day 4: guilt/healing (damn they really just threw in hurt/comfort here huh) (why do I have to write PLOT I just wanna write CUDDLES) (forgive me idk how airports work)

Phoenix Wright was moping.

He did this fairly often, actually. Tonight, Trucy was at a friend's house (Good, she has friends. Hopefully I'm not the worst father. ) so it was worse. He sat on the couch in front of a show that he could not give less of a shit about, having not moved in the past hour.

Phoenix heard the door click and looked up to see Miles Edgeworth letting himself in. Miles tucked his key back into his coat pocket before hanging said coat in the closet by the door.

"Good evening, Wright." Miles said, brushing his pants off because of course he did. Phoenix felt a small smile grace his face at the sight of his friend's strange behavior.

"Hi, Edgeworth. What's the reason for the drop-in?" Phoenix asked. He stretched, not noticing how Miles' eyes flicked to the tiny strip of exposed skin that he revealed. "How's your latest case?"

"Fine." Miles said stiffly, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. "I'm here to help. I heard about your disbarment, and I sent the last week clearing my schedule so I could be here for a time to assist."

Phoenix scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I don't need your fucking charity, Edgeworth." Brief hurt flashed across Miles' face, before he took a step closer to Phoenix.

"Be that as it may," Miles said, "I did not come here to offer charity. I came here to offer help, as a friend." During this declaration, he had somehow gotten closer to Phoenix, and placed a hand on the ex-defense attorney's shoulder.

Phoenix shrugged off the touch, even though a part of his brain was begging him to lean into Miles' touch. "My point still stands. What were you even gonna do, anyway? Wave your magical credit card and make all my and Trucy's money problems go away?"

Miles looked confused, and the hurt returned. "First of all, I was going to make you macaroni and cheese, and talk to you about your life. Second of all, who is Trucy?"

"Uh..." Phoenix rubbed a hand on the back of his neck. "My daughter?" His voice cracked on the second word, and Miles' jaw dropped.

He quickly recovered, however, responding with, "Wright, you have a daughter? How? When? How did they let you adopt her?" 

"Okay, let me start at the beginning. sit down, this might be a lot." Miles obligingly sat down, far too close for Phoenix's dignity and peace of mind. "Remember the Zak Gramarye case?" 

Miles nodded. "So when he disappeared, he left Trucy behind. I took her in, and she originally was shy but has since warmed up to me. I hope. She was enrolled in school by Gramarye, thank God, so that wasn't an issue. The only problem is that he has to be missing for at least a month before I can legally adopt her, and by then my situation would be worse so I'm not sure they'd let me."

Phoenix groaned and dragged a hand down his face. "God, I'm trying so hard. It's only been a week, but I already feel like I'm failing. She doesn't even have school supplies! She's at a sleepover tonight, but I can't usually feed her well when she's here."

Miles looked at Phoenix with steel in his gaze. "You are not failing. Money issues do not make or break a father, it's how you care for her. And knowing you, you care with your whole heart." Phoenix sniffled, but didn't respond. "I can pay for her school supplies, pay for tutoring if she needs it, hell, I'll even pay for therapy if that's what she needs."

Phoenix was about to surrender to Miles' care, but something in him wanted to salvage his broken pride, wanted to feel like he was in a position of power, wanted to feel something. He turned, snarling, towards Miles. "What the fuck, Edgeworth?"

Miles was taken aback, as Phoenix angrily stood up and walked away from the couch. Miles followed him, and said, "Wright? What is the matter?"

Phoenix whipped around, looking for all the world like a cornered animal. "You think my daughter needs tutoring? Therapy? She's not a fucking idiot, Miles! She's perfect. Just like I said earlier, I-" - he cut off - "-we don't need your fucking savior complex!"

The use of his first name took Miles like a punch to the gut, and the statements that followed were like a punch to the chin. Struggling to sound calm, he forced out "Wright, I am just trying to help you. There is no savior complex involved, I just want to take stress off you so that you can focus on being the best father you can be."

