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Phoenix’s phone buzzed for the fourth time in as many minutes. As quickly as he could, he checked the notification and rolled his eyes, determined to answer it later. Once Miles wouldn’t tell him off for not paying attention to the movie again. Apparently, it was imperative that he understood the full Steel Samurai lore. Miles’s words, not his.
Still, he knew exactly who was messaging him and exactly what their problem was. Maya in a gay panic. Again. Inwardly, he was laughing at her. Outwardly, he was focusing on the Steel Samurai and the rapt attention of the man next to him. It didn’t seem to matter how many times Miles watched the movies or the show, he was just as into it as ever.
It wasn’t exactly Phoenix’s favourite way to pass the time, but Miles had invited him over again and there was no way he was going to miss that chance.
Since Iris and the Hazakura case, Miles had gone out of his way to spend more time with him. They’d gone out for dinners and lunches almost once a week, and hung out in each other’s homes whenever they had the chance. After a year of tentative long-distance friendship, it was nice to have him around so often, even nicer that they were able to continue their friendship in person even after everything that had happened.
Even if he sometimes wished it was a little more than that. Maybe it was more than sometimes. More like all the time. But he was content with that he had for now. After everything they’d been through, it was a wonder they’d been able to manage a proper friendship in the first place.
The credits rolled on the latest episode and Phoenix took the chance to check his phone. Maya had messaged him a few more times since he’d last looked, demanding his attention. And she called him a useless gay. Actually, if she knew he was with Edgeworth again she’d probably completely forget her own problems just to bully him.
The thought put a frown on his face, one Miles immediately noticed. “Is everything alright?” he asked, leaning forward in his seat until his shoulder brushed Phoenix’s.
“Oh, it’s just Maya,” Phoenix answered with a laugh, gesturing with his phone. “She’s complaining again.”
Miles’s responding smile was a mix of fond and amused, a smile Phoenix was starting to see more and more often. “About what?”
“Uhh…” Phoenix replied, glancing down at the frantic spam of messages on his phone. Another came through as he looked, just his name misspelled and written in all caps. At least none of the pertinent information was visible. He wasn’t exactly sure what Miles would do if he knew it was about his sister. Or what Maya would do if she found out that Miles knew about her exploits.
Miles snorted at it. “If it’s private, you don’t need to tell me,” he said, as serious as ever. Stupidly, Phoenix’s heart fluttered as the familiar behaviour. At the way Miles simply always was.
“No, no, it just…” he said and winced. It was Miles, surely he wouldn’t be too upset about Maya and Franziska doing whatever it was they were doing. Aside from panicking. “It has to do with Franziska.”
Miles’s face morphed between far too many emotions for Phoenix to understand. “Oh?” he said, a little choked. It was hard not to laugh at him, but Phoenix managed it. “Did something happen between them? I thought they were friends. As much as Franziska can manage friends, that is.”
“They are, they are!” Phoenix replied, tucking his phone away and reaching out a hand to reassure Miles. “Well, for now anyway.”
“Phoenix, you are not making it any clearer. What happened between our sisters?” Miles asked, voice nearing a growl.
Phoenix chuckled and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Maya might have kissed her and now she’s got no idea if they’re together or not,” he blurted and as laughter threatened to take him over again at the mere mention of the whole mess, added, “and she calls me a disaster.”
For a long moment, there was silence. Then the Steel Samurai theme song blared to life. Jolting, Miles fumbled for the remote and paused the show, eyes still locked on Phoenix’s face. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to tell him anything, but if he was being honest, Phoenix mostly just wanted someone to laugh about it with.
But Miles didn’t look angry. No, he looked confused, that was for sure. Confused and a little shocked. Seconds passed as Phoenix waited for the cogs to turn in his mind, for him to land on whatever conclusion and ask whatever questions he needed. It would probably be something like ‘since when?’ or ‘why on Earth did Maya think that was a good idea?’.
Miles opened his mouth and Phoenix leaned back in his seat, ready for whatever chaos he had unleashed.
“Shouldn’t… Shouldn’t they just know?” Miles asked.
