Chapter Text
Miles
When Miles was offered the position of the chief prosecutor, he had three goals in mind. Objective one; Root out any and all corruption and stop at nothing to find the truth. Objective two; Establish a fail safe. This meant instating prosecutor Sebastian Debeste as a high prosecutor and the second in command, even if he was young. It was a step, a risky one at that, but one he was willing to make to create a line of defense against the Damon Gants and the Blaise Debestes of the world. The final objective, theoretically, should have been the easiest one.
Objective three; Clear Phoenix’s name.
He had hoped objective three wouldn’t have become the nearly Herculean task it ended up being, but every time progress was made, it was immediately thwarted. Suddenly there was a ruined plan that no one should have known about, or the board would be convinced of the Mason System’s effectiveness and then the next day they’d veto the decision. It didn’t help that nearly every single difficulty was brought about by one party; Klavier Gavin.
If Miles Edgeworth was a more gracious person, he’d recognize Klavier’s inherent brilliance in his cunning strategy. Klavier was sharp, and his strengths lie in people underestimating him. One minute, he was a casual celebrity that was barely paying attention to the meeting. The next, he makes one little comment that cuts through the entire thing.
“Are there any questions?”
“Ja, ‘Tschuldigung. I’m just a bit confused. Why is all of this being spearheaded by a man that, I’m sure you all remember, I disbarred for fraud? How exactly is this supposed to create an unbiased verdict?”
Miles Edgeworth is not a gracious man. In fact, he’d really prefer if Klavier Gavin could go to hell.
The thoroughbred of the prosecutor’s office showed up to every single one of the Mason system meetings with an unexpected (and rather frightening) interest in the project. He wasn’t afraid to use his authority to establish himself as an integral part of its development, even offering his own research as a “helpful” tool for analysis. Every time the Mason system took one step forward, Gavin was there to smile and drag it three steps back.
Needless to say, Klavier had made it nearly impossible for him to complete objective three. But now, it was finally done. The Mason System trial was a success, Kristoph Gavin was in jail for good, and Miles could officially clear Phoenix’s name. Objective three was complete and he could finally help Phoenix start over again.
There was just one problem; What to do with Klavier Gavin?
The prodigy had quickly become a taboo subject around the office. When it came to the fraudulent evidence, technically Gavin had not done anything illegal (Miles had checked). He had followed all of the proper procedures that came with taking an anonymous tip as evidence. The only thing Gavin had done that could be considered against code was that he kept the case, even with a potential conflict of interest. But then again, the original case had been assigned to him with his own brother as the defense. If anything, it was far less of a problem when Kristoph was off the case.
(Besides, Miles knew that he should refrain from poking too deeply into that little rule. If he started throwing that accusation around, Phoenix would never get his badge back, and Miles might lose his in return.)
So, despite it all, Klavier Gavin remained. Sitting in the back of every meeting, submitting detailed reports that were littered with unprofessional purple ink, and taking on every single case before the paperwork even hits the desk. And even though Miles didn’t trust the man for even a second, there wasn’t much to be done in regards to firing him. Gavin was still one of the best prosecutors in the office. He was infuriatingly invaluable to the office and the courts.
The entire situation was baffling. Klavier was one of the few prosecutors who had never claimed interest in a perfect record, long before the supposed Dark Age came about. In fact, in interviews he openly mocked the idea of such a record and stated that defense attorneys should be treated with a similar amount of respect and pedigree. It was one of the reasons he was beloved by the public, even in such a time of turmoil for the courts; his prosecuting always skewed towards actual truth, not just a verdict.
It’d be perfect if Miles trusted him for a second, but he doesn’t, and so it’s not.
Miles lifted his head from his desk as muffled bass suddenly thrummed through the halls. Not loud enough for it to truly be a bother, but loud enough for him to notice it. And the minute Miles noticed it, it set his teeth on edge. What was the saying? “Speak of the devil and he shall make his presence infuriatingly obvious?”