"Oh please, Edgeworth." Phoenix had reverted to the use of Miles' last name, and the prosecutor couldn't decide if that was better or worse than 'Miles.' "Like you know anything about being a good father."

"Whatever do you mean, Wright? I'm afraid I don't follow."

Something in Phoenix was setting off more alarm bells than he could count, but he was in too deep to stop now. "Ever heard the name Manfred Von Karma?"

Edgeworth's sharp intake of breath would have broken Phoenix if it hadn't been for what followed. Phoenix looked up, meeting the man's eyes, only to see that they were misty.

Phoenix had made Miles Edgeworth cry.

Phoenix was making Miles Edgeworth cry.

Oh God. "Miles, I-"

"Don't. You don't get to call me Miles. Not after that." Phoenix had reached out a hand for Miles, but at the sound of the man's broken voice he dropped it faster than if he'd been burned.

"I will take my leave. I apologize for invading your space like that, and it will not happen again. Goodbye, Wright." The stiffness from earlier had returned, but it was so, so much worse. Because Phoenix had made it happen.

Miles left in a swirl of maroon velvet and gold accents. The scraggly ex-attorney looked, and he didn't see Miles' spare set of keys, which must mean he'd taken them.

It wasn't much of a sign, but Phoenix allowed himself to hope. A small light, when his entire world was darkness.

+++

Europe. Miles Edgeworth was sending him (and Trucy) to Europe.

Phoenix started at his computer screen, which Miles had also gotten for him a few months before the disbarment. The email confirmed the tickets' purchase, and at the bottom of it was text that read NOTE FROM GIVER: For Trucy, so she can attend a magician's conference in Germany. Don't worry, it's in English, and the tickets are nonrefundable. I miss you.

Miles missed him. Even after how badly he'd messed things up last time. Sure, they'd been texting - which explained how Miles knew that Trucy was a magician - but they hadn't visited each other in six months.

Phoenix shot off a text to Miles, whose contact was still 'edgelord' from when Maya got ahold of his phone. I got the confirmation email. Thanks for the tickets.

Miles quickly responded with No problem. It'll be nice to see you again, Phoenix.

Phoenix nearly dropped his phone, he was so flustered. Was Miles trying to make him blush?

Well, Phoenix knew Miles didn't need to try. But that was an issue for another day, when Phoenix wasn't a poker player living paycheck-to-paycheck whose very presence could ruin Miles' career.

Phoenix sighed and stood up, resigning himself to the task of telling a nine-year-old that they were going on a fancy vacation to Europe. In July.

+++

Phoenix Wright was not a morning person.

So, naturally, he woke up an hour past his alarm and still felt crabby and tired. Traffic was no help, and Trucy's incessant talking about how excited she was was great for his little remaining patience. All this culminated in him getting in a fight with a security agent, because of course he did.

The man looked like the sort of guy who takes half a jujitsu class and then claims to be a Kung Fu master for the rest of his life. The fluorescent airport lighting did wonders for his complexion, and the final result almost made Phoenix recoil.

He slowly looked down at Phoenix's driver's license, then at him, then back down at the license. "Sir." he drawled, Southern accent evident even though they were in LAX. "Are you sure she's your daughter?"

"Y...yes?" Phoenix said, confused, as Trucy glared at the man from behind her father. "Adopted, but still my daughter."

"Mhm." the man remarked dryly, flicking his eyes over to Trucy. "Can you produce proof of her adoption?"

"Hold on," Phoenix fumbled with his phone. "I have a picture of us on her adoption day..."

The man looked at Phoenix like he was the most idiotic human being he had ever met. "No, I need legal proof. As in adoption papers." Phoenix was running on a cup of coffee and three eights of a fuck, and was done with this guy after less than a minute.

"Truce, cover your ears for a moment." She nodded, and covered her ears while screwing her eyes shut for good measure. Phoenix turned back to the guard, and said, "Pardon my French, but what the fuck? You don't bring adoption papers to the airport. I just want to get on my plane and be able to get some shut-eye."

