Not too formal, but not too friendly, right in the middle. Impartial, like how Franziska was going to be writing this letter.
Totally impartial.
Yup.
Franziska stared down at the paper, unsure of how to start. How was she supposed to write a letter like this? It was hard to find a perfect balance when writing the letter. Was she supposed to be formal clinical? Or was she supposed to be emotional and sentimental? How sappy was too sappy that it became cringey? She had no idea, she’d never really done this “love letter” thing…Or any kind of informal letter for that matter. She only knew how to make formal letters, that was all she’d ever needed to write her entire life. Franziska was starting to regret ignoring the school assignments where they had to write to a penpal.
After a few minutes of concentrated thinking, Franziska finally found a way to start. She picked up her dip pen and continued to write her letter.
“You will never see this letter, I do not plan on sending it to you. But on the off chance you do somehow see this letter, just know that if you are ever to make fun of me for this letter I will hate you forever.”
Franziska cringed at the thought of Maya reading the letter, at the thought of Maya laughing at Franziska’s genuine and earnest feelings. Maybe Maya would even show the letter to the fool Phoenix Wright and her little cousin Pearl, and they would all laugh at her. She knew that Maya was too kind to ever do something like that, but it didn’t stop Franziska's mind from imagining the worst possible scenario. Franziska shook the thoughts out of her head. She didn’t have to worry, Maya was never going to see this letter anyway. If Maya did ever see the letter at some point…how would she react? Would Maya reciprocate her feelings? Would she be flattered that she had caught the heart of someone like Franziska von Karma? Would she reject her, leading to the ruin of their already odd friendship?
Oh god, Franziska could already feel the headache coming. She did her best to ignore her worries, as she continued to write.
“We have known each other for five years now, and we have been friends for two. However, in all the years I have known you, there are things that I have never told you, thoughts that I have had about you that you don’t know. These thoughts are things that I would rather die than say anywhere near your vicinity. I know that if I do not express these feelings somehow, I will go completely crazy.
You are distracting, Maya Fey. You are frustratingly distracting. Every aspect of your being is distracting, and I do not know what to do about it. I have not been able to work on a single case for weeks because all of my thoughts eventually lead to you. You are all I think about, Maya Fey. It’s maddening, it absolutely irks me how much I have been thinking of you lately.”
Once Franziska found a rhythm, she found herself being able to write more easily. It was still a struggle, Franziska was not the type to express her feelings in any way, but it was easier than she had expected. And in all honesty, it was nice finally being able to express her feelings about Maya Fey, to finally let go and not worry about what anyone would think about her feelings. The knowledge that Maya would never read the letter certainly made it easier to pour out her heart and soul into the letter, made it easier to write every single thought she had ever had about Maya Fey. Franziska dipped her pen in the ink bottle when she had noticed that it had run out of ink, continuing to write once the pen had enough ink for her liking.
“I find myself daydreaming of running my fingers through your hair constantly, imagining how soft it would feel between my fingers. It is legitimately debilitating how much I daydream of such a foolishly foolish thing. I don’t even like black hair, but somehow I find myself captivated by yours.
Do you take vocal classes, Maya Fey? Because I cannot find a reason for your voice being so annoyingly beautiful. I have fantasized your voice whispering sweet nothings into my ears, and it is genuinely embarrassing to admit this. I’ve even daydreamed about it in public once, and even though nobody had noticed it was the most humiliating experience of my life. Damn you and your angelic voice, Maya Fey.
And not to mention your smile, your wretched smile. Somehow, your smile brightens any room that you are in. As cliche as it is, I feel butterflies in my stomach whenever I see your smile. Just the thought of you smiling because of me makes me so happy that it is concerning.
I could go on and on, Maya Fey. There is so much about you that I think about constantly. I could go on about your eyes, your laugh, your positive attitude that should be impossible to uphold, your voracious appetite that is somehow endearing, and so much more. However, I feel as though it would be redundant, I’m sure you have gotten the point by now. The worst part about all of this is that I enjoy daydreaming about you. I enjoy thinking of you, for some odd foolish reason.
