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When Miles awoke to the familiar sensation of Phoenix sprawled across his chest, still fast asleep, he smiled. Slowly, he opened his eyes and glanced over at the alarm clock on his nightstand- 7:27 AM. He sighed to himself, wrapping his arms a little tighter around Phoenix's shoulders. After the insane couple of months they had both just been through- involving multiple near death experiences for both of them, amongst other things- he was grateful to finally be home again, with Phoenix in his arms once more. The very last thing he wanted right now was to leave this bed, in fact he'd probably be quite happy to stay right where he was forever. But he knew he'd get a headache if he laid in bed for too long after waking up. So, gently prizing Phoenix's arms off him, Miles got up and made his way to the kitchen. He knew he had a quiet day ahead of him, mostly just post-trial paperwork and tying up a few loose ends from his most recent cases, so he could get away with a slow morning. He quietly hummed to himself as he made tea, as well as a coffee for Phoenix, that smile he had woken up with never leaving his lips. They'd been together for just over a year now and Miles was certain he'd never smiled this much in his entire life. It was one of the countless ways Phoenix had changed his life since he'd barreled his way back into it nearly two and a half years ago. Everything had been a little hectic recently, even more-so than usual, but hopefully things would calm down for a while and go back to some sense of much-missed normality between them. Well, as normal as you could get when you were dating a man like Phoenix Wright. Speak of the devil...
"Good morning, dear," Miles smiled warmly as Phoenix padded into the kitchen, eyes still bleary from sleep.
"Mornin' gorgeous," Phoenix's lopsided grin made butterflies explode inside Miles' stomach. Even now, Miles couldn't get used to seeing Phoenix so unguarded. He doubted he ever truly would.
"How did you sleep?" Miles asked, handing over Phoenix's freshly poured coffee before sitting down at the breakfast bar with his own cup of tea.
"Like a baby," Phoenix grinned, "I'll never get over how comfortable your bed is,"
"I'm surprised you have any idea what my bed is like, given that you usually spend the majority of the night using me as pillow, mattress, and blanket all in one," Miles huffed despite the teasing gleam in his eyes.
"Are you objecting to my affections?" Phoenix gasped in mock offense.
"I would never dream of doing such a thing," Miles reassured him softly as Phoenix slid onto the barstool next to him.
They sat and talked for a while, Miles about his plans for the day and Phoenix about his upcoming trial. Once their drinks were finished, Phoenix disappeared back into Miles' bedroom to retrieve his spare suit from the closet- leaving spare work clothes at each other's apartments had become a must after a rather awkward incident only a couple of months into their relationship that had resulted in Miles leaving Phoenix's place in a rush and showing up to court in less than ideal attire. Miles busied himself with preparing for his own day until Phoenix suddenly reappeared behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist. Miles instantly melted into Phoenix's hold, leaning his head back against his partner's shoulder.
"I could stay here forever," Miles murmured, closing his eyes and sighing contentedly.
"As much as I would love to stay here like this all day, I do actually have to get to work," Phoenix sighed dramatically, pulling away from Miles.
"Remind me how exactly you got this case, again?" Miles teased lightly, already knowing the answer, as he turned around to face Phoenix.
"Yeah I know. 'I won it in a poker game' is a ridiculous reason to take on a case, I'm well aware of your opinions on the matter," Phoenix rolled his eyes, a smile pulling at his lips, "but what can I say? I never could turn down an innocent person in need. Plus, I reckon there's more to this case than meets the eye,"
"Whatever you say, dear," Miles smiled, leaning over and kissing his cheek, "just don't be late for dinner, okay?"
"I wouldn't dream of it," Phoenix winked, grabbing his phone in one hand and his keys in the other. And with as little ceremony as usual, he left Miles' apartment, gently shutting the door closed behind him. Miles smiled to himself, leaning back against the wall and gazing out the window. How had he ever managed to get this lucky? He supposed he should probably get going too; that post-trial paperwork wasn't going to fill itself out, unfortunately.
And so, Miles went about his business as though it were any usual day. After all, why would he do anything different? It was just another normal day... right? But, for some reason, he found himself with this nagging sense of dread biting at him. If today was just like any other day, then why did it feel so wrong? Anxiety nipped at his heels with every step and constricted his lungs with every breath. He continually brushed it off as tiredness or maybe the reality of the past couple of months catching up with him. But the feeling wouldn't fade. In fact, as the day drew on it only seemed to get worse. It built and built until suddenly the entire day had passed him by and Miles found himself back home again, dinner plans forgotten in place of pacing the length of his living room. He racked his brain, trying to think of what could have possibly triggered this awful feeling. But he drew a blank every time.
