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“We had a sub today,” Trucy called out as she walked into the kitchen to get her afternoon snack.
“SWEET MOTHER OF PEARLS,” Phoenix yelped from his spot on the couch, knocking over his glass of water and scattering the newspaper he had been reading across the carpet. He scowled. He had been in the middle of an article detailing the earthquake that had happened last night - it was apparently one of a decent enough size, though Phoenix himself had completely slept right through it. “Nice of you to make yourself known, Truce. Thanks for the heart attack.”
“Oh yeah, hi, I’m home.” Trucy munched on a graham cracker.
Phoenix groaned, trying to regain his bearings. Trucy normally didn’t come home for another half hour. She had recently begun spending time after school getting tutoring help from her teacher, who reported she was making leaps and bounds in math. Phoenix normally would have been delighted at her progress, but the meeting in which he had been informed of her initial struggles was… well…
He had tried so hard to forget that single night of passion. More specifically, the man who had spent that night writhing and moaning underneath him, nibbling at Phoenix’s ear and waxing poetic sweet nothings into the pressing darkness of the room. It was just supposed to be a one night stand, no strings attached - really, it was - but he was charming and clever and undoubtedly the most handsome man Phoenix had ever met, and, ever since then, he had starred in an embarrassingly high number of Phoenix’s late night fantasies.
It was just Phoenix’s luck then, naturally, that his favorite fantasy also happened to be his daughter’s teacher.
The parent-teacher conference that had occurred a little over month ago had been the most uncomfortable thing Phoenix had ever been through. He was amazed that Trucy didn’t question him about the awkwardness of it all for the next week. Still though, despite previous… encounters, it was strange for Mr. Edgeworth to miss a single day of work. He had apparently never missed more than one in his entire time at Trucy’s school.
“That’s odd.” Phoenix stood and grabbed a rag from the linen closet, mopping up his spilled drink. “Do you know why?”
Trucy shook her head as she took out her homework.
Phoenix hummed. Mr. Edgeworth was probably just sick, or maybe took the day off. But… he was still worried. He pulled out a piece of paper and began to write a short letter.
‘Dear Mr. Edgeworth,
Trucy told me you were out yesterday. I wanted to make sure everything was okay.
Yours,
Phoenix Wright’
“Trucy? Can you give something to Mr. Edgeworth for me tomorrow?”
~
The following day, Trucy came home at her normal hour. Phoenix had just gotten off the phone with Maya, (“Nick, What do you mean you slept with Trucy’s teacher?!”) and was in the middle of prepping dinner when Trucy burst in, throwing her backpack on the breakfast table and pulling out her books.
“Hi Daddy!”
“Hi Trucy. How was your day?"
“Great! Mr. Edgeworth’s back. Oh!” She dug into her backpack. “Here, he told me to give you this.” She pulled out a small letter and held it up triumphantly.
Phoenix clumsily wiped his hands on his jeans and grabbed the letter. The envelope had ‘Phoenix Wright’ written neatly on the front. He opened it and quickly read the contents.
'Dear Mr. Wright,
Thank you for your concern. I assure you all is well; I just needed some time off for myself. I hope I didn’t cause any alarm.
On the subject of your daughter, I wish to ask you if I could spend a little extra time after school with her this Thursday. It would be no more than an hour. I would like to go over the lesson I was absent for in extra detail. This would mean, however, the school buses will no longer be in operation, and you will have to pick her up yourself.
Yours,
Miles Edgeworth’
Phoenix smiled, tracing the elegant script with his index finger. He could faintly hear the words in Edgeworth’s own rich voice.
Phoenix put the letter down and quickly wrote his reply. “Trucy?”
“Yeah, Daddy?”
“Do you mind spending a little extra time after school on Thursday? Mr. Edgeworth wants to go over some extra lessons.”
“Sure! I had no idea what he was talking about in class today anyway.”