That… was nowhere near what he expected. Phoenix gaped, unable to grasp the words for far longer than he wanted to admit. “What do you mean?” he eventually asked, the words slow and confused.
Miles heaved a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose like he always did when he thought Phoenix was being an idiot. “When two people are in a relationship, it’s something that know instinctually,” he explained, watching Phoenix pointedly, like there was something he was missing. There definitely was, but there was no way he was going to figure it out. “Franziska especially should understand that.”
“What?” Phoenix said. He shifted towards Miles and met the raised eyebrows of his friend. “Edgeworth, that’s not how that works. You gotta talk about that stuff. Communication is like, the most important part of a relationship. You can’t just jump into one without talking about it.”
It was Miles’s turn to look confused. His smug expression morphing into a scrunched face and lips that parted and closed more than once before words spilled out. “But… But that’s what happened with us.”
“Wait,” Phoenix squeaked, barely holding in near hysterical laughter. “What?”
“Us. Our relationship,” Miles said, voice almost growl-like. His hand reached out, as if to touch, then curled back in on itself to sit clenched on Miles’s lap. Phoenix couldn’t take his eyes off it, his mind racing. “We simply knew.”
Phoenix was going insane. That had to be it. Either that, or it was some strange fever dream. He was asleep on Miles’s couch and some odd plotline in whatever Steel Samurai episode they were watching was seeping in. But the longer he waited and the longer he stared at Miles, the more sure he became that it wasn’t any kind of dream. For whatever reason, Miles believed they were what, dating? God, if only.
Where the hell had he gotten that idea from?
“Miles…” he said as gently as possible, holding up a placating hand. “We’re not in a relationship.”
Saying the words hurt, like he was breaking up with someone he wasn’t even dating. God, maybe he should just go along with it; he’d finally have the man he always longed for. But it wouldn’t be fair to either of them. Whatever was going on, they needed to talk about it. Because Phoenix couldn’t remember ever telling Miles that they were together. He would have remembered if it had. It would have been the best day of his life.
Miles made a noise in the back of his throat, offended. “We most certainly are!” he cried, face turned red with a mix of embarrassment and anger. He gestured towards the paused television. “Why do you think you’re here?”
“I thought you just wanted to spend time with me,” Phoenix squeaked. Maybe it was a parallel universe? Maybe Maya’s magatama had finally decided he deserved to be screwed with a little more and put him in some weird parallel universe where he was lucky enough to be with Miles Edgeworth.
The more he tried to think about it, the more confusing it all became.
“I do,” Miles said, still speaking like Phoenix was the idiot. Usually, he was. Maybe he still was. “Because we’re in a relationship and have been for the last three months.”
“Three— Miles, where did you even get that idea from?” he asked, desperate. “You— There hasn’t been any sign that you think we’re together.”
Another droll look, but Phoenix could tell Miles was starting to panic just as much as he was. “I call you my partner on a regular basis, Phoenix,” he said.
“I thought you meant like a work partner!”
Hysterical laugher rang out around the room; Phoenix couldn’t tell which of them it had come from.
“You have called me your partner in return more than once,” Miles told him. He took a deep breath, nostrils flared and failing to hide the frustration in his eyes. Phoenix felt like he did when he’d presented the wrong evidence in court, lost and struggling to connect the dots.
“I was just returning the favour! I didn’t realise you meant it romantically!” he cried and dropped his head into his hands just for the chance to not have to look at anything. “Jesus, Miles.”
There was silence after that, though Phoenix could feel Miles’s eyes on him. All the moments they had called each other partner came back in an embarrassing rush. So often in the courthouse, Miles would call him ‘partner’ with that little smirk of his that did nothing but make Phoenix’s knees week. God, Miles had introduced him to people as his partner. And Phoenix had done the same thing once.
How the hell hadn’t he noticed that Miles meant it romantically? That he actually considered them to be in a relationship?
Miles sighed, and the sound was enough to pull Phoenix back to their mess of a conversation. “I thought it was quite obvious,” Miles muttered. He was the one now who couldn’t make eye contact, his gaze focused somewhere on the living room rug. Phoenix ached to reach out and do something, he wasn’t quite sure what.
