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“I am so sorry! Edgeworth!”
When Phoenix tells Miles what he has done (and keeps insisting on how sorry he is), Miles has thought it isn’t such a bad thing.
On the contrary, he actually feels honoured.
He remembers the day before, where Franziska (who decided to visit town on a whim) was calling him a fool over dinner for not taking the initiative. Or picking up the courage to confess. Or just tie his man up and take him already – she needs him to stop acting like a love-struck idiot because she absolutely cannot stand watching him behaving like a pathetic fool in front of the foolish man whom she still holds a never-ending grudge on. (Yes, both men are absolute fools.)
So while Phoenix keeps repeating his apologies over the phone, Miles smiles instead, a plan quickly forming in his mind as he ignores those apologies.
He immediately makes two other calls after his call with Phoenix ended.
Lucky for him, Franziska has passionately (and annoyingly) expressed her interest in ameliorating his love life.
Miles is rather surprised – Detective Gumshoe’s tracking skill seems to have improved.
The bakery looks very decent and nice, Miles concludes. The desserts on display look rather scrumptious – maybe Miles should get a cake or two to satisfy his own sweet cravings.
“Excuse me, but aren’t you…?”
Unfortunately, his time with the sweets will need to be cut short. He turns towards the voice, the woman he remembers as Iris Hawthorne stands before him, her appearance and vibes unchanged as per the last time they met.
“You’re…Mr. Edgeworth, aren’t you?”
“Miss Iris; it’s been a while.”
And indeed it has been. After being found guilty of tampering evidence, therefore obstructing the investigation, the nun in training had been sentenced to two months in prison; the prosecutor has never seen her after that. Three months have passed since then, so it shouldn’t surprise Miles to see Iris outside on the streets or in the desserts shop they’re in right now.
Besides, no men should ever stop the ladies from having their sweets, as he learned from Franziska before.
But is Iris here right now to buy desserts for herself? Miles does not think so.
“Congratulations, Miss Iris, on your release,” Patience, Miles Edgeworth. Patience. “I trust that you’re doing well now?”
“T-Thank you. Are you here to buy some cakes too, Mr. Edgeworth?”
“Why, yes,” Miles then signals to the staff that he will be buying two apple tarts, the staff nodded in acknowledgement as she gets to work while letting the two customers chat. “This shop is rather famous for their apple tarts.”
That seems to have invoked a different reaction from Iris.
“…Do you like apple tarts very much, Mr. Edgeworth?”
Patience. And careful.
“Of course; they are Wright’s favourite after all.”
Miles lets his chin and the tips of his lips lift up as he faces Iris after he pays for his purchase, pretending not to notice the tension formed from the nun as dark chocolate eyes quickly travels to his neck that is more exposed than usual with the lack of his jabot and his top two shirt buttons.
The prosecutor has to resist the urge to smile even wider as he watches the reaction from the woman before him – body standing frozen with seized breathes and widened eyes, her hands clutching tighter on the bag handle she is carrying as if she needs something to hold on to tell her this is reality.
Perfect.
“They’re…these…are for…Feenie?” even her voice seems to have stopped working. Her reaction has been so grave that Miles is beginning to sympathise.
But she called him Feenie.
“That is correct. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”
Too bad for Iris though, for Miles does not have the compassion and kindness to sympathise with her enough that he’ll let her take that man away from him.
“You did what?!”
Phoenix chokes on his apple tart when Miles reports to him what had happened in the bakery. Miles’ eyes narrow upon that reaction – are his actions really that dreadful for the defence attorney?
“Remind me again who was the one that got me involved, without even consulting me first?” Miles quickly moves to sit beside Phoenix, using a hand to rub the back hoping to soothe the coughs. “I don’t really see a problem.”
The defence attorney swiftly looks up when he manages to calm down, the blush on his face has gone darker by multiple folds.
“B-B-But you just suggested to Iris that, that we…”
“And it’s perfectly normal for lovers to have sex, isn’t it?” the prosecutor reasons and shrugs as he watches the other man flushes even darker, and Miles is secretly enjoying those reactions.
“B-But, how?! Those m-m-marks, how, I mean, who did you—?!”
Miles paused. Ah, is that why Phoenix is so flustered?
“Franziska’s makeup.”
“Makeup?! Makeup can do that?!”
Miles produces a pack of wet wipes from the bag of dessert, pulling out one and tilting his head to let Phoenix watch as he uses the wipe to clean away one of the purplish spot bruises on his neck. The prosecutor doesn’t miss the breath of relief from the other man.
“I’m sorry, Edgeworth,” Miles blinked when he is done with cleaning his neck, noticing the face full of guilt from the other man. “For all the trouble I’ve caused.”
