Work Text:
Miles Edgeworth withheld a heavy sigh. Today was a slow day. His witness was refusing to speak, the innumerable pile of paperwork only grew, and worst of all, he was fighting an awful migraine that threatened to consume his morning. Needless to say, he was not in the best mood that day.
His phone began to buzz, and for a moment, he had half a mind to drop it into his wooden cabinets filled with stuffy papers. Hopefully that would muffle the infernal racket. He reached out and grabbed it, then his glaze flitted over across the screen, and for a moment, he stared at it in shock. Why was Phoenix Wright calling him at this hour? Miles swerved back and double-checked the date on his calendar he kept beside his desk. Yes, Wright had a trial today...he was supposed to be in the middle of defending a client, not calling the Chief Prosecutor. Gah! He jerked out of his thoughts, realizing he had been staring at his phone for minutes. No, his face was not flushed pink across his cheeks, and no, he was certainly not going to pick it up when he was busy enough, not when Wright was supposed to be defending a client in court-
“Wright?”
“Mr. Edgeworth, you have to get here as soon as possible!” Miles jerked his ear away from his phone, glaring at it, not for the first time wishing he could deliver that withering look through the phone to the other side. “You’re not Wright.”
“Please, Mr. Edgeworth, it’s urgent. Nick- he’s-”
“Miss Fey,” Miles growled, the source of the voice finally clicking in his brain. It had been hard to connect the high-pitched voice to the girl when she wasn’t chattering at five words a second. “I am incredibly busy right now to be doing such foolish matters such as aiding Wright with his trial. Need I remind you that I am a prosecutor, not an attorney like you and your spiky-haired friend?”
“Hey, he’s your friend too!” There was the squeaky, indignant voice of Maya that Miles knew. Despite himself, he could feel a smile twitching onto his face. Then it immediately slid off his face like slick oil the second Maya opened her mouth again. “Mr. Edgeworth, Nick is in the hospital. He’s in a coma. Som-something happened at the trial.” Instantly, Miles felt his blood freeze, his fingers trembling and he had to steady himself with his desk for a moment. No…no, please no…not again…not Phoenix-
“You’ve got to come quick, Mr. Edgeworth- they- they’re saying-” “I’m going, now,” he interrupted, his voice coming out plain and cracked, barely able to shove the words out of his throat. He started to stack his work up neatly, but froze. What was he doing? Phoenix could be dying at that moment. His stormy eyes flashed as Miles swung his crimson jacket over his shoulders and rushed down the building of his office, swearing internally at the amount of stairs he had to climb down. If he missed Wright’s dying words because of his stupid fear- The streets of Los Angeles had never felt more packed, more slow. Miles clenched his teeth, gripping the wheel so hard his knuckles started to turn white. After a few moments of dubiously legal interpretations of speed limits, he leapt out of the car and raced towards the glittering hospital he was getting all too familiar with. The crystal doors slid open automatically as he raced through, his shoes making a crisp click-clack against the tiled floor. The office lady stared at him briefly as Miles panted out, exhausted, “L-looking for a Wr-right. Phoenix Wright.”
The lady peered over her glasses, eyebrows raised. “I’m sorry, the room is closed without explicit permission from family-” “Papa!” interrupted a squeaky voice, and Milo blinked, a little shocked. The culprit had been a short, perky-looking girl he knew all too well, running down the busy hospital corridors, dried tear stains on her cheeks. Trucy Wright had come down for him. “Oh,” the clerk lady said, looking a little embarrassed. “My apologies. Follow me, we will bring you to your husband right away.” Milo gawked at the lady, his face reeling back in shock and a mix of shame and fierce redness. “I- he’s- he’s not-” Trucy looked up at him innocently, her eyes wide and purple, and he quickly shut his mouth before he said anything more. Right. He had to see Wrong. Er... Wright. What was going on with him today?
