A/N: Written solely because the Phoenix and Maya area is extremely lacking and because I love the couple. Expect many more, as the ideas are already swirling around in my head.
Maya is eighteen in this, by the way. This is also set during the first game, but before Edgeworth's case. Imagine the same setting, but with a huge time skip in between.
Disclaimer: What do you mean, I don't own Phoenix Wright? Well, get on with it, man! Buy it. Now! *finger snap*
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The sun beat down on the sidewalk, making it hot enough to cook a sirloin steak, forget about a simple egg. Dogs panted, people sweat, cement burned. No amount of cold weather could compare to a heat wave such as this one.
A certain defense attorney and his assistant collapsed onto the couch, fans pointed at them and running at full speed as they baked on the sofa.
"Hey Nick? We have any ice cubes?"
Phoenix Wright looked up at Maya Fey, his trusty assistant, with confusion. What would she do with them, anyway? It's not like he hadn't already made everything they could drink as ice-cold as possible. And with Maya, he could never really be sure what crazy scheme she had cooked up.
"Of course." He decided to finally answer, waving her in the direction of the kitchen.
Maya flitted to the kitchen, returning moments later, yet seeming unchanged. She did look noticeably cooler, actually, although he clothes looked like they had been adjusted, and he began to wonder what exactly she had done with those ice cubes, but didn't bother asking. He was probably better off not knowing.
The two spent the next few hours continuing to bake in the sun. Phoenix attempted to read a law book and Maya tried to watch re-runs of the Steel Samurai, but the heat made it impossible and they both eventually gave up.
This heat was clouding Phoenix's mind; at least that was what he would like to think.
Lately, all he could think about was the spirit medium in training currently taking up the spot on the small sofa next to him. Sure, she was quite the handful sometimes, and she was the reason his wallet seemed to never have over fifty dollars inside, but she always managed to smile regardless of the situation and stood by him throughout his many cases. That was something he could seriously appreciate in the moments he had where everything he was trying to accomplish seemed impossible.
Still, that was not a very good excuse for why she was occupying his thoughts as of late.
Maya had become more open with him as the months went by, and soon they became nothing short of best friends. Nowadays, Phoenix began to notice how close they really were. With the heat wave, he realized how much he missed the subtle touches, rare hugs, and general closeness the heat had robbed them of. Being close together would only generate more warmth, and they were more than overwhelmed with the heat they were already receiving the natural way.
If it bothered Maya, she didn't show it. She went about her business as usual. That made him wonder if she treasured those moments and was just smiling through the temporary loss like always, or if she merely didn't care for them like he did. Which got him asking himself, why does he care so much anyway? Maya was just his friend…right?
He made a mental note to accompany her next time she went to train at the waterfall he had found close by for her. He could use the freezing cold of the beating water to clear his mind.
"…in?" He didn't realize that she had been talking, until she was waving her hands in front of his face.
She giggled as she saw he had returned back from space. "I said, 'How about we order in?'"
Phoenix glanced at his watch, finding out how close to dinnertime it was. Maya was right. It was way too hot to cook, and the grocery store was too far a walk. He inwardly sighed. He should probably get his license as soon as he got a break from all these new cases and finally finished all his paperwork.
He was about to reach for the house phone to call for takeout, until it dawned on him what kind of position they were in.
Maya was almost halfway into his lap in an attempt to be at eye level with him.
They had been in similar situations before, involving a taxi ride with the backseat full of junk and only space for one person, prompting them to sit with Maya in his lap. The ride wasn't as awkward as he thought it would be, and they chatted like everything was normal.
But this was different. She had practically sat in his lap of her own accord in this insufferable heat, just to maintain eye contact with him, and was acting like it was so commonplace.
Finding his voice, he spoke to her.
"Hey Maya, could you-?"
"Oh sorry." She said, apologetic, handing him the cordless phone.
He shook his head. Sometimes he just didn't understand this girl.
So there they sat in the excruciating heat, her almost into his lap, while he ordered takeout. Maya seemed to feel cool despite their position however, and he could almost feel the cold radiating off of her. He finally decided to press her about earlier.
"Maya?"
"Yeah?" She tilted her head in curiosity.
"What exactly did you do with those ice cubes?"
Maya started blushing. "That? Um-"
"Actually, never mind." She looked relieved at him withdrawing the question. He knew enough to have a good idea of what she had used them for, and he could feel his face heating up at the knowledge of it.
Thankfully, the food finally arrived. They lived close to the burger place, Maya's favorite, visiting if often. They knew them by name by now, and were happy to deliver the food to them occasionally.
Phoenix reluctantly watched as Maya shifted away from him, missing the contact. Not dwelling too much on it, he reached into his pocket for his wallet and answered the door, paid the delivery guy, and set the food on the table. Maya shot up from her spot on the sofa and sprinted to the table, not wasting anytime digging into the bag for her favorite burger. She was already inhaling it when he sat down to get his. He held in his laughter at Maya's antics, but he couldn't help cracking a silly grin. No matter how long he had known her, she always managed to make him smile.
