I knew from the moment Larry mentioned it to me that his idea would either be a complete success or go down like a lead balloon; and the longer I waited the more I believed I should place my bets on the second one. He had gone through with me exactly what I was meant to say and how to say it- he was the expert after all- but it looked like all our efforts were about to be wasted. I'd been waiting almost ten minutes and still nobody was in sight.

I sighed and leaned back against the old oak tree that grew just outside the school building. It was the biggest tree in the neighbourhood, so big that even if you had a lesson on the top floor you could look out of the window and see the leaves brushing against it. It was a beautiful tree and fun to climb on, but I thought it was a stupid place for a meeting. I mean, what's the point in a 'meeting' anyway? What wrong with just saying it in the playground or whatever? Larry said something about it being more romantic if there was nobody around and we were in a nice place, but really, what difference did it make?

I checked my watch. Nearly fifteen minutes had passed since the bell had rung for the end of school, and I was the only one left, wandering around the tree at the back of the playground like an idiot. I leaned against the tree trunk and then sank to the ground. I didn't care about getting dust on my shorts. It would wash right out, anyway.

It had been a mistake even to think of doing what I was about to do. I knew that from the start. I had seen Larry get rejected by yet another girl week after week, and had long since decided that it would probably be the same for me.

And yet, here I was, standing under the oak tree at the back of the school, waiting to confess to my crush.

I was nervous. I was fidgeting with my hair and the hem of my shirt and squirming around with embarrassment, even though I didn't yet know if my crush would show up. Though I couldn't see why they wouldn't. It's not like they knew what I was planning.

"Phoenix."

My heart leapt into my throat, and I had to swallow to force it back down. I quickly scrambled to my feet, frantically rehearsing my lines in my head.

"Hi, Miles," I said, grinning stupidly.

"Sorry I'm late," Miles said. "We had arts and crafts last lesson, and Mrs Hewitt needed a volunteer to clear the paints away. What was it you needed to see me about? My father will be worrying about where I am..."

I laughed nervously and apologised. It was always like that with Miles. He thought the world of his father. Every time Larry and I called for him, it was always 'Sorry, I can't come out now, I'm helping my father', or 'My father's very busy now so he needs me to keep an eye on the house' or 'I'll have to ask my father to see it it's okay'. It got a little annoying sometimes. I mean, what kid wears matching ties with their dad? What kid wears ties? Larry had pointed it out once and Miles had gotten extremely huffy and refused to talk to the both of us all day.

"Sorry, I, um, have something to tell you," I said.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Well, uh..." I paused, my mind blank. Oh no! I'd forgotten my lines! What was I supposed to say now? I grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of my neck. "Just gimme a minute, okay?"

Miles rolled his eyes- a sure sign that he was about to go into sarcastic mode, which didn't bode well for me. I didn't understand sarcasm.

"Well, it's like this..."

Miles sighed exasperatedly and pulled up his socks, which were sagging down to his ankles. He was often teased for wearing his socks pulled all the way up to his knees, but he bravely ignored every nasty giggle aimed his way. He was so cool like that. Even when he went missing for an afternoon and I eventually found him hiding in the toilets, bawling his eyes out about it, I still thought he was cool. I usually cried right away.

"Phoenix, please, if you have nothing to say then I-"

"I like you!"

Miles simply blinked at me. No doubt he was recalling the number of times Larry had said that to a girl. He licked his lips, looking worried and confused. "Um... Would you care to elaborate?"

I was so embarrassed that I burst out laughing. It was coming out all wrong- I was supposed to say that at the end, not the beginning. I thought it was going to be easy. I'd seen Larry do it so many times that I was... what did Miles call it...? An Expert in Theory!

Right, I thought. I took a deep breath and raised one hand to my chest (Larry said it looked more dramatic if you did that) and blurted it all out in a rush.

"Miles I love you with all my heart I swear I will love you forever and every time I think about you I feel happy and, and, and I think you're really cute and I promise I will never love anyone but you so please, please go out with me!"

There! How was that for a love confession? I thought it was pretty good, even if I did say so myself. It wasn't as embarrassing as I thought it would be. Sure, my face was burning and I couldn't look Miles in the eyes- but I had expected much worse!

I was so relieved that I had more or less managed to remember the lines Larry had given me that I had almost forgotten that the most important part was yet to come- Miles had to either reject or accept me! Oh please let him say yes...!

