Work Text:
Phoenix is riding his bike to work, which shouldn't be as weird as it currently feels. Ever since he and Miles got married, he didn’t ride his bike as much as he used to. He found himself reaping the benefits of his husband owning a sports car more often than not, making him forget the freeing feeling of having control over his own transportation.
Today's case isn't going to be very hard, it's just a simple robbery case where his client, Nauht Ghiltie, was accused because of a couple fingerprints and the fact that she was near the crime scene. Both easily explainable, almost baffling Phoenix with how quick cops are to just arrest anyone on site.
As he’s thinking, he’s not paying much attention to the road. He always drives on the correct side, so he doesn't pay attention as much as he should most of the time, but he’s been biking for decades, so he’s never run into any problems because of it.
What happened next wasn't even on him!
A driver suddenly swerves off their side of the road, likely trying to get past a slow car in front of them, and not noticing phoenix.
Phoenix notices, though, and he notices a little too late to safely avert any sort of accident.
He tries his best, but he has to resort to quickly swerving off the road, causing his bike to get caught and basically fling him off. He lets out a yelp of surprise, and the last thing he remembers is the sound of a car's horn going off before his mind goes blank and his vision goes black.
***
Miles is in his office, sorting through case files in preparation for his next case in a few days, when suddenly Franziska bursts through the door, looking even more angry than she does on a daily basis.
“You fool! Why weren't you answering my calls?”
Miles jumps, startled.
“‘Ziska? Have you been calling me?” That’s strange, Franziska isn't really the type to check in on her brother often. She usually resorts to barging into his home and making some sort of business-related excuse to hang out with him.
He didn't know it was actually serious until she started cursing under her breath in German, as she doesn't let her english slip unless she’s really angry.
He’s just about to ask her if she’s okay when she beats him to it, yelling in a thick German accent this time.
“YOUR HUSBAND IS IN THE HOSPITAL, FOOL!”
Those words hit him like a truck, and he feels numb as his sister grabs his hand for the first time in years and drags him along.
“Maya got a call from Larry, who for some reason was at the hospital and saw Wright there. Apparently, they had tried to call you, but you weren't answering!”
Franziska looked almost as scared as Miles.
“Maya was sick today, Miles! She shouldn’t have to babysit your husband.” Franziska continued, “I mean, she would have likely still come even if you did answer, but at least I'd be with her to comfort her! She’s all alone with Wright and that idiotic creep.”
“I’m sorry, ‘Ziska. My phone was on silent.” Miles looks down to keep the tears from his eyes as Franziska drags him to her car. “What happened to him?”
“I don't know! Maya just told me to get you and meet her there.”
They’re driven to Hotti clinic by her butler, not sharing a word as Franziska yells at the driver to go faster.
Once they arrive, Miles rushes in and Franziska follows closely behind.
They open the door and make it to the receptionist's office, out of breath.
“Can we visit a patient? His name is-”
“Franzie!” Miles is cut off by a shrill, familiar voice and he glances over to see one Maya Fey rushing up to his sister, barreling into her arms.
“Oh Franzie, it's horrible! That idiot nearly got hit by a car.”
Miles allows himself to relax a little at ‘nearly’ but tenses up again when Maya continues.
“He won't wake up! He has a concussion!” She delivers those last two sentences almost incoherently before she starts crying, -likely the first time today as she usually doesn't like to make others worry. Burying herself into Franziska’s chest.
Miles is hesitant to interrupt their intimate moment, but he needs to know where Phoenix is, he needs to help his husband.
He gently taps Maya’s shoulder, ignoring Franziska’s death stare. He would risk getting whipped later if it meant he could right his wrongs.
“W-where is he?” Miles bites back tears.
“Room 201.”
Miles doesn't even give a second glance behind him as he dashes to his husband.
As he barges into the room, he makes a quick and blunt stop to his once fast paced legs.
He slowly walks up to his husband, looking at his bruised face. He almost doesn't notice he’s being addressed until big hands snap in front of his eyes.
“Hey, Miles!”