I have said all I have needed to say.
Yours Truly,
Franziska von Karma.”
Franziska signed her signature under her name, placing her pen down next to the paper once she was finished. She paused, looking down at the paper and starting to redden as she had realized what she had written. This was a love letter, no matter how much Franziska tried to convince herself that it wasn’t, what she had written was undoubtedly a love letter. And while the knowledge that Maya Fey would never read this letter comforted her, that made it no less embarrassing. Franziska was starting to regret taking Adrian’s advice.
Just as Franziska was deep in her thoughts, her face slightly red from how embarrassing of a letter she had written, that was when her adopted brother Miles Edgeworth decided to barge into her office.
“Hello Franziska.” Edgeworth said as he entered the office, without even knocking! “I just wanted to talk to you about something.”
Franziska jumped in her chair and screamed in surprise.
Edgeworth paused upon hearing her scream, staring at Franziska in confusion. “Are you okay Franziska?”
“Fine! Just fine!” Franziska blurted out.
“You sure…?” Edgeworth questioned.
“Yes, I am sure Miles Edgeworth. Go away, Miles Edgeworth.” Franziska said, hoping Edgeworth wouldn’t notice the letter she was holding.
But because life hated her, Edgeworth had noticed. “What’s that you’re holding? It looks like a letter, who were you writing to?”
Shit.
“Uhhh…I-It’s just…It’s nothing! N-Nothing at all!” Franziska stammered uselessly, then snapping. “Mind your own business, Miles Edgeworth!”
“What? Is it a love letter or something?” Edgeworth said half jokingly.
Franziska’s mouth gaped in horror, her face going as red as a tomato. “N-NO! Miles Edgeworth, you foolishly foolish fool! To suggest such a foolishly foolish notion! How dare you, Miles Edgeworth? HOW DARE YOU?!”
Edgeworth put up his hands defensively. “Woah! Calm down Franziska, I was just joking.”
“Oh.” Franziska blinked, now feeling embarrassed. Well, more embarrassed than she already was. “U-Uh…e-er…hahaha! Funny joke, Miles Edgeworth!” She awkwardly finger gunned him. “Kachow?”
“…What the hell was that?”
“I have no idea, Miles Edgeworth.” Franziska said.
“Alright, then…” Miles trailed off, then asking. “Franziska, is that letter really a love letter?”
“N-No!” Franziska stammered, her face going red again. “That is absurd, Miles Edgeworth? Me, writing a love letter? Absurd!”
Edgeworth gave Franziska an unimpressed look.
“Wh-What?! Why are you looking at me like that, Miles Edgeworth?!”
Edgeworth shook his head in disappointment. “Tell the truth, Franziska.”
“Fine.” Franziska gritted out with a frown. It really was annoying to have someone as perceptive as Miles Edgeworth as her brother. “Yes…it’s…it’s a love letter…” She admitted begrudgingly.
“Good.” Edgeworth said with a satisfied smile. “Who’s it to?”
Franziska mumbled something that Edgeworth didn’t hear.
“What was that now?”
“IT’SALETTERTOMAYAFEY!” Franziska yelled, pausing in horror once she realized she had yelled it out.
“Oh.” Edgeworth simply said, as if he wasn’t surprised.
“Oh?” Franziska repeated. “That’s all you have to say?”
“Well, I’m just not surprised honestly.”
“And why are you not surprised, Miles Edgeworth?” Franziska demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Well…I noticed that you have a bit of a crush on Ms. Fey.” Edgeworth said, then adding after thoughtfully. “Actually, let me correct myself. Big crush, you have a big crush on her.”
“I do not.” Franziska protested. “To suggest such a foolish thing…shame on you, Miles Edgeworth!”
“Yet you wrote her a love letter.” Edgeworth rebutted.
“…I hate your logic, Miles Edgeworth.”
“Too bad, it’s a core part of my personality.”
Franziska scoffed.
“So…are you going to send that letter to Ms. Fey at some point?” Edgeworth asked.
Franziska gasped in horror.