This wasn’t the first time Gavin’s music had been a complaint, but the issue wasn’t enough for HR to actually do anything beyond reminding him of volume control. Mostly because for the time being, Sebastian was acting as temporary HR for this floor. Miles had to fire the last one for complacency in procedure and refusal to adhere to proper guidelines. Evidently, the only person in this goddamn office Miles had been able to get rid of is Ted from HR.
Another thrum of music mumbled against the walls and Edgeworth decided he had enough. It was truly time to put his foot down. So he stood up, set his papers down, smoothed his jacket and marched down the hallway, where he then walked straight past Gavin’s office and into Sebastian’s to file a complaint.
Unfortunately, his loyal protege whom he had mentored for nearly a decade now, merely tilted his head.
“You…want to file an official complaint about…music?” Sebastian asked.
Miles deadpanned at him. “No, Sebastian, I’m simply telling you about this to remind you of how much I adore losing focus at work.”
If it were any other circumstance, Miles would be more than pleased in how Sebastian not only stood firm, but raised his own eyebrow in a challenge. But for now, it just made Miles frown.
“It doesn’t really bother anyone else, sir. Is there any chance you two could talk about it before we file an official complaint?” Sebastian said, looking down to sign another paper. “That goes on the record forever, and I’ll have to schedule a meeting with you, then him, then the both of you combined if he objects to the report,”
“Isn’t that the point of an HR?” Miles growled.
Sebastian stared at him for a bit, just scanning his face. “...Mr. Edgeworth, is that really the only reason you want me to file a complaint?”
The Chief Prosecutor blinked, taken aback. “What- Sebastian, what exactly are you implying?”
Sebastian fiddled with his pen and quietly bit his lip. Miles was certainly no Trucy Wright, he couldn’t tell people’s physical quirks nearly as well as she did. But whenever Sebastian bit his lip, it was like he was typing out a sentence in his head, thinking better of it, and then deleting it. The cycle continues until the sentence is acceptable enough to say aloud.
“Well, sir…” He began apprehensively, “It’s just- Whenever there’s a ‘Klavier’ related problem, I’m usually the one who has to deal with it.”
Damn. Sebastian was observant as a hawk. Miles would be glowing with pride if that observation wasn’t being used to correct him.
“Aren’t you two friends?” Miles scoffed.
“Yes, which is why it’s really difficult for me to do this every week.” Sebastian said, meeting Miles in the eye as he set down his pen. “And- I mean- It’s usually not that big of an issue, sir. You’re not even the only one today.”
Miles narrowed his eyes. “If multiple people are having an issue with Mr. Gavin, then we need to schedule a meeting-”
“And I would, sir. If there were any real issues.” Sebastian said, cutting him off.
They sat in silence for a bit. Sebastian wasn’t just his apprentice anymore. He stood his ground and his arguments were effective. He had truly grown, and Miles was now confident in his decision to make him a second in command. All that being said, Miles didn’t like being wrong.
“Show me the reports.”
Sebastian sighed and reached into his desk and suddenly pulled out a stack of reports. “Oh, uh, you may want to sit down. These reports kind of take a while. Do you want tea? I don’t have Ceylon, but-”
Miles sighed, pinking up the first one and sliding his glasses on. “I’m fine, Sebastian, thank you though.”
Every report on Gavin was recent, all of them dated within the past month or so. The reports ranged from little things like leaving out water bottles in the break room to much larger issues like Klavier purposefully filling out investigation reports incorrectly. Every single one of them had evidently been investigated and cleared by Sebastian.
The reports weren’t incorrect, in fact, they were the updated format that Miles had implemented. The water bottles in the break room didn’t even belong to him, as Gavin brought his own water bottle to work and had his own sleek hot and cold water cooler in his office. The incorrect report was a typo, one that was quickly corrected and got signed off by the head of investigation. Most of the reports followed the same cycle: Issue, long list of why Gavin should no longer be in the office, investigation by Sebastian, and then the charge is dismissed because it wasn't valid to begin with.
Miles looked up at a tired Sebastian. “And you personally investigated all of these?”
“Of course.” Sebastian said. “They’re either not big enough to pursue, or they’re just wrong. I’m not trying to imply anything, sir, but… he doesn’t bite, y’know. You can just talk to him.”