“How?” he asked, trying to keep his voice as gentle as possible. “We haven’t even gone on a date or—”
“We have,” Miles snapped. Phoenix jolted away, his hands trapped on his lap once more. “What do you think all those dinners and lunches were?”
“Wait, those were dates? I thought you were just trying to be a better friend,” Phoenix answered before he could stop himself. They’d been out so many times together. Miles always made sure they saw each other regularly, even if it was only for a quick lunch. Phoenix had just thought he was trying to be more consistent.
“I took you to candlelit dinners, Phoenix,” Miles said.
“Wasn’t that you just being fancy?” Phoenix asked, voice starting to verge on desperate.
“No,” Miles hissed.
“Okay…” he said. Miles still wouldn’t meet his eyes, cheeks flushed with embarrassment that Phoenix had put there. God, how had he not seen what Miles was trying to do? “Okay, well, you say we’ve been together for three months, but you’ve never kissed me or shown any kind of affection towards me.”
That finally got Miles to look at him again and relief coursed through him. His cheeks were still red ,and his eyebrows were still knitted together, and he looked like the top thing on his list of priorities from probably smacking Phoenix, but at least he was looking at him. His hand gripped the opposite elbow, bunching up the fabric of the nice shirt he wore. Phoenix wanted to grab it, wanted to unclench those fingers and hold them in his own.
“It should be obvious that physical affection is not something that comes easily to me,” Miles muttered, sighing like he did only when he was at his most exhausted. “I would happily reciprocate, but I thought it best if you initiated that sort of thing. I would be more comfortable knowing that you wanted it.”
“So, what? You’ve just been waiting for me to do something?” Phoenix asked. “And that didn’t clue you in that we might not be on the same page?”
“I figured you were taking your time, especially after everything with Iris,” Miles said. “Besides, I was happy enough just spending time with you knowing that my respect and love was returned.” He cast his back to the floor, curling further in on himself. “I see now that I was mistaken.”
Phoenix’s mind stuttered, repeating Miles’s words over and over again. “L—Love?” he squeaked.
“What?”
“You love me?” It took all his effort to ask, but he needed to know. After everything, he needed to know. He inched closer to Miles, desperate to take in the words, to ink them into his skin.
Miles gaped at him, his soft lips only barely parted. He was beautiful, even in his embarrassment. And maybe Phoenix should have been more focused on the conversation and the revelations that had come from it, but all he could think about was how gorgeous Miles was, and how much he loved him.
“I… I do,” Miles said, soft. There was a smile on his face for only a moment, before it turned back into his usual frown. “I had thought that too was obvious. It’s not often that I’m willing to admit I’m wrong.”
Phoenix’s breath was caught in his throat, and he found that he couldn’t look away from Miles, not for a second.
“You actually love me…” he whispered, as if the words would take themselves back if he acknowledged them too loudly.
“For some reason,” Miles said.
“Holy shit,” Phoenix said. He inched ever closer to Miles. Finally, he knew exactly what he needed to do.
“Phoenix—” Miles started, frustrated, but Phoenix reached over and cupped his face before he could continue. He didn’t wait, even though he probably should have, and kissed him.
There was nothing for a long second, just the soft press of lips against his own. Then Miles was moving, shifting closer to him, and resting a hand on the crook of his neck. Phoenix made a soft noise in the back of his throat and melted into the kiss. He let his hand wander into Miles’s hair and almost groaned at the feeling of it, at finally being able to touch him the way he’d longed to for so long.
As quickly as it started, it ended. Phoenix pulled away before he could get too lost in it, barely holding back the broad smile that threatened to pull at his lips. “If you’d actually said something about dating me, we could have done that three months ago,” he said.
Miles swallowed. His face was still red, but hopefully now for a completely different reason. “Noted,” he said and licked his lips.
Phoenix couldn’t stop himself from leaning forward and kissing him again. Chaste and gentle, Phoenix adored the way Miles brushed his thumb along his cheekbone. His hands grabbed at Miles’s shirt, pulling him closer until he could feel the heat of him against his chest.