Eventually he sighed, relenting himself to the fact that whatever was plaguing him would have to remain a mystery, and picked up his phone with the intention of calling Phoenix and asking him whether he wanted Chinese takeout or sushi for dinner tonight because there was no way he had time to cook anything now. Come to think of it, he hadn't heard from his partner all day. As the phone rang, Miles wondered how the trial had gone. But then, the phone kept ringing... no answer. Frowning, Miles tried again. And again, no answer. By the time Phoenix had failed to answer his phone for the fifth time in a row, Miles was seriously starting to panic. Had something happened to him on his way home from work? It was the only explanation Miles could think of at this point. What if he'd been hit by a car while riding his bike? What if some idiot had picked a fight with him outside the courthouse if they hadn't liked the outcome of Phoenix's trial earlier in the day? What if he'd somehow managed to get himself accused of murder (it would hardly be the first time)? What if, what if, what if?
So, Miles did the only thing he could think of in that moment; he grabbed his keys and his coat, half jogged down to his apartment complex's parking lot, jumped into his car, and sped all the way to Phoenix's place. His fingers drummed loudly on the steering wheel as he drove, his mind racing with all the possibilities that could explain why Phoenix wasn't answering his phone. His anxieties were quelled somewhat when he pulled up outside Phoenix's apartment and saw that a light on inside; that meant Phoenix was home, which probably also meant he was okay. But, if that were the case, why was he ignoring Miles' calls? Had something happened to his phone? Was there... someone else up there with him? Miles shook his head, internally scolding himself for even thinking something like that, as he got out of the car and headed up to Phoenix's front door.
But as he raised his hand to knock, he found himself hesitating. What if there really was someone else? It would certainly explain Phoenix's sudden disappearance and why he hadn't heard from him all day. Miles tried to reassure himself that everything was fine, he'd seen Phoenix that very morning and the two of them had been happy together... hadn't they? Suddenly, the past year of Miles' life went flashing before his eyes, over-analyzing every small detail about his and Phoenix's entire relationship. What if Phoenix hadn't been happy after all? What if Miles wasn't living up to his expectations? What if, what if, these damned what ifs!
Frustrated with himself, Miles knocked firmly on the door before trying the handle. He was surprised to find it locked. Phoenix hardly ever bothered to lock his front door unless he was out, something Miles continuously scolded him for; Phoenix's excuse was always the same, if someone tried to rob him then he'd simply sue them. Not a very logical approach, in Miles' opinion. With his earlier worries over Phoenix's safety clawing their way back up his throat, Miles dug out the spare key Phoenix had given him months ago and unlocked the door. Cautiously, he opened it and stepped inside.
"Hello? Anyone home?" Miles asked the darkened hallway. There was no reply.
Slowly, Miles made his way through Phoenix's apartment towards the only source of light he could see; one of the lamps in the living room. But, just as he rounded the corner and stepped into the room, Miles stopped dead in his tracks. He blinked once, then twice, fully convinced that he must be hallucinating or something. It was the only possible explanation for what he was seeing. Well, he hadn't been wrong about there being someone else in Phoenix's apartment with him. But in all his worrying, he certainly hadn't been expecting this. Sat by herself on Phoenix's couch, swinging her legs and humming to herself, was a young girl. She looked to be maybe seven or eight years old, Miles guessed. She was dressed head-to-toe in a rather peculiar pink outfit, or perhaps it was some sort of costume. Either way, she looked very out of place sitting on her own, on Phoenix's old leather couch in his very 'bachelor-pad chic' apartment. But as soon as she saw him standing in the doorway, she smiled at him in a way that made Miles distantly think of home.
"Phoenix," Miles called out tentatively, staring at the young girl as she stood up, "are you aware that there is a small child in your living room?"
"Hello, my name's Trucy! What's yours? Are you a friend of Daddy's?" the girl beamed up at him and Miles' mind simultaneously ran at a million miles an hour and screeched to a halt. If this girl had a father, where on earth was he?
"Phoenix?" Miles called over his shoulder again, a little more desperately this time.
"I was hoping if I didn't answer then you'd give up and leave," Phoenix huffed, suddenly appearing behind him. Miles turned and stared at him. He looked... awful.
"I... I'm not even going to comment on that, actually," Miles replied carefully, his eyes scanning Phoenix as though he were a crime scene, trying to piece together what was happening. He was still wearing is usual court attire, minus the jacket. But his tie was loosened and crooked and his shirt rumpled. His hair was a mess, as though he'd done nothing but run his fingers through it constantly for hours. His face was tired and worn and his eyes were worryingly hollow.