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It was late at night now, the full moon shining bright down on the odd pair.
Maya had resumed their position
"You can take a shower first." Maya offered. An unusual statement for her, but he reasoned that she was probably planning to take a subzero shower. The cold really didn't faze her. Then again, standing under freezing water as it beat down on your head and having to repeat a mantra while your teeth were chattering - and doing it for a large portion of your life - would toughen anyone up. Maya was just the extent of that.
He should probably take a cold shower himself, seeing as a hot shower would only make him feel warmer.
"No, you go ahead." She nodded before retreating to the bathroom. He could hear her singing the Steel Samurai theme song as soon as the water started running. He chuckled at that. Just one of the little things about Maya he lo-
No, he shouldn't think like that. Maya was just a friend. Just a friend, just a friend, just a friend. He tried to drill it into his head, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the feeling.
What if he really did love her? Then what? Did she love him back? So many unanswered questions rush through his head, making him incredibly dizzy.
Maya hopped out of the shower, wrapped in only a towel, shaking him back to the present.
"Nick? You with me?" She was shaking his shoulder, yet again bringing him back from space.
Then he noticed the skimpy towel.
True, Maya was still only eighteen, but she had developed quite the curves. His mind would occasionally wonder what was under that purple robe. He would slap himself inwardly at the perverted thought and quickly begin to think about something else entirely.
But it was a little hard not to wonder what she was hiding under that towel when he was presented the sight of her so close to him like that.
"…Maya?"
"Yes?" He hesitated. He didn't want to see like a pervert for mentioning it, but would Maya really care?
"Uh…forget about it."
She bent down to poke his forehead playfully. In doing so, she gave him a good look down her towel. All the blood rushed to his face, making him resemble a tomato.
"You okay, Nick? Your face is all red."
"I'm f-fine." He replied, a little too quickly. She quirked her head at him, but didn't press.
Was Maya really oblivious as to what she was doing right now? Then again, this was Maya.
"I'm going to get dressed, go take your shower." She said simply before whisking into his room to get dressed.
He and Maya had to share his room, due to his apartment being so small. He used to sleep on the couch, but recently she had allowed him to sleep in the bed with her, as long as he kept his distance. However, somehow they always ended up a tangle of limbs in the morning, no matter how far away they slept from each other. Neither said anything as they detangled themselves from each other every morning.
Phoenix flew into the bathroom. That cold shower was going to help with more than his cloudy mind now.
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"…"
"…"
Both stared at the stain on the bed made by Maya's cranberry juice. Not a word was said as Maya took the sheets and blankets off the bed to reveal that the juice had soaked through to the mattress, as suspected. This was the second time this week, and they had already flipped the mattress over to avoid the first stain. There was only one option left.
Phoenix was the first to lie on the couch. Maya came next, collapsing on top of him, nearly knocking the wind out of him. She was a lot heavier than he initially thought. Must be all those burgers she ate.
Once he was able to breathe again, he shifted them so that she wasn't crushing him, but was still comfortable. The room was too dark for him to see her face, but he knew she was blushing.
How would either of them get any sleep like this?
They spent the next twenty minutes lying there, too nervous to really sleep.
"Nick, you still awake?"
"Yeah," He paused for a moment before adding, "You good Maya? Comfy?"
She giggled. "Yup, I'm snug as a bug! …in a rug!"
He could only chuckle at her silliness.
"Hey, no laughing at the incredible Mystic Maya!" That only made him laugh harder.
She turned to hit his arm playfully, eyes shining with amusement.
"Oh, that's how you want to play it, huh?" And then he was tickling her, hands dancing up and down her sides. Maya burst into a fit of giggles, thrashing around to try and escape from his clutches, but he used one hand to pin her down by her wrists, keeping her in place.
Eventually he stopped, giving her time to breathe. Once she had gained her breath back after a few puffs, she grinned up at him. He shifted his grip on her wrists, one in each hand. When she realized that he was still holding her down, a blush developed on her cheeks, growing when she detected that he had no intention of letting her go.
"N-Nick-?"
He could do this, he told himself. If he confessed how he felt now, then maybe-
Who was he kidding? Maya was…Maya. Eccentric, funny, and always smiling Maya. He was just as normal as anyone else, really. Not to mention that seven year age gap. It didn't really bother him, but he wasn't sure how Maya would feel about it.
Somewhere inside though, he knew he needed to do this. If his mouth was failing to create the words he desperately needed to say, then he would have to let his actions express his feelings.
Before he knew it, his lips were on hers. When he felt her hesitate, he began to pull back to apologize profusely, but she kissed him back, and the world around them dissolved, drizzling away like melted chocolate.
In that moment, he knew that even in the scorching heat, he would never be able to let go of her again.
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This is by far my longest one-shot. Over 2,000 words! The one I'm writing for Christmas is most definitely going to be way longer than this one, too. I can't say I'm exactly pleased with how this turned out, and it seemed really rushed, so expect a lot of updates to fix all the things that bother me.
Well, time for a nap, and then back to work!
-Starr