“That’s not an answer, Franziska.” Edgeworth said.
“You want an answer, Miles Edgeworth?” Franziska said, starting to scowl. “Then my answer is no. I am not going to send this letter to Maya Fey, and I never will.”
“Franziska.”
“Do not “Franziska” me, Miles Edgeworth.” Franziska snapped.
“You should send that letter.” Edgeworth said, completely ignoring what Franziska had just said.
Franziska gasped in horror again.
“Still not an answer, Franziska.”
“Well, answer this Miles Edgeworth. Why should I ever send this letter to Maya Fey?” Franziska demanded.
“Franziska, you know that feelings you have for Ms. Fey will never go away.” Edgeworth said, adding when he saw Franziska open her mouth. “Writing more letters won’t help, either.”
Franziska scoffed derisively.
“I’m just saying, it’d be better if you told her your feelings. It’d be good for you and your feelings. Besides, Ms. Fey isn’t going to be single forever, you should at least try while you still have the chance.” Edgeworth said.
“I am not taking advice from someone of your…romantic status.” Franziska said, eyeing Edgeworth down judgmentally.
Edgeworth paused and then asked in an offended tone. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t know.” Franziska said, feigning ignorance.
Edgeworth sighed. “I don’t even know why I even try to help you.”
“Because you’re my brother.” Franziska answered.
“That I am.” Edgeworth said, smiling slightly.
Franziska smiled back, but only slightly too.
“You know, you still should send Ms. Fey the letter.”
“Okay, you should leave.” Franziska said, getting up and pushing Edgeworth out of the room.
“I don’t know why you’re so adamant on not sending that letter.” Edgeworth began.
“Goodbye, Miles Edgeworth.” Franziska said, ignoring what Edgeworth was saying.
“Franziska, you know you can’t deny those feelings forever.” Edgeworth continued, ignoring that Franziska ignored him. “At some point, those bottled up feelings will explode someho-“
Franziska cut him off by slamming the door in his face. She heard Edgeworth call out her name a few times, before giving up and walking away. Once he was gone, Franziska slumped against the door and groaned.
That was a disaster.
━━━━ ❰ · ❉ · ❱ ━━━━
Surprisingly, writing the letter had helped Franziska…a little.
Writing the letter had helped enough that Franziska was able to work again, so that was a victory that she was willing to take. She still thought about Maya Fey of course, but some small part of Franziska knew that she’d never stop thinking about Maya Fey. That was fine with Franziska, she never really wanted to stop thinking about Maya. She just…wanted to stop thinking about her so goddamn much. Which mind you, was a lot before she wrote the letter. Franziska thought about the letter sometimes too, despite shoving it into the farthest depths that her desk could manage in an effort to ignore the letter for the rest of her life. The letter was embarrassing no matter how much time passed, and she wanted nobody to read it, ever.
Her first few days of writing the letter, she had checked her desk drawer to make sure that it was still there, which it thankfully was. As time passed Franziska checked on her letter less and less, though that never stopped her from thinking about it. The letter was basically her heart out on display for anyone who knew about it to see. How could she not think about it? Though at some point, Franziska had become more comfortable with the knowledge that the letter was…there. She rested easy knowing that the letter would never leave the confines of her drawer, and she was happy with that.
It was a few weeks later when the letter had disappeared.
Well, not disappeared per se.
It was a slow afternoon when Franziska had first noticed that the letter was gone. Franziska had no cases recently, and she had to work on some paperwork. Paperwork was her least favorite part of the job, since it took away time from opportunities to demolish defense attorney’s hopes and dreams. But no matter how much she mildly disliked paperwork, she had promised herself that she would excel in every aspect when it came to work. So she worked on her paperwork, diligently. Though, as Franziska worked she found that her thoughts drifted to Maya Fey. More specifically, it drifted to the letter she had written…
For some odd reason, Franziska wanted to read the letter she had written. She couldn’t explain why, she just felt like it for some reason. Even now when she was an adult, feelings still eluded Franziska. She looked up from her paperwork, glancing at her desk drawer. The letter was in there, waiting for somebody to open it and read Franziska’s every thought about Maya Fey. Only Franziska’s eyes had ever seen the contents of the letter, and only Franziska’s. A weird morbid curiosity washed over Franziska, a curiosity that wanted to read the letter again. It couldn’t hurt, right? She opened the drawer, searching through her neatly organized drawer for the letter. That was when she had discovered something horrifying.