"Good," Phoenix glared at him standoffishly and Miles felt a twinge in his heart. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen Phoenix look at him like that before, so cold and aloof. He briefly wondered if this was how Phoenix had felt when they had faced off against each other in court for the first time. That only served to make his heart hurt even more.
"Phoenix," Miles pressed, a warning tone to his voice. Phoenix rolled his eyes and sighed, apparently relenting.
"Trucy, this is Miles Edgeworth," Phoenix smiled down at the girl and Miles watched in silent shock as his entire demeanor changed as he approached her; his edges softened and warmth coated his every word. Now this was the Phoenix that Miles knew. It reminded him of all the times he'd seen Phoenix interact with Pearls, and even Maya to an extent, in the exact same way.
"Is he a friend of yours?" she asked, gazing up at him with something akin to wonder in her eyes.
"In a sense," Phoenix chuckled, his eyes sparkling slightly as he glanced in Miles' direction, "but he and I need to have a quick chat, okay? It's adult stuff so it'll be suuuper boring,"
"Urgh!" Trucy pulled a disgusted face and in any other circumstance, Miles might have smiled at her childish response.
"Exactly, so nothing you'd want to listen to anyway. Now, I've set up the spare room for you tonight, okay? So why don't you go ahead and make yourself comfortable," Phoenix suggested gently and Miles didn't even have the energy to be shocked anymore.
"Okay, thank you!" Trucy smiled up at him again before skipping out of the room. As soon as she was out of sight, Phoenix visibly deflated again, almost withdrawing into himself. Miles felt his blood pressure rising by the second.
"Phoenix," Miles almost whispered, walking over to stand in front of him as his gut twisted- he had a very bad feeling about this, "what has happened?"
And all of a sudden, Phoenix broke down. He all but collapsed forwards into Miles' arms, quiet sobs heaving up through his chest as Miles quickly pulled him closer. He had seen Phoenix cry before, on a number of occasions. But never like this. It was like the very light had left Phoenix's soul. He folded down into Miles' chest, his hands clutching the back of Miles' jacket as though he could disappear at any moment. Miles just held him, soft and steady, and tried as hard as he could to blink back his own tears as Phoenix dissolved against him. Something was very, very wrong here.
"It's gone, Miles..." Phoenix whispered so quietly that Miles almost missed it in amongst his own swirling thoughts.
"What's gone?" he asked gently, leaning back slightly as Phoenix raised his head.
"My badge, they took it from me there and then. All but clawed it off my lapel like a pack of wild dogs," Phoenix's hands were shaking, his fingers digging into Miles' back.
"What?" Miles felt his stomach drop.
"The Bar Association; it was a unanimous decision, well unanimous bar one. 'The highest punishment possible' they declared, then they took my badge and threw me out. Did it straight after the trial too, didn't even give me a chance," Phoenix explained, his face twisting as if even the words themselves were causing him physical pain. Miles felt sick.
"Why... why were you even in a Bar Association hearing? What exactly were you accused of?" Miles frowned; he himself had fallen victim to a similar situation only a few weeks ago, so to hear that Phoenix had faced one without even having the chance to prepare was worrying, to say the least.
"Presenting forged evidence," Phoenix said quietly, burying his face against Miles' shoulder, his grip on Miles' back finally releasing.
"Well that's ridiculous! You would never-" Miles spluttered but Phoenix cut him off.
"But I did, Miles. Not on purpose, not knowingly... but apparently that didn't seem to matter. I should consider myself lucky they didn't try to get me thrown in jail too," Phoenix sighed and Miles felt himself tense.
"Phoenix, my love," Miles hooked a finger under Phoenix's chin and gently pulled upwards until their eyes met, "just what is going on here?"
So, very slowly and quietly, Phoenix told him everything that had happened since he'd last seen him that morning. And, it was... a lot. The trial, the forged evidence, the Bar Association hearing he hadn't even had time to prepare for, the disappearing client, and the young child that client left behind. Miles held onto Phoenix as he spoke, his own heart hammering in his chest. He felt wave after wave of indignation, astonishment, and utter rage at the legal system he had spent his entire life admiring. How could something like this have been allowed to happen at all? But every time, he pushed his feelings back down; the last thing Phoenix needed right now was him flying off the handle. So instead he listened as calmly as he could and, when Phoenix was finally done, he realised that his heart had broken cleanly in two; Phoenix on one side and the law on the other.
"So, that's everything, I guess..." Phoenix sighed, the last of his energy seeming to drain out of him as he rested his head against Miles' shoulder.
"Is this why you weren't answering my calls earlier?" Miles asked gently, rubbing soothing circles on Phoenix's back.
"Yeah, I... I didn't want you thinking less of me," Phoenix mumbled into Miles' shoulder.