Miles finally fully glared at Sebastian. “No, Sebastian, I cannot. And surely it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why.”
His apprentice deflated slightly and sighed. The sigh cut deeper than anything he could have actually said. “Okay, sir. I’ll file the report. And investigate him. Again.”
“Well, luckily for the both of us, you can hear the issue happening all the way down here. So hopefully the investigation won’t take too long, right?” Edgeworth snapped.
It was a juvenile comment to make at his pupil, but he couldn’t help himself. He didn’t trust Gavin and neither did the office evidently.
Sebastian just sighed and put the files away. “Of course, sir. Whatever you say, sir.”
As soon as he shut the door behind him, Miles regretted the tone he had taken with Sebastian. It wasn’t fair for him to take on extra duties and then be criticized for how he’s dealing with them. And as much as Miles despised being wrong, Sebastian was right. The reports were all so lengthy and out of proportion. He’d get an earful from Kay or Franziska for talking to Sebastian like that, he was sure of it.
By the time he made it to his office, he had half a mind to turn back and apologize to Sebastian. But the bass thumping from the hallway reminded him of why the conversation had happened in the first place. This was a real issue, but he would deal with it himself this time. That would be his apology.
He marched to Gavin’s office door and rapped his knuckles on the door; Nothing.
His eyes narrowed into a sharp glare as the knock turned into a loud bang. The music went quiet, finally. He heard nothing inside the room for a second before the door swung opento reveal Mr. Rockstar himself.
“Ah! Herr Edgeworth!” Gavin purred, taking a casual lean on the door. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Miles was going to snap out an answer. Tell him to wipe that smarmy smirk off his face and get back to work- quietly, this time. But something made him hesitate. Something about Gavin felt off.
He scanned the prosecutor’s face. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He scanned down. His clothes were normal- Well, if you considered garish and obscene normal. He glanced briefly into the office. Nothing.
“Um, Herr Edgeworth?” Gavin said, bringing him back to the present. There it was again. Something was off. His eyes were… red? His voice wasn’t the smooth tenor it usually was, it was raspy.
Gavin backed into the doorway slightly. “Y’know, Herr Edgeworth, if you wanted to sit here and stare at me, you could likely find a tabloid that will scratch that itch for you fairly well-”
Any concern over the man was immediately lost. Edgeworth narrowed his eyes and pushed up his glasses. “Noise, Gavin. Some of us would like to work, please. And for the last time, clean up your office. It’s a wreck. This is your final warning.”
The blonde’s face didn’t change. “Ja. Got it. Anything else?”
“...No.”
“Gut. See you later, then.”
The door shut, and Miles was left alone. The chief prosecutor must’ve taken two steps down the hallway before the music returned.
“That little-”
“-brat turned the music back on!” He ranted, listening to the snickers of his adoring partner while they cooked dinner. He likely should be a bit more careful not to vent while cutting up a vegetable- the last thing they needed was an ER visit.
Phoenix, his adoring partner and utterly unhelpful listener, simply stirred the vegetables in the pan and laughed at his husband’s plight. “Let me guess- first time dealing with a teenager?”
Miles huffed, slicing the potato a bit more gently this time. “He is not a child, Wright. He’s Mr. Justice’s age, even older than that. He should act like a grown adult.”
“Bold of you to assume Apollo acts anything like an adult.”
“Oh please,” Miles scoffed. “He’s far more put together than you were at his age.”
“Wha- Hey!”
“I’m waiting for an objection, Wright.”
Miles was met with silence. Phoenix tilted his head and scratched his stubble, acting as if he was deep in thought. He shrugged and dumped their cut up chicken breasts in the pan. “Huh. Guess I have none for that. You win this round.”
The smirk on Miles’ face was cut off with a yelp as Phoenix hooked his arms around his waist suddenly, rubbing the stubble right against his face in a big, sloppy kiss. “Guess I have to reward you, huh?”
"WRIGHT-! Get off this instant, I have a knife! This is not-! The salmonella, Wright, wash your hands first!” Miles shouted in scandal as Phoenix buried his face into Miles’ neck. The outrage quickly bubbled into laughter as Phoenix blew a raspberry into his neck.