The letter was gone.
Franziska stared at the open drawer, her mind slowly processing the fact that yes, her very private and very embarrassing (not) love letter was missing. It was impossible, Franziska was the epitome of neat, and she remembered putting the letter in the drawer. She couldn’t have misplaced it, she hadn’t touched it since she had shoved it in the drawer. Could someone else have moved it? No, not really. Not many people came to her office, and Franziska would have known if somebody had messed with her stuff. Besides, only two people knew about the letter in the first place. It couldn’t have been Adrian who had stolen the letter, Franziska hadn’t seen her for the past few days. The only other person who knew about the letter was Edgeworth-
Oh my god.
It suddenly clicked in Franziska’s head. It must have been Edgeworth, he was the only person who knew about it. For some reason, Miles Edgeworth had taken the letter.
“That bastard!” Franziska yelled. “That foolishly foolish bastard!”
Franziska felt her blood boil, balling her hands into fists. Why the hell would he take it? She had no idea, but she knew that it wasn’t with good intentions. Miles Edgeworth, the damn bastard, was messing with her. Before she knew it, Franziska had stormed out of her office and was now stomping her way to Edgeworth’s office. Edgeworth’s office wasn’t that far away from her own, so it didn’t take long for her to find it. She barged into his office without even knocking, the dark expression on her face making it obvious that she was pissed. Though, Edgeworth wouldn’t have seen it anyway, as he was sitting at his desk busy reading a book. Seeing Edgeworth’s nonchalance infuriated Franziska even further, the damn bastard was acting innocent.
“Hello Franziska.” Edgeworth said, unfazed by Franziska’s rage.
“Where. Is. It?!” Franziska snarled at him.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Edgeworth said, not even bothering to look up from his book.
“You are lucky that I do not have my whip, fool. Otherwise I would whip you unconscious!” Franziska threatened. “So do not lie to me, foolishly foolish fool. You know what I’m talking about.”
“Really, I have no idea.” Edgeworth said, though Franziska knew he was lying. The foolishly foolish fool was feigning ignorance, as if she would ever fall for that bullshit.
But Franziska knew better.
“The letter, Miles Edgeworth!” Franziska burst out. “The letter to…to her. Where in the hell is it?!”
Edgeworth finally looked up from his book, quirking an eyebrow at Franziska. “Oh, that letter.”
“Yes! That letter!” Franziska pointed an accusatory finger at him. “You took it!”
“I did.” Edgeworth said. “So?”
“So? So?!” Franziska bit her lip, holding back every urge to scream at this goddamn fool. “Miles Edgeworth, that letter was private, and you know it!”
“Don’t worry Franziska.” Edgeworth reassured, though Franziska was not reassured. “I assure you, the only people who will get to see the contents of that letter is Ms. Fey…Maybe Wright too.”
Franziska frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that I gave the letter to Wright.” Edgeworth said.
Franziska’s heart dropped upon hearing that. “Wh…What?”
“I said I gave it to Wright.” Edgeworth repeated.
Franziska let out a deep, long breath. “Miles Edgeworth, please understand that I’m furious, internally screaming, and will burst at any moment. That moment, is now.”
Edgeworth eyed Franziska warily. “Okay…?”
“Thank you, with that being said…” Franziska inhaled, exhaled, and then shouted. “YOU GAVE IT TO THAT FOOL?!”
Edgeworth covered his ears. “Don’t yell, Franziska.”
“How could I not yell?! You gave something very private to a…a…a fool!” Franziska said, absolute fury in her voice. “How could you do something like that, Miles Edgeworth?!”