All pleasant thoughts of a silver wedding ring on his finger slipped away when he and Trucy raced down the hallway in what was probably not a safe manner for a hospital. The lady led them to a closed off ward and quickly left, dropping them off at the doctor, who was currently in a heated argument with a certain stubborn individual. “I’m sorry, Mr. Justice, but we don’t know when he will wake up-”
Miles stepped in, and instantly, the room went silent. He felt his neck turning a pale shade of red. Why were they all staring at him, like it was his fault that Wright was- Wright was- He broke off from his thoughts when he caught a glimpse of the man, lying prose in the bed beside him. and clamored to his side, his knees trembling for some odd reason. Peering over the bed, Miles frowned. Strangely enough, there weren’t any signs of bullet wounds or thick bandages that would indicate trouble at a trial. It was only Nick- er, Wright, sleeping peacefully, his face looking years younger, a wistful smile on his pale face. He looked calm, almost like his former self before his disbarment. With dismay, Miles realized Wright was still wearing his three-piece suit and tie, looking as handsome as ever, his neck poking out in a way that made Miles regret everything. His stomach felt sick, and for some reason, how he couldn’t quite explain, his chest squeezed in a painful way that made him feel he was sinking, sinking below the ocean floor. This couldn’t be happening. Not to happy-go-lucky Nick, who ate glass and fell off of bridges and came out fine.
“What happened?” When his voice came out, it was cold, and in a way that got halfway stuck in his throat. Apollo clenched the bed rails, staring off into something Miles couldn’t see, his gaze undeniably angry in a way he rarely saw.
“We were about to win the trial, all thanks to Mr. Wright." For a moment, Apollo's eyes glazed over, as they always did whenever he preened on about Wright's accomplishments. "It turns out the witness had actually framed our client, but then- right when Mr. Wright was pointing at him, accusing him of the murder, the witness panicked, and pulled out a wand, and pointed it straight at- at Mr. Wright, and then he collapsed.”
Silence. Miles stared at Apollo, willing him to explain more. A wand? What madness have you gotten yourself into this time, Wright? He looked around the room, seeing the pale face of Maya, who had lost all her usual chatter, and Athena, looking downcast. “He’s been in a coma since.” Apollo finished, his eyes not quite meeting Miles'.
“What- but- how?” he sputtered, feeling a weird trickle that he wasn’t being told something. He wasn’t a prosecutor for nothing. He glared at Apollo, who was nervously avoiding his eyes. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“He shot a curse at Daddy,” Trucy chirped, looking unusually happy among the crowd of sniffling and watery-eyed adults. “The sleeping beauty curse!”
“I-” Miles blanched. “What’s the-” Then another question came in, this one coming from his chest, feeling much more important, and he leaned forward, his voice wavering nervously. “Trucy-?”
“Everything’ll be fine, Uncle Miles!” she grinned back up at him, mirroring his pose, something suspicious glittering in the corner of her eye. “He’ll wake up when his special someone kisses him!”
Silence, save a choked-off cough from the corner where Apollo was standing. Miles looked frantically across the room; to his absolute horror, everyone was looking straight at him. Maya crossed her arms, looking impatient, her sharp eyes piercing through his heart; Apollo was fidgeting with some gadget on his wrist nervously, concern etched clearly on his pointed face; Athena had a no-nonsense glare, and she opened her mouth to shout something, but Trucy quickly hushed her, something Miles was eternally grateful for.
“This is what I was trying to tell you over the phone,” Maya helpfully pointed out, breaking the painful silence, “before you hung up.” Miles felt his skin turn pale, his vision blackening and threatening to give out; something familiar twisted in his chest, something he refused to acknowledge. After a moment of suspicious - not the mention, unbelievably awkward - silence, his gaze flitted apprehensively across the room. They all were avoiding his eyes, from Maya to Apollo to Athena, save one innocent-looking Trucy, who was staring right back at him gleefully, grinning in a manner that was frankly inappropriate when one was standing next to their father lying in a deadly coma. “Trucy, w-why are you staring at-”
“I, er, need to go, um, check over the court files, make sure it goes okay,” Athena stammered out. “I- we should go,” she muttered, jerking on Apollo’s arm.