"Phoenix," Miles' breath hitched in his throat, "I would never think less of you for something like this, something that wasn't even your own fault,"
Phoenix didn't say anything, but Miles felt the way his body tensed and his arms wrapped a little tighter around Miles' waist.
"However, I do have one question," Miles continued, his eyes drifting back towards the door to the spare bedroom.
"What is it?" Phoenix lifted his head to look at him.
"What are we going to do with Trucy?" Miles asked slowly.
"Well... I hadn't really thought that far ahead, to be honest. But she's got no where else to go," Phoenix looked at him pleadingly and Miles already knew what Phoenix was thinking.
"Surely she's got family somewhere? The girl didn't appear out of thin air," Miles tried to reason, pulling back slightly.
"She's got no one, Miles. Her mother has been missing for years. Her father has completely abandoned her. There's no one else, just... me," Phoenix sighed as he stepped away from Miles' hold, the weight of his words sinking into his chest.
Miles wanted to protest; Phoenix was always thinking with his heart and Miles often had to be the one to bring logic into the conversation. But then something quite unexpected happened. Miles suddenly thought of his father. He remembered what losing him had felt like. He remembered growing up without ever even knowing his mother. He remembered being a child, scared, alone, and with no one left to care for him. No one left to love him. And he remembered who had taken advantage of that situation and the decade of torment that had led to. He remembered growing up in a house that didn't love him, with a man who cared only for perfection and revenge. He thought of how different his life would have been if he'd had someone to stand up for him in the way he had always stood up for others, even just once.
"You want to take her in, don't you?" Miles asked slowly, already knowing the answer.
"I don't know what else I can do," Phoenix bit at his lip. Miles could think of a hundred things they could do in this situation that did not involve suddenly having a child to take care of. But one look in Phoenix's eyes told him that he would never accept any of them. He always did have too big of a heart.
"Give it two weeks. If her father does not return for her by then... I'll help you fill out the adoption papers," Miles sighed, resigning himself to his fate.
"Really?!" Phoenix's eyes lit up and Miles' stomach somersaulted. It was the first time he had seen Phoenix look hopeful all evening.
"Yes. Given her situation, I doubt you will face too many barriers in securing legal guardianship rights. And if you do, I'll see what strings I can pull to smooth them over," Miles reassured him, his mind already several steps ahead of his words.
"Thank you, Miles," Phoenix's voice wobbled, despite the growing smile on his face.
"Don't thank me yet, Phoenix. I suppose I'll start packing tomorrow morning," Miles mused, almost to himself.
"What do you mean?" Phoenix frowned in confusion.
"Well, I guess it could wait until we've found a place together first. But it might be easier if I move in with you straight away, then we can start looking for a place from there," Miles said distractedly; there was so much to do, so much to organise, so many things to consider.
"Wait, you want to move in with me?" Phoenix asked with such genuine surprise that Miles suddenly felt his heart constrict in his chest.
"Yes... unless, of course, you don't want me to-" Miles said nervously, his fingers flexing slightly at his sides.
"Of course I do!" Phoenix laughed, throwing his arms around Miles' shoulders, "I just didn't expect you to want to leave that fancy place of yours and move somewhere so... cheap,"
"That apartment has always been too big and cold, I'm not attached to it," Miles shrugged, his hands settling on Phoenix's hips, "I've been wanting to bring up the idea of moving in together for a while now, actually,"
"We've only been officially together a year," Phoenix smirked, leaning in and kissing Miles' cheek.
"And here we are, moving in together and adopting a child... Phoenix Wright, what have you done to me?" Miles chuckled, pressing their foreheads together. But a quiet gasp from the doorway caused them to jump apart again.
"Does this mean I get to stay?" Trucy asked, her eyes wide and shining as she looked from one of them to the other.
"It looks like it," Phoenix grinned over at her. Miles could see how much his face lit up when he looked at her and he was suddenly struck with how similar they both looked, especially their eyes. And their smiles...
In any other life, with any other man, Miles would most likely have had a panic attack followed by a complete mental breakdown at the idea of suddenly moving in together, adopting a child he had only just met, and becoming the sole breadwinner of a household of three in the span of a few minutes. But with Phoenix, no matter how suddenly things changed or how dramatic their circumstances became, Miles knew in his heart that they would always make the right choice. A lot of things were about to change very quickly and Miles' life would likely never be the same again. But as he watched Trucy, this young and innocent child who had been abandoned by those who were supposed to love and care for her, run into Phoenix's arms and giggle as he picked her up, he couldn't help the smile forming on his lips as warmth blossomed in his chest. Maybe some good could still come from this situation after all.