“Look, let me explain myself okay?” Edgeworth said, closing his book
Franziska nodded, now calming down. “Alright. Explain, now.”
“Thank you.” Edgeworth said, and he began to explain. “I noticed that you liked Ms. Fey and well…I didn’t want you to be in the same situation that I’ve been with Wright for years. I was proud of you when you had written the letter, but I was disappointed when I found out that you were never going to send it. I wanted you to send it, I wanted you to finally get somewhere with your feelings for Ms. Fey and be happy. So…I took it, gave it to Wright, and told him to give it to Ms. Fey.”
Franziska listened to every word intently, glad to find out that Edgeworth didn’t do it with malicious intent. “So…you did with good intentions?”
“Yes.” Edgeworth said, adding in a murmur. “I’m kind of starting to regret it now…”
“Oh.” Franziska almost smiled. Key word: almost. “Thank you, Miles Edgeworth. I’m…grateful that you did it thinking of me.”
“Don’t mention it, Franziska.”
“I won’t.” Franziska said.
Edgeworth frowned.
“But still…I don’t want Maya Fey reading that letter.” Franziska continued. “I’m not ready, not yet.”
“I understand, Franziska.” Edgeworth said, then he sighed. “Unfortunately, I’ve already given the letter to Wright.”
Franziska thought about it for a moment, and she asked. “How long ago did you give it to Phoenix Wright?”
Edgeworth paused, and then answered. “Like, three days ago…?”
“So there’s a chance that Maya Fey hasn’t read it yet.” Franziska said, starting to feel hopeful.
Edgeworth pondered over it for a bit, and then nodded. “Yes, I suppose that’s a possibility. What do you suggest we do?”
Franziska’s hope disappeared as soon as it came. “I don’t know…”
“Well, it’s not like we can break into Wright’s office and steal the letter ourselves before either of them could read it, right?” Edgeworth said, laughing at the thought of it.
Franziska stayed silent, considering that as an option.
“…Right?”
Franziska continued to stay silent.
“R-Right?” Edgeworth stammered, now genuinely concerned.
Franziska gave him a look.
“Shit.”
━━━━ ❰ · ❉ · ❱ ━━━━
“Franziska, this is a terrible idea.”
“And you only have yourself to blame, Miles Edgeworth.”
Edgeworth sighed. “Whatever, let’s just get this over with.”
It was late at night, the perfect time to break into the Wright & Co. Law Offices. Yes, well known (and practically celebrity) prosecutors Miles Edgeworth and Franziska von Karma were breaking into some random defense attorney’s law firm to steal a letter. Well, Phoenix wasn’t some random defense attorney, but that was beside the point. The two were dressed in all black, to better blend into the darkness of the night and not get caught. Edgeworth had scoffed at first at the idea of it, but he quickly agreed when Franziska had glared at him and blamed him for the umpteenth time for this happening in the first place. It was his fault, so he couldn’t exactly argue with her about this.
The two slinked towards the front door of the Wright & Co. Law offices. The lights were turned off, so nobody must have been inside. Either that or Phoenix was taking a nap and turned off the lights, but the two hoped for the former. Edgeworth examined the surroundings for any witnesses, and when he saw that there were no witnesses he turned around to Franziska and gave her a thumbs up. They had crowded around the front door, and when they tried to open the door they had realized that it was locked. They had come across their first obstacle: how to get inside the offices. As Franziska stared at the door in dismay, she then remembered something. She turned to Edgeworth.
“Do you have the spare key Phoenix Wright had given you, Miles Edgeworth?” Franziska asked in a whisper.
“Why are we whispering?” Edgeworth whispered back,
“Oh I don’t know, because we’re committing a crime?” Franziska whispered, accentuating her point by pointing at the door.
“That’s fair.”
“Miles Edgeworth!” Franziska hissed at him
“Oh, sorry.” Edgeworth said, lowering his voice to a whisper.
“Back to the point, do you have the key?”
Edgeworth nodded, taking it out of his pocket and holding it out for her to see. “Yes, here it is.”
“Use it, then!” Franziska urged, raising her voice slightly.