“Yes, files, very important,” he responded flatly, shooting Athena an annoyed glance. The pair practically ran out of the hospital, and Miles frowned at their backs. Sure, files were very important, Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth could atone to that, but he could hardly justify running in a hospital, of all places. Maya cleared her throat, something peculiar about her expression, and she too stammered out some kind of an excuse, dragging Trucy along with her. “Er- Mr. Edgeworth, I’m feeling quite hungry, so we’ll be back soon. Not too soon- well- for a while- anyways-”
Miles could’ve sworn Trucy gave him a wink as she left, but it was probably a trick of the harsh hospital lights. Well, that was beside the point. For some strange, unexplainable reason, he was alone in the room, with nobody to keep him company but a comatose Wright sleeping away peacefully. The situation puzzled him. Why were his coworkers not more worried about the potentially dangerous situation their boss was in? He could be asleep for decades, if the cure wasn’t found. His mind, the traitor, went instantly to the words of Wright’s daughter. He’ll wake up when his special someone kisses him! The very thought sickened his stomach, though he couldn’t quite explain why. Well, he should be happy for his best friend, no? Surely he didn’t want Wright to be stuck in a coma for the rest of his life? And yet, something deep, down in his chest soured over at the thought of some beautiful stranger kissing Wright awake.
“Are you serious?” Athena hissed, peering through the hospital blinds in a sort of frenzied panic. “Why haven’t they kissed yet?”
Apollo let out an all-suffering sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Are you serious? You could probably lock them both in a closet for hours and Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth would still walk out thinking Mr. Wright was straight.”
“I never imagined their obliviousness would quite literally lead to a life-or-death situation, but, well, here we are.”
“Fuck it,” Maya muttered, pulling out a sparkly phone, and instantly began jamming numbers into it. “Drastic times call for drastic measures.”
Miles was staring endlessly at Wright’s sleeping face, wondering if the man looked that youthful normally or if it was just the spell, when he got a call. Snapping out of- whatever that was- he picked up the call, barely paying any notice to the caller ID. “My apologies, but I’m a little busy-”
"Miles Edgeworth!” He instantly winced, jerking the phone away from his pained ear. After this is all over, I'm throwing away this goddamn phone. “What are you doing right now, you fool? We both know you like that fool! Hurry up and get it over with!”
“Frankziska, I- what in heaven’s name are you talking about?” Miles felt his voice rise defensively, his cheeks unwillingly tinting pink. “How did you know-?” he quickly stopped his question, realizing what he had just revealed. He would never hear the end of this, would he?
Frankziska’s only response to this embarrassing confession was a scalding scoff. “Of course I knew! How dare you insult my intelligence! Practically everyone knows about your foolish feelings towards this ... fool.”
“Gahh! P-pract-tically everyone?” He nearly dropped his phone out of shock, and he felt himself stand up on instinct. Oh, what he would give for a wooden desk to slam his burning red face into. A nurse nearby shushed him, and he swiftly shut himself up. No, no, this could not be. “Agh, you have no evidence! Besides, I certainly will not k-kiss him- not when he’s asleep-”
The nurse was now giving him the most peculiar look, and he turned his back before his face could turn an even darker shade of scarlet. A string of expletives and creative imaginings of the word ‘foolish’ erupted from his cell.
“Dammit!” Athena looked like she was on the brink of collapsing, pushing herself away from the window. “He still won’t do it!”
“God, and I thought Nick was the dense one,” Maya groaned, slamming a palm to her forehead.
Apollo turned to face her, a peculiar look in his eye. “Say, Maya, how’d you have Ms. Von Karma’s number, anyways?”
“Er- that’s- you see-”
“Hallo,” someone called out in a smooth voice, and Maya could’ve kissed the stranger for interrupting the painful topic. “I was called here…?”
Apollo leapt back, and Athena winced painfully as he stepped on her foot in his wild dash for the window. “Prosecutor Gavin-! You heard the news?”