Miles looks up.
“Larry? What are you doing here?” Miles is genuinely confused for a second, before remembering who originally found his husband.
“My new girl is a nurse! I like to stick around during her shifts and watch her work. Man, it's my first time trying out a smart girl and I don't know how I never have!”
Before Miles could unpack that, a thought struck him.
“What about Trucy?”
Larry shrugs “I dunno, man. Not sure if anyone had let her in on this whole….” Larry gestures to Phoenix’s unconscious body. “....Situation.”
Miles sighed, and whipped out his phone and dialed Gumshoe, informing him on everything and forcing him to take care of Trucy for the time being. Possibly not the best person for this situation, but a good one-time solution.
Miles sits next to his husband, texting Franziska to grab him a blanket for the night, and some of Phoenix’s favorite snacks. Just in case.
When she arrives, she promptly throws everything at him and Phoenix, but Miles can tell that she cares about him and his husband almost as much as her girlfriend.
He snuggles up on the slightly uncomfortable hospital chair and waits, trying to keep his eyes open for as long as he can until they droop so low he can hardly think anymore.
He falls asleep next to Phoenix, his head leaning slightly on his husband's hospital bed.
***
Miles is dreaming about updating an autopsy report while going up against up-and-coming lawyer Phoenix Wright, and he was just about to win the case when suddenly, Phoenix starts screaming. He’s screaming so loud and so randomly that Miles thinks for a second it might be real, but no. His husband isn't waking up right now.
But then, Miles wakes up to find it is indeed his husband.
Miles is overjoyed, he immediately grabs Phoenix, pulling him into a hug. He hardly even notices that he doesn't hug him back.
Miles squeezes tighter and tighter, murmuring about how sorry he was and how much he missed Phoenix when suddenly, he gets pushed away.
He looks down at his husband, surprised, Miles was usually the one to disengage hugs, Phoenix usually squeezing ten times harder than he probably should.
“Edgeworth? What are you doing here?”
The words hit Miles like a truck.
Phoenix only ever called him Edgeworth when he was joking.
he must still be mad at me for not coming immediately. Maybe he called me too. I can't believe myself.
Though there was no obvious malice in his husband’s voice, there was a hint of annoyance and surprise. Is he surprised that i actually showed up to the hospital to help him? Did i screw up that badly?
Miles closes his eyes, furrowing his brows. He’s so deep in thought that he doesn't notice his husband trying to catch his attention until there are hands literally snapping at his face.
“Hey? Yoo-hoo? Earth to Edgeworth?”
Phoenix just sounds even more confused.
Miles is also confused, but a little bit pissed all the same.
“Come on, I get you’re mad at me, but do you have to keep calling me that, Phoenix? It makes us sound like we’re nothing more than-” MIles stutters a bit at the last word, suddenly getting reminded of the years they spent pining for each other or at least miles pining for Phoenix. “colleagues.”
Miles doesn't get an answer, and just when he thinks he’s gone too far he looks up to see nothing but confusion on his husband's face.
“But…Aren’t we colleagues? I have no idea what’s happening right now.”
Miles thinks for a bit, suddenly everything clicking in his head.
“Phoeni- err, Wright, what’s the last thing you remember?”
Miles watches as Phoenix rubs his head.
“Well, you, me, and Franziska helped save Maya from Matt Engarde and that Kidnapper dude,” He pauses to think “I’m pretty sure we went to get burgers after, but my memory is a little fuzzy.”
Miles jumps back, he suspected this was the case, but it was somehow still surprising when his suspicions were confirmed.
“Edgeworth, this isn't funny. Can you just tell me what’s going on?”
Miles breathes out shakily.
“Wright, I think you have…Amnesia.”
Phoenix looks dumbfounded for a second before slapping his knee, taking a second to wince at the pain, then loudly exclaiming; “GOD DAMNIT! NOT AGAIN!”
Miles is confused but glad that he figured out the issue.
“Wait- what do you mean ‘again’?”