“Shhh!”
“Oh.” Franziska said, lowering her voice too. “Just open the door, Miles Edgeworth.”
Edgeworth nodded, inserting the key in the keyhole and unlocking the door. He gently opened the door, trying his best to open the door without making any noise, which he thankfully didn’t. The two stepped into the offices, noting the still quietness of the place. That was a good sign, right?
“So…where do we look first?” Edgeworth asked.
“I…I didn’t plan that far.” Franziska admitted sheepishly.
“…Franziska.”
Franziska rolled her eyes. “Just look in the bookshelves, I’ll look in the locker drawers. If we can’t find it we’ll try to find it on the desk, and if we still can’t find it we’ll move to the fool’s personal office.”
Edgeworth nodded.
The two went to their respective places, searching diligently for the letter they were finding. It was hard to look for the letter, the entire offices were cluttered with random junk. The place was cluttered with what was probably decades' worth of stuff, and it didn’t help that Phoenix was a hoarder. Mia Fey probably was one, too. Franziska found herself getting frustrated, but she decided to just carry on searching for the damned letter.
“Any luck, Miles Edgeworth?” Franziska asked.
“Nope.” Edgeworth replied. “You?”
“No.”
“Damn it. How hard is it to find a stupid letter?” Edgeworth said, murmuring the last part.
Franziska heard it, though. She frowned. “The letter is not stupid, Miles Edgeworth. And it’s probably hard to find because this office is drowning in foolishly useless junk. Probably because of that fool’s foolish hoarding habits.”
“That’s a fair point.” Edgeworth said. “But 3 years isn’t enough time to accumulate this much stuff. Ms. Fey was probably a hoarder, too.”
“Maya Fey is not a hoarder…”
“I meant Mia Fey.” Edgeworth corrected.
“Oh. Well, call her Mia Fey then. It gets confusing.” Franziska said.
“It doesn’t sound very professional.”
“You are impossible, Miles Edgeworth.” Franziska said, a disapproving tone in her voice.
Edgeworth simply shook his head, and continued to search through the bookshelves with more scrutiny, though he knew that he would never search diligently enough to satisfy Franziska. As he searched, he accidentally jostled a book out of its place. Before he could do anything to stop it, the book fell right on his foot. It hurt like a bitch, so he couldn’t help the words that fell out of his mouth.
“Son of a bitch!” Edgeworth cursed, very loudly.
Franziska snapped her head towards Edgeworth, resisting the urge to facepalm. She was about to shush him when they heard the voice of the last person they wanted to hear.
“Hello?” Phoenix’s voice called out. “Is anyone there?”
Franziska and Edgeworth froze, and they both looked at each other with wide eyes and panicked expressions on their faces.
Before any of them could do anything, they heard the sounds of footsteps slowly getting closer and closer. Phoenix was stood in the office hallway, rubbing his eyes and yawning slightly. It was obvious from his messy hair and wrinkled clothes that he had just woken up from a nap. Once he was done rubbing his eyes, his eyes locked on the two, though his eyes were unfocused. That was when Franziska and Edgeworth knew they were fucked. Phoenix looked at the two, and then rubbed his eyes again to make sure that he wasn’t dreaming, that he was indeed seeing his two friends and courtroom rivals dressed in all black and looking as though they were trying to steal from the place. When he was sure that he wasn’t dreaming, he just stared at the two with the most confused expression that he could make.
“Uhh…” Phoenix looked at Edgeworth, then at Franziska, then back at Edgeworth. “What are you two doing here…?”
“We were just breaking into your offices.” Edgeworth said casually, as if he did it every day.
“Miles Edgeworth!” Franziska snapped, hitting Edgeworth on the arm hard.
“Ow!”
Phoenix blinked, very much confused. “Oh…you know you can just visit, right? I mean, we are friends. You don’t have to break in.”
“Actually, we came here to steal something.” Edgeworth said, still too casual for someone basically admitting to attempting a crime.
“Stop making this worse, Miles Edgeworth.” Franziska hissed at Edgeworth.