~
Phoenix walked down the hallway, admiring the bulletin board decorated with art by the third grade class. He knew where Edgeworth’s room was, but he was a bit early - most of the school was deserted by this point and he wasn’t entirely sure when Trucy would be finished. His attention was only caught when Trucy herself appeared from the nearby classroom a few moments later.
“Hi Daddy! We’re all done. I have to pee really quick, I’ll be right back!” She quickly disappeared down the hall and into the bathroom.
Someone coughed. “Hello, Mr. Wright.” Phoenix turned his head to see Edgeworth standing in the door of his classroom. He wore a red sweater and his hair was slicked back. He had never looked more handsome.
“H-hi.” Silence hung between them, heavy. Edgeworth had a light blush on his face and avoided eye contact. Phoenix wasn’t entirely sure where to look either; he didn’t particularly want to be caught staring by the very man that had consumed his thoughts.
Edgeworth pushed the door to his room open a little wider. “Why don’t you come in?”
Phoenix nodded, striding into the room. He leaned on the desk he assumed was next to Trucy’s, stuffing his suddenly clenched fists into his pockets. “It’s nice to see you again.”
Edgeworth trailed in slowly after him, seeming to hesitate. He let out a deep breath before relaxing slightly. “The pleasure is all mine. I, ah, wanted to thank you for your letter. It was sweet of you to think of me.”
Phoenix smiled gently. “‘Course.”
Edgeworth shifted on his feet. “I apologize if this is too much to ask, but… does Trucy know about… that…?”
Phoenix felt his heart constrict. “Oh God, no. Not at all.”
Edgeworth sighed again and leaned against his own desk with a relieved smile. Even that was enough for Phoenix to get butterflies in his stomach. “That’s good. I was worried.”
Phoenix chuckled.
Edgeworth grabbed a nearby paper off his desk and walked next to Phoenix, his smile widening. “In any case, you really must see Trucy’s math scores. They’ve improved dramatically since our last meeting.”
Phoenix read her recent homework scores and grinned back. His little girl was doing much better and he couldn't help the feeling of pride that swelled in his chest. Phoenix couldn’t ask for a better teacher for his daughter. It was also inexplicably endearing to see Edgeworth so passionate about his work.
“This is great!” Phoenix looked up, wanting to hear more about Trucy’s progress, and realized just how close he and Edgeworth were. Edgeworth stared back, entranced.
“...Do you know, I’ve loved your eyes since the moment I met you,” Miles whispered.
“I - thank you,” Phoenix quietly replied. He colored slightly and looked away. “I’ve thought of you every night since then, you know.”
“…I as well.”
Phoenix’s breath caught in his throat and he turned back slightly. This couldn’t be real. This was all too wonderful. He could just lean forward and kiss Edgeworth right then and there.
“Phoenix, I don’t know what to do now. I’ve… never exactly been in this position before.” Edgeworth’s face turned pink.
Phoenix awkwardly laughed. “Me neither.” He scratched the back of his neck, inwardly wincing at his sudden nervousness. “Do you want to start over? Maybe join me for dinner some time?”
Miles paused, considering. “Not until the end of the school year.”
“When is that?”
“A little over two months from now.”
Phoenix smiled, dropping his hands. “Hey. I can wait.”
Edgeworth smiled back and moved towards his desk. “Here--,” he said, quickly scribbling something onto a scrap of paper and holding it out, “--my number.”
Phoenix took it, heart flipping as their fingers touched.
“Daddy? Mr. Edgeworth? What’re you talking about?”
Phoenix started, instinctively turning towards Trucy’s abrupt reentrance into the classroom. “Mr. Edgeworth was just telling me how great you’re doing in math,” he said, smiling. “Now go grab your things, okay? We still have to pack for Aunt Maya’s tomorrow.”
Phoenix and Miles shared one final glance as Trucy collected her things, and Phoenix made a mental note to mark the last day of school on his personal calendar.