Phoenix ignores his question. “Hey, Edgeworth, since we’re like, on a first name basis here, do you think you could call Maya for me? She’s not in prison again, right?”
Miles starts to dial up Maya, confused. “No, why would she be in prison?”
Phoenix shrugs “I dunno, you ask her. She keeps getting accused of murder so I was thinking she would probably actually do it someday, common denominator, y’know?”
There is definitely something extra wrong with Phoenix, even before they got married, he was never like….That. Or maybe he was. Maybe Miles missed out on this whole facet of his husband because he was too ignorant to actually ask him out for a while.
“Eeeeeddddgggeeeewwwooorrttthhhhhhhuhhhhhh” Phoenix slides down his mattress, a pout on his lips.
“Please call Maya for me.”
Miles realizes he was staring off into space, so he finishes calling Maya and the phone picks up on the second ring.
But instead of hearing Maya’s high-pitched voice, he hears a deeper one with a german accent.
“Little brother, what do you want? Maya is relaxing and I don't want you and your idiotic husband to disturb her any further.”
Miles rolls his eyes fondly, for someone who claims to have such solitude in her life, she sure does sacrifice a lot of it for her girlfriend. Not like Miles can judge though.
He relays the whole conversation to her, and he can hear her breath grow more panicked the farther he goes.
After he was finished, Franziska said the exact same thing to Maya, who was likely right beside her.
After Franziska finished, Miles heard a faint clanking sound and a loud ‘AW SHIT NOT AGAIN.’
Before the line cuts off, he then gets a text from his sister telling him they’ll be there soon.
why does everybody keep saying again?
“Hey, Edgeworth?”
Miles jumps when he hears his husband's voice, laced with surprise.
“Am I ... .Married?”
Phoenix had his arms stretched out in front of him, admiring the matching simple and intricate gold bands on his left ring finger.
Before Edgeworth can say anything, his oblivious husband beats him to it.
“Man, never thought i’d actually get married. I mean, I haven't even been in a relationship since Dollie! And she tried to kill me!”
Miles had never heard of this ‘Dollie’. He also didn’t know that any of Phoenix’s exes had tried to kill him.
After Phoenix gets his memories back they’re gonna need to have a long talk.
“So did I marry a man or a woman?” Miles’ train of thought is interrupted by his husband talking eagerly once again. “I always thought I’d marry a man, but girls are fine too.”
Miles should probably correct him, -he wouldn't be able to put the pieces together on his own after all, because Miles takes off his ring while working so as not to lose them. But he thought the state his husband was in right now was weirdly cute, and he wanted to see where this conversation would lead.
“Why’d you assume you’d go for a man?”
Phoenix shrugs. “There was one I always had in mind, but I don't think he likes me very much.”
Miles feels a stab of jealousy, he’s pretty sure the man Phoenix is referring to is him, he’s not an idiot, but even the idea of Phoenix with anyone else but him is annoying.
“And how long have you liked this man?”
Phoenix sits back, pondering. “Probably about 15 years.” He makes a wiggling motion with his hand. “Give or take.”
Miles’ eyebrows shoot up, he hadn’t expected that. And he thought he was obsessed with his husband.
“Well, I think you’ll be pleased to know you are marrying a man.”
Phoenix raises his arms a bit, he looks a little tripped out due to the pain meds the doctors gave him. “Yay for gay stuff.” He quickly pulls his arms back down though, rubbing his shoulder like he forgot he was in a hospital bed.
“Ouchhhhh. What happened to me?” He looks at Miles like he knows the answer.
“Don’t look at me. I believe you crashed while riding that weird bike, but you never told me any details.”
Phoenix squints for a bit, then you can almost see the lightbulb turning on in his head.
“Wait, why are you here anyway?”
“Well, you see-” Miles is cut off by the door opening loudly, followed by Maya Fey with Franziska close behind.
“NICK! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT GETTING AMNESIA ON COURT DAYS?”
Maya then turns toward Miles, looking as angry as Maya can get.
“AND YOU! TAKE CARE OF YOUR HUSBAND, DUMBASS! DON'T JUST SIT THERE, GET HIM SOUP OR SOMETHING!”