“It is reciprocated, by the way,” he said when they pulled away. His heart was beating like a drum in his chest, his entire body overwhelmed by the fact that he finally kissed Miles Edgeworth. “The respect and love, I mean.”
“Ah,” Miles replied, and Phoenix didn’t bother holding back his laugh this time. “Good to know.”
They sat like that for a long while, arms wrapped around each other. Miles didn’t play the show again and honestly Phoenix was grateful. If there anything that could ruin a mood more than Miles thinking they were in a relationship without actually saying anything, it was playing Steel Samurai immediately after kissing him for the first time. But also, it seemed like something Miles would do.
“I wish you’d actually said something,” Phoenix said with a sigh. He grabbed Miles’s hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. “What makes you think that people should just know they’re in a relationship without talking about it?”
Miles took a moment to answer, his gaze flicking between Phoenix’s hand and his face. His lips were red, his cheeks flushed and the fact that it was Phoenix that had done that to him was almost a shock. “That seemed like the most obvious way to deal with it. If the feelings are returned, does it not make sense that you would then be in a relationship?” Miles explained.
“Only if both people know the feelings are returned,” Phoenix said. The whole thing made him want to laugh harder than he had in a long time, but he doubted Miles would take it that well. And he wanted to be able to keep holding his hand, for however long he could. “How was I supposed to know you loved me back? Actually, how did you know I loved you? I thought I was good at keeping that quiet.”
“The way you looked at me sometimes, especially after the Hazakura case,” Miles whispered. There was a sheepish smile on his face, like he was remembering the exact looks Phoenix would give him.
Phoenix knew which ones he was talking about too. Whenever they were alone (or just with Maya) and Miles wasn’t looking at him, Phoenix would take the chance to simply look. At the line of his jaw, at the hidden smile on his face, at the way he had become more and more relaxed with every day that passed. He never realised Miles had actually noticed him doing it, and had known what it meant.
“Yeah, well, I’ve been pretty gone on you for a while now, so I guess that makes sense,” he said. “But Miles, you have to get better at communicating.”
“I have been,” Miles said and moved to cross his arms over his chest, only to stop when he remembered one of his hands was currently being held by Phoenix.
And he had been, that much was true. He regularly told Phoenix how he was feeling, albeit not in much detail, but it was a start. He called regularly, not just to Phoenix but to Maya and Franziska as well, and spent time with them when it was possible. Miles was doing well, but he still had a long way to go.
“Okay, true, but I meant about our relationship,” Phoenix said.
Miles looked up fast enough that it gave Phoenix whiplash. “Oh, so you’re admitting we’re in one now, are you?” he asked, a single eyebrow raised.
“Well, we’ve both said we love each other. I think that’s a pretty good signal that we should be,” Phoenix said. He moved closer, the space between them suddenly feeling too large. He cupped Miles’s face and ran his thumb along the soft skin of his cheekbone. “I want to be with you, if you’ll let me.”
“I already let you,” Miles said, voice harsh despite the way he melted into Phoenix’s hands.
“Nope! Dating starts now. Be my partner,” Phoenix said and jabbed him in the chest with his finger.
Miles batted it away with a scoff. “Of course. But…”
“But?” Phoenix said, eyebrows raised. Of course, there was more. With Miles, there was always more. Still, there was a rush of giddiness at how quickly Miles had agreed to be with him. Granted, he’d thought they were already together, but still!
“We’ll still have to say we’ve been together for three months already,” Miles said.
“What? Why?”
“Franziska knows.”
“How did Franziska know before I did?” Phoenix asked. As if she knew they were talking about her, Phoenix’s phone went off again. Another desperate text from Maya demanding him to acknowledge her turmoil. Phoenix was pretty sure he had dealt with far worse than her in the last ten minutes.
“I told her,” Miles said and at least had the wherewithal to look a little sheepish.