“Ja, Herr Forehead,” he replied, looking more confused by the minute, but the puzzled expression on his face still didn’t stop the smile that spread when his eyes met Apollo’s. “Apparently Herr Wright needs an, er, kiss?”
“Yes,” muttered Athena from beside the window, her gaze turning murderous, “And I’m going to make sure it happens even if I have to kill Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth myself.”
“Herr Edgeworth?” The confusion on Klavier’s face melted away into a smirk. “Ah, but of course.”
Maya leaned back, plopping down against the wall in an exasperated sigh. “The thing is, both of them are too thick-skulled to understand how obviously in love they are. How could we possibly make Mr. Edgeworth kiss him at a time like this?”
“Easy,” chirped a voice, and all eyes turned to Trucy Wright, that mischievous expression still on her face. “Leave it to me.”
“Oh, Wright, how could you get yourself stuck like this?” Miles found himself muttering, his gaze still locked onto the bed and the unfortunate man lying on it. He let out a pained sigh, one that he felt straight from his chest, which, as always, was twisted, sending a sick feeling towards his stomach, as it always did whenever Wright was involved. He absentmindedly began to move a stray hair away from Wright’s forehead, then abruptly stopped himself.
“Well, Frankziska’s not wrong,” he whispered, a ghost of a confession on his lips. Well, there was nobody around to hear him, right? And it wasn’t like Wright could hear him, not in his comatose state. “I-I’ve always loved you.” He felt the secrets spilling out of him, like a hook was yanking the awful feelings from his heart. “You fool.” The tears were dribbling down his cheeks, and he was eternally grateful the members of the Wright Anything Agency weren’t around to see. Miles had half a mind to hide his tears in his hands, but he couldn’t for the life of him, jerk his gaze away from Wright.
“Phoenix Wright…ever since you’ve saved me, hell, before that, even.” His mind flashed back to hazy childhood memories, of Steel Samurai keychains and something that smelled suspiciously like the Butz, of classroom trials and stolen lunch monies, of stolen glances and soft smiles. “You’re my reason for living, for the man I am today. I love you. So please…” his voice came out in choked sobs, now, the gravity of the situation finally drumming into him. “Please, wake up.”
Creak. The door quietly opened, and Miles jerked up, his gaze frantically locking on to the intruder, realizing his vulnerable state. To his surprise, the visitor was not another one of those insufferable nurses or lawyers. It was a young girl, peeking her head around the door, her blue eyes wide and innocent.
“Trucy!” Miles didn’t smile, but he certainly felt warmth filling his chest. If anything, he was glad it was Wright’s daughter that had caught him crying, not one of his subordinates. He stood up from his seat cautiously, and she barreled into him, her arms stretching around his waist in a suffocating hug. For a moment, Miles stood there awkwardly, but then shook his head and wrapped his arms around her tightly. It must be hard for her, he thought. Her father may never wake up. Eventually, they broke apart, and Miles was shocked to see the usually-cheerful face of Trucy blighted with a sniffling nose and dried tear stains. Last time I saw her, she was grinning ear-to-ear, her near-dead father notwithstanding.
“Trucy…?” he asked gently, worry creasing his brows, and he hunched down on an uncomfortable squat, looking the girl in the eye. “Is something wrong?” Internally, he winced. Of course something is wrong, you fool, whispered something that sounded suspiciously like Frankziska. Trucy nodded slowly, brushing another tear away with a trembling hand. “Uncle Miles… I-I’m worried Daddy won’t ever wake up.”
“Don’t worry,” he said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Someone will come along, someone who can break the spell.” Even as he said the words out loud, it felt false, as he tried to convince himself just as hard as he was trying to convince Wright’s daughter. His eyes trailed to the floor, that terrible sinking feeling of guilt as he again selfishly wished Wright would stay asleep than love some stranger that…that wasn’t him.