“I’m just telling the truth.” Edgeworth hissed back at her.
“…What?” Phoenix looked to Franziska, a questioning look on his face. “Is this true, Franziska?”
“…Yes.” Franziska admitted in a grumble. “We came to steal…” She then mumbled something that neither Phoenix nor Edgeworth heard.
“What’d you say?”
“THE LETTER!” Franziska suddenly shouted. “We came to steal the letter! The letter that Miles Edgeworth gave to you!”
“Oh.” Phoenix nodded, starting to get it. “It’s a letter to Maya, right?”
Franziska’s eyes widened in surprise, and it took Edgeworth slightly shaking her for her to be taken out of her shock. “Uh…yes, it is. How did you know?”
“Well, Maya already read your love letter. She read it with me earlier actually.” Phoenix said.
Oh.
My.
God.
“…There are so many things that are wrong with what you just said, foolishly foolish fool.” Franziska said, starting to scowl. “There is so much wrong with it that I will go through it one by one.”
Phoenix looked at Edgeworth, an eyebrow slightly raised. Edgeworth simply shrugged back.
“First of all, it is not a love letter. I don’t know what in the hell made your dense brain think of that, and if it’s a drug then I’m not interested. I would rather not become moronic.” Franziska began.
“Franziska, anyone who’s read that letter would know that it’s a love letter.” Phoenix pointed out. “It’s so obvious.”
“And besides, you were so secretive about it, and the letter seems to be a sensitive issue. I haven’t read it yet, but you seemed very upset when I told you that I had given it to Wright.” Edgeworth added.
Phoenix nodded in agreement.
Franziska ignored them. “Second of all, Maya Fey should not have read that letter with you. It was a private letter and I would have preferred that it stayed that way.”
“That’s fair.” Phoenix said.
“Hmph, at least you realize your foolishness, fool. I only hope that she hasn’t read it with anyone else.”
“Don’t worry Franziska, I kind of realized that the letter was private once Maya was finished reading it. I told her to not read it to anyone else.” Phoenix replied. “Anyway, continue Franziska.”
“Thank you, fool. And last of all…” Franziska inhaled, and exhaled. She then promptly screamed. “SHE ALREADY WHAT?!”
“Already read it.” Phoenix and Edgeworth both said in unison.
“I know that.” Franziska gritted out. “This would have never happened if you hadn’t given the letter to the fool, Miles Edgeworth. This is all his fault.”
“Now hold on a minute, this isn’t my fault.” Phoenix interjected. “If it’s anyone’s fault it’s Edgeworth’s. He was the one who specifically told me to give the letter to Maya. I only did it cause I trusted him. If I had known it was private I wouldn’t have given it to Maya.”
“…I honestly can’t argue with that.” Was all Edgeworth said.
Franziska shot Edgeworth a pointed glare.
“What?”
“This the worst day of my life.” Franziska groaned out. “The only way this could get worse is if Maya Fey herself walked through that door.”
And of course, because life hated Franziska von Karma, Maya Fey herself did walk through the door.
“Hey Nick, I’m back! And I got burgers!” Maya announced as she opened the door and stepped inside the offices. “I got you a grilled chicken sandwich, though. I swear I don’t understand why you like them so mu-“ She stopped when seeing Edgeworth and Franziska, staring at the two with a shocked expression. Though, that expression soon turned to confusion. “Uh…hi?”
“W-We were just leaving!” Franziska blurted out, hating the way her voice squeaked.
“You were?” Phoenix and Maya asked in unison.
“We were?” Edgeworth asked right after.
“Yes, we were!” Franziska said, grabbing Edgeworth’s arm. “Let’s go now, Miles Edgeworth!” She turned around and was about to drag Edgeworth out of there with her, but she stopped when she heard Maya’s voice.
“Wait, Franziska!” Maya reached out to Franziska, though she hesitated. “Um…”
Franziska spun around, watching Maya with wide tense eyes. “…Yes?”