Phoenix spluttered for a moment, brain running a mile a minute. “You told her and not me?” he asked, incredulous. “Okay, seriously, Miles, you need to promise me you’ll tell me whenever something comes up about our relationship. Doesn’t matter how big or small it is, you need to tell me.”
“Of course, Phoenix,” Miles replied and shifted against him, pressing as much of their bodies together as possible. “I’ll try.”
“Thank you. That’s all I ask.”
It was comfortable, the silence that followed after. They sat as close to each other as they possibly could. The quiet gave Phoenix time to sort through everything that had happened, to come to terms with the fact that he was in a relationship with Miles Edgeworth. With Miles! He’d had to rub it in Maya’s face later. There was no way she could hang shit on him anymore.
As long as she never found out that Miles had believed them to be together and he’d never had a clue. She’d never let him live that down.
Miles made a soft little noise in the back of his throat and leaned to the side until his head rested on Phoenix’s shoulder. It was such a simple little movement, but Phoenix felt his stomach swoop, disbelief and unbridled happiness coursing through him.
“I would like to kiss you again,” Miles whispered into the crook of his neck.
“See, already getting used to it, huh?” Phoenix said, unable to hold back a grin.
Miles pulled back just to glare at him, which was both a win and a loss. “Phoenix…” he grumbled, glaring harder when Phoenix laughed at him again.
“Yeah, yeah, sweetheart. I’ve got you,” Phoenix whispered. He ducked down before either one of them could acknowledge the pet name and kissed Miles firmly on the lips. He kept it gentle and chaste, letting Miles take what he wanted.
And take, he did. Miles pushed forward, until Phoenix’s back was pressed against the couch, and licked at the seam of his lips. Phoenix groaned and clutched at Miles hair, his shirt, his waist, anywhere he could reach. He couldn’t say how long they were like that, clinging to each other, pausing only to suck in the smallest of breaths before they were together again.
Slowly, eventually, they pulled away. Miles rested his forehead against Phoenix’s and then spent long moments sharing the same air. Phoenix chuckled, breathless. “One hell of a three-month anniversary, isn’t it?” he said.
“Actually,” Miles told him in his usual haughty tone. “That will be on Friday.”
“How do you even know that?” Phoenix asked.
“I kept the date of our first date saved for future reference,” Miles replied and jabbed him in the chest. Elation coursed through Phoenix from that single point of touch. “I am not going to be the one to forget our anniversary, Wright.”
Usually, Phoenix would make some kind of joke out of Miles using his last name again, especially when he’d been going to so much effort to not use it. This time, his mind was focused on something completely different.
“You want to be with me for that long,” he whispered, awestruck.
“Of course, I do,” Miles replied. “As long as you’ll have me.”
Phoenix pulled them down until they lay in a sprawled heap along the couch, ignoring the put-upon noise Miles made. His phone dinged again, but he left it fall to the floor. Maya could wait. Everything could wait. Miles was in his arms and that was all that mattered. Although… maybe he should thank Maya for kissing Franziska and having a crisis at him.
He wouldn’t have found out probably for a long time if she hadn’t. He didn’t want to imagine what would have happened if Miles thought they were further along in a relationship he didn’t even know about. Knowing his luck, he would have found out when he finally had the guts to ask Miles out. That would have made for an awkward conversation.
He shook his head to rid himself of the thoughts and planted a sloppy kiss on Miles’s cheek. “Oh, God. Miles, I love you so much,” he said. “I hope you’re alright with me being all over you.”
“I’d like nothing more,” Miles said. There was something about the ease of his smile that had Phoenix’s heart fluttering.
“You’re gonna regret believing that I simply knew, Miles,” he replied, eyebrows raised and a pointed look on his face. Miles huffed a laugh against his chest. “You’re gonna wish you’d told me months ago.”
“Oh? Is that so?” Miles asked, glancing up at him from where his head rested on Phoenix’s chest. There was a look in his eyes, a look Phoenix had only ever dreamed of seeing. It made him flush from his ears to his chest. “Prove it.”
He grinned and reached out a hand, cupping Miles’s cheek and sighing when his partner leaned into it. “With pleasure.”