"I'm afraid that if you can't provide proof of adoption, we'll have to hold the child until appropriate documents can be produced." He pulled out his walkie-talkie to call someone to take away Trucy, who had uncovered her ears sometime during the exchange and now clung to her father's leg.

Phoenix took a deep breath to prevent from punching the man, but was about to fail his objective when a familiar person came running up.

"Gumshoe?" Phoenix asked at the same time Trucy yelled, "Uncle Gumshoe!" She tackle-hugged him, and he laughed and returned the hug.

"You've grown since I last saw you!" he exclaimed, and grinned broadly at her.

She giggled, and replied, "You saw me last week!" He ruffled her hair and set her down, and began speaking to the man. The man looked mutinous, but soon the trio was headed to the waiting area.

"What'd you do?" Phoenix asked Gumshoe as Trucy skipped a long beside him, loudly singing some song he didn't know.

"I delivered a message from the boss! He thought you'd get into something like this, so he sent me to smooth everything over and tell anyone that messes with you that you're traveling under Miles Edgeworth."

"Ah." Phoenix nodded, not sure how to respond to that. The idea of his friend knowing him well enough to send Gumshoe to fix a hyper specific problem made him smile, and wish that he could be in Germany with the snap of a finger.

He sighed. This was going to be a rough flight.

+++

Phoenix stepped off the plane ramp, Trucy next to him. If he had been grumpy before, now he was downright pissed. He looked annoyedly over the airport, searching for the maroon coat of  the hero who had promised to bring him to the place he was staying.

He was getting more and more angry at the universe in general for making his day like this until Trucy pointed and exclaimed, "Look, Daddy! It's Mr. Edgeworth!"

Phoenix turned to see Miles maybe 10 feet from them, and after the initial burst of irritation  that he hadn't noticed the prosecutor before, he just felt nervous. Was Miles still mad?

The unease (and uncertainty) dispelled a moment later when Miles shyly opened his arms. Phoenix dropped his luggage and rushed into the hug, burying his face into the crook of Miles' neck. "I'm sorry." he mumbled.

"It's all right, Wright." Miles paused to chuckle, and Phoenix couldn't help laughing along. "I did miss you." Phoenix didn't respond, instead choosing to remain silent and continue hugging his friend. 

A small voice in the back of his head said that this hug had crossed the line from "I missed my friend" to "my husband is back from the war" several seconds ago, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Trucy, standing behind him, obligingly remained silent during the embrace, though Phoenix was sure he'd get lots of questions and comments from her later.

Once they separated, leaving Phoenix with a mild feeling of disappointment, Miles led him and Trucy to his car. Trucy wouldn't stop talking to Miles, even deciding to christen him "Uncle Miles." Phoenix barely got three words in the entire car ride back to Miles' apartment. Miles put on Steel Samurai because it was already late in Germany, so they ate dinner in front of the TV.

 When Phoenix saw his best friend and his daughter conversing animatedly about Miles' favorite show, he didn't have to put his head in his hands to be able to handle the rush of fondness. His heart didn't start beating the way it used to do before theater productions, and he didn't have to repeatedly turn away to hide the fond grin melting across his face like butter. Because that's what he would do if he were in love with Miles.

And he wasn't. Right?

Because if he was, he'd think about Miles all the time. He'd drop almost anything to spend time with him. He'd get butterflies whenever their fingers touched or whenever he noticed the precise gray of Miles' hair. He'd sometimes look at Miles and his chest would ache for all they could have if he wasn't a disbarred, dysfunctional person with a child and no money.

But then Miles looked over at him and smiled, and his chest ached.

"Shit." he muttered. Miles cocked his head, and paused his discussion with Trucy to ask, "Are you alright, Wright?"

"Yeah, yeah." Phoenix responded, distracted from mentally working through all the implications behind his (extremely belated, he was now realizing) discovery.

Miles checked his watch and balked at the time. "Ah! My apologies, Wright. It is far too late for your daughter to be up, even when she only has to be up by 10:00 tomorrow morning. Go prepare for bed, Miss Wright."