I raised my head from my chest to look at him. He was staring at me like I'd just grown an extra head or something, which I took as a bad sign. He was bright red in the face. Redder than the paint we'd just used in arts and crafts. He opened and closed his mouth, but he seemed to have lost the ability to talk, and he just looked like some dying goldfish. He looked so funny that I had to bite my tongue to stop myself laughing.

When his voice finally came back, it did so with a vengeance.

"YOU'RE STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!"

And he pushed me so hard that I stumbled backwards and almost fell over. I was too busy trying to regain my balance to notice him storming past me, his head buried in the collar of his shirt.

"W-Wait! Miles!" I cried after him desperately as I managed to stand up again. Why was he so angry? Was the thought of going out with me really that bad...? "I..." I struggled to think up an excuse that would get me out of trouble fast. "I was only kidding!"

He stopped in his tracks then, and I mentally cheered. Maybe he would buy it and we would be friends again! I hated him being angry with me. He turned around, frowning uncertainly.

"You... would confess your love to someone as a joke...?" he said quietly. His voice was shaking.

"Yeah!" I said, oblivious. "I didn't mean it, Miles, I was only joking. You didn't take it seriously, did you?"

And suddenly-KA-BOOM!- Miles' face whooshed the darkest crimson I'd ever seen. The tips of his ears were almost purple! It would have been funny in any other situation. His lips pressed together so tightly that they were just a thin line, and his eyebrows were tented together. His eyes were shimmering with tears.

Oh no! I made him cry!

"I hate you, Phoenix Wright!" he shrieked at me furiously. His voice cracked as he said my name and he turned on his heel and ran across the playground towards the gate as fast as he could, hiding his face in his hands and sobbing.

"M-Miles!" I called after him weakly, but I knew it was no use. I hung my head. What a disaster. I would have to make sure to apologise to him tomorrow.

I sighed and leaned back against the trunk of the tree. What was I supposed to do now? 'My heart has shattered into a million pieces', I thought dramatically. I really did like Miles, but now he hated me. Damn... I felt like I wanted to cry. I felt a lump rise in my throat and my eyes began to prickle with tears.

But then I remembered what Larry had said to me just after he'd given me my lines.

"If you get rejected, don't worry, just keep trying! You can't give up on love, Nick!"

I wiped my eyes and smiled. Larry was right- for once. I couldn't give up! So I made up my mind. I would win Miles' heart even if it took me fifteen years!

"I won't give up on love!" I shouted determinedly, punching the air with my fist. I smiled down at my clenched fists, nodding decisively. Then I gasped. "But first I gotta apologise!"

And I took off full sprint across the yard, shouting "Miles! Wait for me!"

--

I sat down beside him on the sofa and smiled at him. He completely ignored me and instead stayed focused on his newspaper, only moving to turn the page and adjust his reading glasses occasionally.

I rolled my eyes and snaked my arm sneakily around his shoulders and quickly pulled him against me.

"What are you doing?" he asked plainly, not looking up from his paper, though it was now on a slant.

"What, I'm not allowed to do this?" I asked teasingly.

"It makes reading quite difficult, Wright."

I sighed and lay down on the sofa. I kept my arm around his shoulders, effectively pulling him down with me. His head leaned against my chest. He didn't say anything, but he folded his paper up and put down on the chair beside him. He took off his reading glasses and buried his face in my chest.

"Moron..." he muttered, and I knew he was blushing.

I suppressed a chuckle. Some things never change...

--

I've finally come back to the world of Phoenix Wright fanfiction after about a year, and I've come back with this? Those who know me well will know that I used to dislike Phoenix/Edgeworth; but I have a confession to make. I love young!Phoenix/young!Edgeworth. I just have a thing for childhood romance. It's just so pure and simple, and provides a nice change to what I usually write. And of course, I had to put that little scene of Phoenix and Miles when they're older in at the end, because we all want to be assured that Feenie's perseverance paid off!

I actually put in a request for this story on the Phoenix Wright Kink Meme, but nobody filled it. I suppose if you want something doing, you have to do it yourself! I'm actually very glad I wrote this, though. There're not nearly enough stories about Phoenix, Miles and Larry set when they're children.

Please read and review! I might write more childhood fluff in the future...