“You are utterly insufferable. I should get a medal for putting up with your nonsense.” Miles huffed with a fond smile as they separated.
Phoenix laughed. Miles loved that laugh. He hadn’t heard it for so long, listening to it now it was like a precious resource. “I can reward you again if you want.”
“Don’t you dare, I’m serious about the knife, Wright.”
“Okay, okay!” Phoenix laughed again, sighing in content as he added in some vegetables.
The house was quiet, save for the sizzling of the pan. Miles took a minute to look around. Home. This was what home felt like. And for the first time in years, he and Phoenix could share that home together without any fear. No secrets, no whispered conversations across burner phones, no regrets. Just a perfect sense of love and belonging. Miles wanted to linger within it forever.
Phoenix nudged him with his elbow. “Penny for your thoughts?”
Miles simply turned to him with an earnest smile as he brushed his bangs out of his eyes. “I love you, Phoenix. That’s all.”
His spikey haired mess of a partner blinked in surprise before a smile- a true, genuine Phoenix Wright smile, spread across his lips. Not a smirk that hid too much, not a lazy frown, just a smile that was so bright it could outshine the sun.
“I love you too, Miles.” Phoenix finally replied. The words bloomed with warmth in his chest every time. They stared at each other for just a second before Miles finally looked down at what he was doing again.
“Those veggies look about done.” He mused, peering over into Phoenix’s pan. “When will you need the potato?”
Phoenix looked over, as if he was surprised it was still there. “Oh. I don’t.”
Miles blinked. “What.”
“Yeah, uh, I kind of gave you that so you could do something while I finished our actual dinner.” The man laughed.
“Wha-! Wright! I’ve been cutting this for nearly an hour! The slices are perfect!” Miles snapped at him.
Phoenix was now fully belly-laughing. “Yeah! That’s why I didn’t let you cut anything else! We wouldn’t have eaten until midnight!”
“How dare you-!”
The door opened before Miles could complain anymore. Their daughter walked through the front door and groaned, kicking off her boots and flopping onto the couch with a miserable jingle from her cape.
“People. Suck.” Trucy bemoaned into the pillows.
“Good evening to you too, Trucy.” Miles replied, setting the evidently useless knife down beside his futile task. “Dinner is, evidently, almost ready.”
“I love youuuu~” Phoenix singsonged to him, giggling to himself again as Miles rounded the countertops to go sit with her on the couch.
Trucy just sighed as the space beside her dipped down. “People are so horrible.”
“Oh? Why is that?” He asked, relaxing into the worn couch beside her.
The girl just huffed and sat up as she pulled out her phone. “All these headlines about Klavier! They’re unbelievable!” She cried as she shoved the device in front of Miles.
Miles had to take the device and pull his glasses down to see anything, but the headlines weren’t anything he hadn’t seen before. Most of them called Gavin’s badge into question, called him a fraud, or detailed some accusation that a former member of the Gavinners had said about him. It was nothing more than idle gossip really, but nothing Miles hadn’t really thought himself if he was being honest.
“What’s it about this time?” Phoenix called.
Miles recognized the shift in his tone. He was clearly testing the waters with her, but the humor in his voice was stilted. They didn’t love discussing the Gavins in front of Trucy for obvious reasons, the main one being that Trucy utterly adored Klavier.
Yet another reason why the man lingers in my office. Miles thought bitterly.
“Daddy, they just keep bringing up the case!” She called, snatching the phone out of Miles’ hands. “It was months ago, but people still blame him!”
Miles opened his mouth, but a quick look from Phoenix told him to shut it back up and let him handle it.
“Trucy, baby, it was a big case.” Phoenix sighed. “And a huge deal for him. It’s not exactly surprising people are talking about it.”
“But he didn’t do anything!”
This time, Miles bit his tongue instead and pretended to be interested in the seam of his sleeves.
Phoenix sighed. “Well, the court knows that-”
“Well, could the court communicate with the rest of the world, please? I can’t imagine what he’s going through.” Trucy sighed.