Trucy pouted but complied, getting up from the couch and leaving nothing but air between Miles and Phoenix. Not much air, as she had been pressed between the two.

Heady with his new realization, Phoenix scooted closer to Miles and leaned against the back of the couch. He yawned, and Miles laughed - an open and unguarded sound. "Is it past your bedtime, Wright?"

Phoenix let his head drop against Miles' shoulder. Miles stiffened, then relaxed and wrapped an arm around his waist. Phoenix turned his head into the shoulder and murmured, "Maybe."

The prosecutor chuckled, and Phoenix just... let himself be held. He sat there, falling asleep, feeling peace for the first time since disbarment.

+++

Phoenix didn't typically wake up with his head on someone's chest, especially not with their fingers gently carding through his hair. So gently, almost as if he would shatter at a touch but they couldn't help themselves. 

He sighed contentedly, surrendering himself to their touch. The fingers spasmed once before retracting from his hair, leaving him wanting to say Wait, come back. "I... am sorry, Wright. I did not realize you were awake."

Miles carefully lifted Phoenix's head up and slipped out of the bed before Phoenix could ask him to stay. He left the room, presumably to change, but Phoenix didn't notice as he was too busy thinking how the space next to him felt cold without his friend.

Phoenix reluctantly got dressed and padded out to the living room, seeing Trucy already at the table eating scrambled eggs. He walked over to her and ruffled her hair. "Hey, Truce. Where'd the eggs come from?"

"Mr. Edgeworth made them!" she chirped. "He's a very good cook! Unlike you."

Phoenix put a hand on his chest, feigning hurt and betrayal. "Wow, Trucy. Is my cooking that bad?"

"It very much is, Wright." Phoenix turned around to see Miles leaning against a doorway. He was wearing slate-grey slacks with a white tunic and button-up black vest. His hair was freshly combed and he looked so handsome that Phoenix had to take a moment to breathe.

He completely missed out on what Miles was saying next, leading him to ask, "Are you okay, Wright?"

Phoenix shook himself out of his daze and said, "Yeah... yeah. Shouldn't you, uh, be taking Trucy to her magician conference/summer camp?"

Miles checked his watch and then said, "Good lord, Wright, you're right." Ignoring Phoenix and Trucy's laughter, he continued. "Come, Miss Wright, we must take our leave. Put your plate away and let us be off."

She hopped down from her seat to follow his instructions, then Miles turned to Phoenix and said, "Apologies, Wright. I did not mean to make your daughter late. Something about this morning was just... different."

Phoenix decided to be merciful and not mention Miles stroking his hair that morning, or proceeding to abandon him in bed. "We all have off mornings, Mi- Edgeworth."

Phoenix, in all his magnanimity, pretends not to notice how Miles nearly falls over from his position leaning against the doorframe when he almost says the prosecutor's first name. Miles was saved from further embarrassment by Trucy appearing between the two of them and saying, "I'm ready, Mr. Edgeworth!"

This did have the adverse effect of almost tipping him over again, however. He straightened back up, adjusted his glasses, and said, "How did you do that, Miss Trucy? And you may call me Miles."

"A magician never reveals her secrets, Mr. Miles!" Phoenix expected to be annoyed that Miles let Trucy but not him to call him Miles, but he just felt a rush of fondness seeing them bond. The emotion leaked on to his face, causing him to grin widely at the two of them as they left, backs to him.

What he didn't expect, however, was Miles shooting him a glance and he ushered Trucy out the door. He didn't have time to pull down his stupid grin, but Miles just shot him a small smile of him own before closing the door behind him.

Phoenix wandered over to the couch and flopped onto it. He took a deep breath and readied himself for half an hour of thinking about what his relationship with his best friend really was.

+++

Miles unlocked the door and stepped back inside. He saw Wright look up from the couch hopefully, like a puppy seeing its owner. The sight made his heart melt a bit, but he didn't show it on his face. He only smiled and said, "Hello, Wright."

"Hey, Miles! How was drop-off?"