“Wright—”
“I’m serious, Edgeworth. You didn’t have to go that far for me,” Phoenix rubs the back of his neck as if he’s ashamed. “But you were the first person I’ve thought of when she kind of ambushed me this morning, and I’ve been trying to tell her for the past few days that she and I can’t get back together after what had happened but she seems to refuse to listen so I accidentally told her that I already got someone else I’m seeing and—”
“It’s perfectly fine, Wright,” the prosecutor quickly stops the nervous babbling, already understands how sorry the defence attorney really is but also knows that Phoenix shouldn’t be guilty for Miles at the same time. “I’m just glad that I’m the one you’ve chosen.”
“You do?” Phoenix’s face changes, and Miles is glad that he has managed to lift up his spirit with a few honest words. He is glad that Phoenix has chosen him, not anyone else.
He doesn’t even want to imagine that happening.
“Yes.”
Another sigh of relief comes from Phoenix again. He plops back onto the couch to relax.
On the other hand, Miles wonders if this will be a good time to talk. To talk properly about certain things. About them.
About feelings.
“Stop being a coward and confess already, you fool!”
Ugh. Miles hates it when the younger prosecutor is right.
“Don’t come crying to me if he’s taken by someone else because you’re busy being scared.”
“Edgeworth? Is something wrong?”
He also hates it when his thoughts become too transparent that even Phoenix could tell when he’s feeling troubled.
“…Wright, we need to talk—”
And Miles almost curses when heavy throbbing sounds of vibrations immediately shot through the office, his own phone on the wooden table effectively and timely silencing and interrupting him much to his distaste.
“Um…it might be work?”
The prosecutor groans in frustration as he picks up the phone, promising to himself that there will be consequences for the person texting him at the untimely moment if it’s absolutely not important or urgent.
Except that it is.
‘She’s here! She’s on her way up now!’
Miles blinks, immediately recalled that he has Detective Gumshoe watching the entrance of the building downstairs.
Well then, no time to lose – they can continue the talk later.
It’s time for checkmate.
“Edgeworth, what’s wrong—”
“Wright. I need you to do something,” Miles quickly says as he grabs onto the other’s elbow and stands up, pulling Phoenix up with him. He then places his hands on Phoenix’s shoulders, serious grey eyes locking into confused onyx ones. “Do you trust me?”
The defence attorney blinks in even more confusion.
“Edgeworth, just what—”
“Do you trust me, Wright?”
“What are you talking about – of course I do!” no hesitation; Miles smirks in absolute pride.
“Then I need you to close your eyes and hold still.”
“Huh?”
“Trust me,” despite still being baffled about the situation, Phoenix does as he is told. “Hold still for me.”
The defence attorney almost jumps when he feels palms on his cheeks.
“Edgeworth, just tell me what is—”
Phoenix never gets to finish his sentence. He freezes. He opens his eyes, wide. He sees grey hair. He sees grey eyelashes. He can feel his own nose touching the other. What is going on?
And why is Miles kissing him?!
Miles pulls back his face a little when he feels Phoenix’s body stands rigid. Their noses and mouths are still so close to each other that they can both smell each other’s breaths.
“Open your mouth, Phoenix.”
Is Miles seriously asking him to do what he thinks it is?
“Edgeworth, I—”
Phoenix never gets to finish his sentence again. He clings on to the other. He closes his eyes, tightly. He can feel arms around his waist. He can feel hands on his hips. He can feel their tongues rubbing against each other. He can hear wet sounds and groans. He can feel his heart beating so fast, so excited. What is going on?
Why does this feel so good, so right?
Phoenix doesn’t notice that Miles has his eyes open. He doesn’t know that Miles has his eyes on the door of his office as he keeps kissing him. He isn’t aware that Miles is eyeing at the woman standing right outside with the door half-opened. He doesn’t hear the womanly gasp and the retreating footsteps from outside.
All he has in his mind is only Miles Edgeworth, even when they finally separate wetly with the passion still lingers between them.
Shit, that feels far too good.
“Are you alright?” the defence attorney’s eyes follow the voice. He sees Miles panting and the face flushed, thinking that it’s cute and the other man is hopelessly handsome. “I apologise if I had gone too far there, but Ms. Iris was standing outside—”
He sees the other lips red and slightly swollen. He hears his voice, but none of the words are catching his attention; only the moving lips are. His mind only thinks how good those lips were when they were moving against him just now.
“Can we do that again?”
It’s Miles turn to freeze with eyes widened. He gazes into the half-lidded dazed eyes, still wondering if he is hearing things.
He asks properly this time.
“Can I kiss you?”
Phoenix nods far too eagerly.
“Yeah, I think I really like it so—”
Miles just kisses Phoenix again.
Gumshoe recoils in bewilderment when he sees his pay rise big time, for the first time in his life.
Franziska snorts, with a harsh whisper of “finally, you fools”.