Miles sat up and shifted to look at them both. “Trucy, darling, I spoke with him just today. He seemed perfectly normal.”
Trucy frowned at him. “You and I must’ve spoken to different people.”
“You…spoke to Klavier today? When was that?” Phoenix said, pretending to stir dinner, but Miles could hear the sudden edge to his voice.
“Apollo and I did. He had to go file something at the prosecutor’s office, remember?”
Miles glanced over for confirmation. Phoenix nodded, still not looking towards her. “Ah. Right. And how was he when you talked?”
“Well, he did that thing where he puts on a smile and acts all rockstar-y when you can absolutely tell he isn’t okay.” Trucy scoffed.
Miles frowned. Klavier looked completely put together from where he was standing that day. In fact, everything was a little too business as normal.
“Apollo wouldn’t even call him on it, either. He just told me to drop it so we could leave!” Trucy continued with even more indignation. “It’s like they couldn’t even look at each other, but I thought Klavier was our friend.”
“Trucy, maybe he is fine.” Phoenix offered. “You said it yourself, people keep asking him about everything all the time, apparently you as well. Maybe throwing on the rockstar thing is the only thing that gets people to stop asking.”
Trucy sputtered indignantly. “We were worried, it’s different-!”
“Maybe not to him.” Phoenix replied. “I’m not saying you were wrong to check in, but maybe he just needs some space from it all.”
Miles chimed in. “Besides, he’s turning in work, attending court, and doing his job. So he’s likely doing just fine.”
“But- Okay, fine, it makes sense I guess he wouldn’t talk to us, but like, does he talk to anyone about it?” Trucy asked. “If he’s so busy pretending everything is normal to everyone, then who is he actually talking to?”
“I’m sure there’s quite a few people he pays very handsomely to discuss it with.” Miles offered, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.
Trucy frowned at him. “I meant friends.
“He probably has plenty of friends, Trucy. He’s a rockstar.” Phoenix replied.
To be honest, Miles couldn’t care less if Gavin had friends or not. He should be thankful that Judge Gavelle even gave him his job back and he didn’t serve prison time for his involvement.
Trucy didn’t look convinced at all, though. “Well, regardless. People need to stop treating him like some villain. He doesn’t deserve it.”
Despite his best effort, Miles must have made a face, because Trucy immediately narrowed her eyes. “He doesn’t, Papa.”
“I never said he did.”
His daughter sighed. “You didn’t have to.”
“Alright, hang on.” Phoenix sighed, stepping around the counter. “That’s not what Miles believes and you know that.”
Trucy caught his eyes. They both knew that look. She was perceiving them both. “Do you believe that, Daddy?”
“Believe what?” Phoenix echoed, trying and failing to play dumb.
“That Prosecutor Gavin didn’t do anything wrong.”
Phoenix replied with far better grace than Miles had. “Of course I do.”
Trucy just kept staring until Phoenix relented. “Trucy, it’s more complicated than that-”
Their daughter gave them an unreadable expression and stood up. “Can I eat in my room tonight?” She asked.
“Truce-”
“Please?”
Phoenix held her gaze for a minute before sighing. “Okay. I’ll bring it to you later.”
Miles watched her leave and winced as the door shut behind her. Phoenix just sighed and walked back into the kitchen.
“I… I apologize, I shouldn’t have-” Miles started, but his husband cut him off.
“That wasn’t you, Miles. Not just you, anyways.” He sighs, brushing his cowlick back and staring at the pan. “I haven’t really sat down and had a proper conversation about it with her. None of us have.”
An uncomfortable silence settled over the apartment, interrupted occasionally by the pop and sizzle of the pan.
“What…What do you think of it?” Miles asked after a beat. “I can guess, of course. But…” he trailed off, watching his husband fiddle with the food he was now plating.
“Honestly? I don’t know what to think about the kid. Maybe I need more time to process it.”
“He’s not a child, Wright.” He said, feeling a sense of deja vu.
“But he was, wasn’t he?” Phoenix replied, a far away look in his eyes.
For once, Miles didn’t have a response.