At the word ‘husband’, the gears in Phoenix’s head seem to finally start turning. After he looks back and forth between himself and Miles, he brings his hands to his hips like he’s searching for something in his pockets.
“Nick, you’re in a hospital gown. You don’t have pockets.” Maya’s talking to Phoenix like a parent, and Miles wonders if she has done this before.
“Maya, I need to pay you back.” When Maya looks at him rightfully confused, Nick rolls his eyes like it’s the most basic thing in the world. “Edgeworth married me, that means I owe you five dollars.”
Miles lets out a slight disbelieving chuckle. “Were you betting on me?”
Franziska looks at him with exasperation and a hint of fondness in her eyes.
“Miles, you should know this by now. Those two bet on everything.” Maya and Phoenix nod along as she speaks.
“It is concerning that he’s trying to pay me back for that one though,” Maya rests her chin on her hand as she speaks. “He did that a while ago. The amnesia must be pretty bad this time around.”
“Not as bad as last time.”
Miles and Franziska give each other clueless looks, but before either of them can say anything, Maya is barking orders at them to help Phoenix. Franziska helping because she’d do anything for Maya, and Miles helping because he’d do anything for Phoenix.
They were very similar in that sense, werent they?
***
Maya reaches into her bag and digs out a picture of Trucy, her first strategy to help Nick regain his memory.
“Do you remember who this is?” She waves the photo in circles, almost trying to hypnotize Nick into remembering.
Nick shakes his head though, looking even more confused by the moment.
“Nope. Who is she?”
Maya sighs, slightly defeated. “Your daughter. She’s basically your everything.”
Nick gains a slight glimmer of interest in his eyes.
“My daughter? I…What’s her name?”
“Trucy.”
“Trucy…”
Maya smiles, she can tell her plan is starting to work.
She digs into her bag, grabbing Miles’ engagement ring, something she swiped with the help of Franzie.
“Do you recognize this?”
“It….It matches the one on my finger. Is that…?”
“Miles’ ring, yup.”
“Wow..” Nick takes the ring in his hand, turning it over and over. “It’s really pretty.”
“You picked it out, you know.”
“I could tell, future me has great taste.”
“You mean right now you have great taste. You’re not really different you just have amnesia again.”
“This is kinda confusing.”
“I know.”
They both start cracking up for no apparent reason, falling on the hospital bed.
“Y’know….I think I’m starting to remember a couple things.”
“Oh yeah? Like what?”
“I dunno…” Nick pauses, looking down at his hand and blushing.
“My….My ring is pretty too.”
Then Nick flops over and passes out.
***
Miles and Franziska are silently walking back to the hospital room, not making a sound.
They’re holding the orange juice and chicken soup asked of them by Maya, but as they open the door they find themselves not needing it. Both of their significant others are passed out on the hotel bed, curled up in dastardly ways that should be impossible for the human body.
“It’s the middle of the day, how are they asleep?” Franziska chuckles, letting an unusual slight fondness slip into her voice.
“Phoenix is on hospital meds, and Maya is…..Maya.”
Franziska shakes her head and gently inserts her arms under Maya’s body, picking her up and carrying her out the door without a word.
Miles spends the rest of the day reading the Steel Samurai graphic novels aloud to his husband, relaying the entire story in graphic detail until it's late in the night and he falls into sleep himself.
***
Phoenix wakes up with a start. He had a really weird dream where he got amnesia and couldn't remember his husband. Strange, it felt very vivid.
He’s suddenly reminded, though, as he takes in his surroundings -hospital room, wearing a hospital gown, hospital bandages, and, err, his hospital husband resting his head on his hospital bed, asleep.
Phoenix wakes Miles with a nudge.
“Hhhuh? Whazzat? Oh! Phoeni- Wright! You’re, uhh, awake!”
Phoenix just chuckles and pulls his husband in for a hug.
And he only squeezes tighter at the suppressed noises of surprise and delight coming from Miles.