Miles walked over and sat on the couch next to Wright. Their thighs touched slightly and it took all the self-control Miles had to keep his train of thought. "It was... fine. What did you do while I was gone?"

"Uh... think," Wright replied. 

"About what?" Miles queried in response. Wright shifted slightly, face cringing. 

"About that... could we have a talk?" Miles' heart dropped into his stomach. He knew he'd messed up this morning, but he didn't think Wright would bring it up. Miles knew his feelings for his best friend were horribly unrequited, and he hated that he'd overstepped a boundary in a moment of personal weakness.

"I am sorry for what I did this morning." Miles pushed out through gritted teeth. "I overstepped a boundary and for that I am sorry. Pl-"

Wright cut him off by placing a hand on his knee, which did succeed in getting his attention. "I actually enjoyed that, so you're good on that front. But also I wanted to apologize for something."

Miles was confused. What on earth could this paragon of a human being have to apologize for? If anything, he shouldn't be apologizing to Miles, who is a worse human being in every conceivable way. "What would you have to apologize for, Wright? You are a much better person than me."

Wright sighed. "I'm glad you think that, Miles, even if it isn't true. I wanted to apologize for the way I acted when you visited six months ago. I was, to use the formal phrase, a rat bastard, and I'm sorry."

This startled a laugh out of Miles, who got one of Wright's small, vulnerable grins in return. "I accept your apology, Wright, even though I do not need it. I understand how you were feeling, and at least you didn't do something even worse like leaving a note and almost committing suicide before faking your death." 

Wright stared at him incredulously. "We should... unpack that."

Miles sighed. "Okay. When I wrote that note, I intended to jump off the big bridge, over the Los Tokyo river. Do you know that one?" Wright nodded. "I was about to jump when the door of a bar on the street before the bridge burst open. It was loud, so I looked over and saw a group of friends laughing and having fun together. I thought about the life that I'd built, and how even though I was giving it up, I wanted a chance to return.

"Most of all, I thought about you. I highly valued our relationship even then, and I wanted to see you again, after I worked through my issues in Europe. I did think of you at least once a day during my... gap year."

Miles had been looking at his pants during this whole monologue, so when he looked back up at Wright's face the look of pure fondness on his face nearly bowled Miles over. Wright pulled Miles into a hug, and even though it was awkward because they had been sitting facing each other on the couch, it was maybe the best hug Miles had ever had in his life. He melted into the hug, and Wright squeezed tighter.

Wright pulled away slightly, so they were still hugging but they could see each other's faces. Wright's eyes were dark and swirled like they held entire galaxies. Miles was captivated and when Wright leaned in, Miles couldn't have turned away even if he'd tried.

Miles felt like fireworks had been set off inside his heart. He was pulled flush with Phoenix, and he spared a moment to marvel at how perfectly the lines of their bodies slotted together. Phoenix's grip tightened on Miles' arm, and when he finally pulled back Miles felt a sense of loss.

"I love you." The words tumbled out of Miles' lips before he could stop them, an he had a moment of terror before Phoenix responded with "I love you too. Since fourth grade, actually, but that's a topic for later."

Miles laughed, full and bright and unguarded, and rested his forehead against Phoenix's. "So, is it Phoenix and Miles now?" Phoenix's responding bright grin answers Miles' question more than words ever could.

A few, or maybe many, minutes later, Phoenix bit into Miles' neck, earning a sharp inhale from the prosecutor. "Do you wanna go... further?" Phoenix murmurs into his neck.

Miles swallows, and he swears Phoenix's eyes follow his Adam's Apple as it bobs up and down. 

"I would like nothing more, Phoenix."

+++

If Trucy noticed their holding each other's hand when they picked her up, or the moments when she came into the kitchen to find them a little too close, or that Phoenix was sleeping in Miles' bed even though there were two empty bedrooms, she didn't show it,

That is, until their departure. Miles drove them to the airport and walked them to their terminal. Right before they boarded, Trucy tackle-hugged Miles and said:

"Bye, Papa! I'll miss you!"

this sucks SO much ass asdfghjkl (I promise the later ones are better)