Work Text:
Phoenix knew he was in trouble as soon as he heard his apartment door slam.
Miles was usually as careful with closing doors as he was with everything else in life, and rarely let them make a noise at all when he shut them.
"Wright!" An irate voice echoed down the hallway.
Yep, he was definitely in for it.
"Hey Miles!" Phoenix greeted as cheerily as he could. "How was work?"
Miles stormed into the living room, clutching a piece of paper in a white-knuckled grip. A piece of paper Phoenix recognised. "Don't 'hey Miles' me," he snapped. "What the hell is this?"
"Um... looks like a piece of paper," Phoenix said, then he winced as Miles narrowed his eyes. For all his remarks on Phoenix's intelligence, Miles could see through his every attempt to play dumb.
"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Miles asked.
"Well, we agreed to keep our personal and professional lives secret, didn't we?" Phoenix offered, but that didn't seem to placate his husband.
Miles glared at him. "That's funny. Because I think if we end up working the same case, it'll be difficult for us to do that."
Phoenix glanced again at the paper - a defendant's request to have him as an attorney, which had been approved. "I told Gumshoe not to tell you. I should've known he couldn’t keep a secret from you."
"And I told you to stay away from this case," Miles said coldly. It was true - when Miles had been assigned to prosecute the trial for a suspect of a string of murders, he'd warned Phoenix to stay out of it.
"Look, I know you don't want us to work on the same cases anymore, but the defendant approached me and asked me to defend them." Phoenix said. "I'm sure our marriage will survive this."
Miles sighed, sinking into the sofa beside Phoenix. He looked defeated, in a way Phoenix didn't see often. "It's not about that," he said. "This case is dangerous, Nick. I don't want you getting hurt."
"I can look after myself, I just need to do this for them," Phoenix said.
"I know, I just worry," Miles said, tugging at his hair. "I love you, okay?"
In the silence that followed, a grin spread across Phoenix's face. "Sorry, I didn't quite hear you. Could you repeat that?"
"Fuck you," Miles grumbled, pouting. "Don't make me say it again."
"Aw, Miles. Are you getting shy?" Phoenix laughed.
"Why did I marry you?" Miles sighed.
"Because you love me," Phoenix teased, poking Miles' shoulder.
Miles scowled, but his eyes softened.
Phoenix cleared his throat. "Edgeworth..."
"That's Prosecutor Edgeworth-Wright, to you," Miles said with a smirk.
"You called me Wright earlier."
"Yes, because I was mad at you."
"Are you still?"
Miles tapped his chin, looking into the distance. "I don't know," he said eventually.
"I won't take the case if you don't want me to," Phoenix conceded, but Miles shook his head.
"You can take it. I know you wouldn't want to turn someone down who needs you," Miles said with a soft smile. "That's the thing about you, Phoenix. You can't help but help people. It's... one of the things I love about you."
Phoenix smiled, genuinely this time, with not an ounce if guilt or a hint of teasing. Well, maybe a little hint of teasing. "I love you too, Miles," he said, bringing his husband's hand to his lips.
Miles turned away to try and hide the blush that covered his face. "Stop that," he whined, his voice far more petulant than he would let anyone other than Phoenix hear. Then he sighed and looked Phoenix in the eyes. "You know I don't appreciate you hiding things from me, especially things that affect me. But I understand why you want to take this case."
"It's an interesting case. What did you think about-"
"Ah-ah!" Miles exclaimed, holding a finger up. "You know I don't discuss my cases with the defense."
"Right," Phoenix said with a smile. "In that case, shall we debate about what to have for dinner instead? I'm voting stir fry."
Miles chuckled, then he stood up. "I hope you have evidence to back up your argument, Attorney Edgeworth-Wright."
"You bet I do, Prosecutor Edgeworth-Wright," Phoenix grinned, following him to the kitchen.