“Uncle Miles?” He looked back up to Trucy, watery grey eyes meeting blue. “I- I know that Daddy cares a lot for you.” Miles stopped, his mouth feeling extremely dry as he stopped himself from gawking at Trucy.
“Can you…can you please try?” She ignored his half-mumbled protests and looked him in the eyes, trembling her lips and looking as sad as possible, her shoulders hunched back. “Please?”
“Trucy, I-” Miles felt as though he’d rather be anywhere else, even if it meant taking another plane to Germany, if it meant escaping the piercing gaze of Trucy Wright that struck him right at the core of his heart. He…he couldn’t refuse her. Not when her father was right beside them, in a possibly almost-dead state.
He let out a sigh. “Trucy, it might not work,” he warned, cutting down his own hopes in the process. “Just…just don’t be disappointed.”
“Just try, Uncle Miles.”
With a hint of trepidation, he gazed longingly at the face of Phoenix Wright, and leaned over. Well, there was no way Wright saw him that way. So…with that logic…there was no danger in trying, was there? Still, he felt his heart hammering furiously, pounding its way out of his chest. His fingers were trembling as he bent down further, until his face was bare inches away from Wright’s. From this distance, he could feel his gentle breath, the slow rise and fall of his chest, until all else faded away into the shadows as his eyes locked in on Wright’s lips. How many times had he dreamed about this moment? About pushing his lips to Wright’s? He had imagined it many times over, over and over… Screw it, he told himself, and closed the final gap between them, bringing their lips together. In an instant, everything changed. At first, it had been a chaste kiss - Miles would never take advantage of a sleeping Phoenix to go any further - but something changed in Wright’s breath, and a deep groan of longing escaped from his mouth, and Phoenix shifted under him, pulling Miles deeper, and suddenly he could feel hands wrapped tightly around his neck, fingers gripping his hair…
Wait- what? Miles jerked back suddenly, the information slowly registering in his addled brain. He opened his eyes, and to his horror, he was faced with unmistakably brown eyes blinking back at him. “Phoenix?” he whispered, and he had meant it to be more forceful, angry, but it fell out of his mouth without him meaning to, and it came out soft, gentle.
“Daddy!” Trucy yelped, and Miles pushed himself off the bed - how had he even gotten there - and watched as she tightly embraced her father, who had still not taken his eyes off of Miles. “You’re awake! I knew you’d wake up, I knew-!”
Nick tore his eyes away from Miles and looked down instead at his beaming daughter, blinking blearily. “Trucy-? What- what happened?” He shook his head, shaking the edges off of sleep that had gone on far too long.
The door burst open, and the room was suddenly filled with people. “You’re finally awake,” Maya cheerfully announced, and behind her was Ms. Cykes, who looked between strangling Nick and hugging him, and Mr. Justice, who was currently staring at the ground, his cheeks tinted pink, tentatively standing next to a certain- Miles paused. What the hell was Klavier Gavin doing there?
“Herr Edgeworth,” he chirped happily in greeting when he saw the look of incredulity on Miles’s face. “My congratulations.”
“Er-” Nick stage-whispered to Trucy, “What is he doing here?”
Apparently Miles wasn’t the only bemused one. Nick blinked again a look of utter confusion on his face, one Miles had seen innumerable times before in court, the look when the evidence didn’t match up with a witness’ claim at all. “Wait, why are all of you here?” He could practically see the gears turning in Nick's dim-witted head. “Am I in a hospital?!”
“How much do you remember, Wright?” Miles remembered how to speak, quite frankly impressed at how calm and normal-sounding his voice was. For a moment, there was an awkward silence as everyone immediately avoided his gaze. Crap. They all know, don’t they. Of course they know. I was the only one in the room when he woke up...
Nick absentmindedly scratched the back of his neck, still fighting back his weariness. “Well, last thing I remember, we had just gotten Mr. Utler acquitted, and the witness, er, was his name again? He pointed some kind of a stick at me and it hurt. And then-” He abruptly stopped, and he looked briefly at Milo, then quickly turned his gaze away, the tips of his ears turning a faint red. “Er. I woke up.”