“I…” Maya looked away shyly, and Franziska could almost see a blush on her cheeks. “I wanted to talk to you about something, if that’s okay…”
“She’d love to talk to you.” Edgeworth said, turning to her with a small dumb smile on his face. “Right, Franziska?”
“I-I would?” Franziska stammered.
“Yeah, you would!” Phoenix chimed in. “In fact, you two should talk somewhere more…” He paused suggestively. “…Private, if you catch my drift.”
Maya looked at Phoenix, confused. “…We should?”
“Yes, you should!” Phoenix said, grabbing Edgeworth’s arm. “You two talk, we’ll be in my personal office talking about work stuff.”
“We have very important…work matters to discuss. Boring work matters.” Edgeworth said, that damn smile never leaving his face. “So you two can talk while we discuss said important boring work matters.”
“Mhmm!” Phoenix grinned, waving to Maya. “Bye you two!”
Maya and Franziska watched as Phoenix dragged Edgeworth into his personal office, leaving the two girls alone in the room. The awkward silence was deafening, and Franziska hated it. Though thankfully Maya had quickly broken said awkward silence.
“Um…about the letter…” Maya finally spoke up.
Franziska braced herself for the inevitable disaster that was about to happen. “…Yes?”
“Did you mean it?” Maya asked. “Like, everything you wrote in the letter. Did you mean it?”
“I meant every word of it, Maya Fey.” Franziska said, then adding with a laugh. “I really couldn’t work for weeks because I kept thinking of you.”
“Aw, Franziska…” Maya trailed off, a smile on her face. “That’s really sweet…”
“Thank you, Maya Fey.” Franziska said. She then asked, very hesitantly. “Have you been, thinking of me too…?”
“…Yeah. I have.” Maya admitted. “I’ve been thinking about you a lot, too. It’s kinda hard not to. You’re…you.”
Franziska raised an eyebrow. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
Maya laughed softly. “Good thing, it’s a good thing.”
Franziska’s heart skipped a beat when hearing Maya’s laugh.
Damn it, stupid heart.
Franziska briefly glanced behind Maya, spotting Phoenix and Edgeworth watching the two from the hallway that led to Phoenix’s personal office and the bathroom. The damn fools were watching them, and Franziska was tempted to punch them in their foolishly foolish faces. Oh, that would have been so satisfying and gratifying, and she would have done it if Maya wasn’t there. The two fools must have noticed Franziska spotting them, as they had both started making fools of themselves by mouthing words at her.
“Ask her out, idiot!” Miles mouthed to Franziska.
“You can do it!” Phoenix mouthed too, giving her a thumbs up.
Franziska cringed inwardly.
“Um…Are you okay, Franziska?” Maya asked.
Franziska looked back at Maya, and nodded. “Yes, I’m quite alright Maya Fey…” She hesitated, and then decided to just shoot her shot. “So…would you like to go out tonight, Maya Fey? For dinner? I know you already have burgers…but you can just bring it with you.”
Maya grinned. “Are you asking me out on a date?”
“…Maybe.” Franziska said, grinning back.
“Alright then.” Maya said, then asking. “Sooo…does that make us girlfriends?”
Franziska shrugged, still grinning. “I suppose it does, Maya Fey.”
“Let’s go then, girlfriend.” Maya said with a giggle.
“Alright then.” Franziska said, walking to the door with Maya. She opened the door before Maya could. “After you, girlfriend.”
“Ooh la la! You’re such a gentlewoman, Franziska.” Maya said.
Franziska bowed. “Anything for you, Maya Fey.”
The two girls laughed with each other, and it was…nice. It was nice for Maya Fey to finally know how she felt, to know that she felt the same way, to be…comfortable with her. It was more than nice actually, it was amazing. Franziska almost wished that she had sent the letter sooner, if she had known that it would end up like this. She would have sent that letter in a heartbeat. When the girls were done laughing, they exited out of the offices and closed the doors after themselves. As soon as the two girls had gone, Phoenix and Edgeworth turned to each other with proud smiles on their faces.
“I can’t believe they finally got together…” Edgeworth said.
Phoenix wiped away a tear. “My assistant is all grown up now.”