Miles was currently staring out of the window, gazing at a tree outside as if it was the most impressive painting in the Louvre. Maya took one look at the blushing Nick, and the flustered Miles, then grinned.
“Hey guys,” she said, her voice coming out teasingly. “I think we have some paperwork to go over at the agency.” A half-choked sound came out of Apollo, and Klavier patted his back reassuringly.
“Right,” Athena quickly amended, and it wasn’t very long until the crowd rushed out of the room, but not before Trucy gave Miles a sly grin, before turning and skipped out the door.
And then there were two. For a moment, there was an awkward silence that hung around in the air, and Miles refused to look at Nick. Really, the trees were beautiful this time of year.
“Miles-” Nick’s trembling voice called out, breaking the silence, the millions of questions and panicked screaming that hammered through his head. “Were you- was that you…?”
Fearing the look on Nick’s face, Milo continued to stare out the window stiffly. “I apologize if you felt…uncomfortable, I’m sorry…”
“Miles.”
He spun around, unable to bear the pain in his chest anymore, and faced Nick, only to be met with a gentle smile and teary brown eyes. “I understand if these feelings are not returned, if you don’t wish to see me anymore, I only ask…I only ask that we remain friends…”
“Miles.”
“I’m sorry for- for doing that to you without asking- but-”
“Miles!”
All of sudden, Miles was being pushed back, and he could feel again lips pressed against his, except this time, it was Nick, Nick was awake, Nick was pushing him against the wall, and any train of thought was suddenly thrown away and abandoned as anything Miles could focus on was the weight of Nick against him, and the overwhelming feeling that was Wright. After a moment, they broke apart, Nick looking every bit disheveled, a blissful, lopsided grin on his face that Miles knew was mirrored on his own. His heart was hammering again, but this time he let it beat, because his deepest dream wasn't just a dream anymore.
"You know..." Nick suddenly looked bashful, rubbing his arm self-consciously. "I heard everything."
Miles froze. "Nick-"
"And I want to let you know," he interrupted, meeting Miles' eyes, a soft smiles on his lips - I know how those lips taste, now- "I love you too."
From outside the window, Apollo grit his teeth as cheering erupted around him, mainly from Maya and Athena, who looked way too overjoyed at witnessing their boss make out furiously with his courtroom rival.
“I’m so happy for them,” Maya said happily, clapping her hands together. “It only took them, what, a decade?”
Athena laughed, the sound echoing throughout the hallway, until her gaze locked curiously onto a certain girl. “Hey, Trucy, how’d you manage to convince Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth, anyways?”
“It was easy,” she shrugged. “Papa only needed a little push.” She then showed off her puppy-dog eyes, and wow, okay, they were way too dangerous to have. Apollo shuddered.
“Well, I say we celebrate this with some hamburgers,” Maya wasted no time in suggesting, and the rest of the group chorused in agreement. Trucy wiggled her eyebrows and gave a sneaky grin to her. “You should invite Aunt Fran.” Apollo sputtered something incorrigible out, and he thanked whatever god there was that he wasn’t drinking anything at the moment. Did Trucy Wright just call Prosecutor Von Karma ‘Aunt Fran’?
All of his troubled thoughts were pushed out when Klavier stood beside him, giving him a cheeky grin, not unlike the one they shared after a satisfying trial.
“Herr Forehead. Shall we?” He outstretched his hand, and after hesitating for a moment, Apollo took it, ignoring the vibrant blush that spread across his face. Trucy took one last peek at the window, where Nick still had Miles furiously pinned to the wall, and looked away, clearly satisfied with the outcome. “C’mon!” she chirped, and together, the Wright Anything Agency - and some friends - left to go eat in some vague attempt to scrub that last memory visiciously out of their minds - or, at least, that was what Apollo was going to try to do.
And well, if by the next week, Miles and Nick arrived to work together holding hands, both of their faces pink and overjoyed, nobody questioned it.