Disclaimer: I do not own Ace Attorney/Gyakuten Saiban or any of the mentioned characters. All rights belong to Capcom and the respective people involved in this project. This was written purely for fun and enjoyment, nothing else.
A/N: First time setting foot into writing fanfic for this fandom. Please bear with me and my mistakes, which will undoubtedly happen. And I'm also sorry for any fails at characterization I might make.
I should note this is somewhat of a companion piece to Ersatz Writer's oneshot called 'Sleeping Beauty', which served as inspiration for this, along with a few random ideas that came up between the two of us. So you probably should check that one out (and, of course, their other stories as well!) before reading this; it will make much more sense if you do. Thanks!
I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I had imagining, plotting and writing this!
Waking up and opening his eyes to the darkness of the bedroom, Phoenix assumed it was just another one of those nights when he shared the bed with Miles Edgeworth, both of them sleeping peacefully next to each other; Phoenix sprawled across his side of the bed, Miles resting soundly on the other, curled up into a loose ball.
But something felt off, he instantly noted drowsily.
Forcing himself to wake up a bit more to get his mind working properly, Phoenix barely managed to suppress a small giggle, born from both amusement and happiness, at the scene before him, but still allowing a goofy smile to spread across his face while he went through a mental list of what was unusual about this constellation.
First off, he wasn't awoken by any dreams or some natural need like every once in a while. Instead, he found himself barely able to breathe, his chest heaving with the effort to fill his lungs with enough oxygen. Most peculiar.
Second on his list was the fact that he was unusually warm, as if he was snuggling up to a warm but comfortable heater. Now this wasn't entirely new to him, as he liked seeking the warm comfort provided by his lover's body before sleep, but by this time of the night they normally had long since drifted apart. So he shouldn't feel this warm; the air around him was still a bit chilly.
Thirdly, he felt Miles' soft, even breath caressing his neck. That one actually got his attention.
Adding one fact to the other, he came to the apparent conclusion that, obviously, Miles Edgeworth was indeed snuggling up to him right now. Now this was very much a first.
Carefully moving his body, one limb after the other, Phoenix found himself almost completely entangled in Edgeworth's, proving his assumptions to be quite correct.
One leg had snaked between his own, resting comfortably between his tights; the other leg was somewhat thrown over his hip, pretty much holding him in place and rendering immobile. The prosecutor's right arm pillowed his head, and the left one was wound around Phoenix' chest, as if to pull him even closer – not that it was possible to even get any closer at the moment – while the hand rested over Phoenix' heart. How cliche, he thought to himself. Who knew Edgeworth was such an unintentional romantic when he was unaware of everything?
Smiling to himself, he closed his eyes again and, feeling content and blissful, allowed himself to slowly drift back off to sleep, wanting to savor this feeling until sleep claimed him completely once again. He slept remarkably well that night, the small smile never quite leaving his lips.
When Phoenix woke up the next time, it was to the sound of birds chirping outside and the sun peeking through the curtains, basking the room in a soft light. Miles was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't much of a surprise, though – he'd always been an early bird, as far as Phoenix knew.
And sure enough, when he sleepily padded towards the kitchen, he caught sight of Miles' pink pyjamas as he fiddled with the tea cattle in his usual morning routine.
Upon hearing Phoenix' soft yawn, Miles turned around, one eyebrow raised and with a ghost of a smile adorning his lips.
"I was wondering how long you intended to stay in bed today. It's almost noon."
Phoenix simply chuckled, closed the remaining distance between them and gave Miles a peck on the cheek. "Good morning to you, too. You could've just kicked me out of bed, you know", he smirked.
Miles simply shook his head and turned around to the now boiling water to finish preparing his tea.
"You seemed content enough to stay where you were. I didn't want to disturb your rest", he mumbled without facing Phoenix.
"Aw, how considerate of you, Miles. But I guess it's only fair you let me sleep in. You almost choked me last night, you know."
At this, the prosecutor abandoned his tea to face his lover with a disapproving look. "Of course I did. Stop mixing up dreams and reality, Phoenix. You're probably still half asleep."
Huffing, Phoenix shook his head in return. "Nah, I'm not making this up. You were totally clinging to me there. Though obviously you wouldn't notice, since you were fast asleep. Actually, I was kinda short of waking you up to tell you I couldn't breathe." A playful grin made its way onto his face, albeit not for long.
"I do not.. cling, Phoenix. You should be well aware of that by now", Miles sighed. "You must have been dreaming. There is no other explanation for this." That said, he let the subject drop and went back to making breakfast.
Ouch, Phoenix mentally winced, that actually hurt.
The next few nights followed their usual routine again: Phoenix holding onto Miles, before they drifted apart and woke in the morning.
But then there was the second night Miles pressed himself against Phoenix whilst asleep.
As they sat at the table the next morning, quietly enjoying breakfast together, Phoenix spoke up.
"You did it again, you know."
"Excuse me?"
"Snuggling up to me. Like you did a few nights ago", he elaborated, though he kept his gaze on his plate, refusing to meet those steely eyes.
Silence. Then a deep sigh. "I … see."
And then more silence.
During the rest of their meal, Phoenix kept quiet, trying to think of a way to make Miles believe him.
The vehemency with which he refused to acknowledge that even the high and mighty Miles Edgeworth was just a human with unconscious needs and actions that sprung forth from such desires... it made Phoenix question his position as Miles' lover. Not that he doubted the prosecutor's feelings for him, of course, but still.
Wasn't he supposed to be some sort of refuge for him? They did trust each other and Miles did seek him when he was troubled, but he had to be aware of it to do so. Phoenix liked to think he'd turn to his significant other for assurance by instinct alone, not by some rational thought. He just wished for it to be mutual. Miles had been alone when he needed someone the most, so Phoenix wanted to make up for that lost time with all he had, pouring everything of himself into their relationship. But at moments like these... he found it admittedly hard.
He'd never judge his lover, though, no matter how hard it was. Miles wasn't at fault for this. And Phoenix accepted that without hesitation.
So he didn't press any further.
A week had passed since Phoenix had brought the subject up the last time.
Miles found himself jolting awake by an uncomfortable feeling in his right leg after an unpleasant dream. It wasn't much compared to his nightmares, but it still left him with a knot in his stomach.
It had been a fluid combination of delusion and reality; memories blending into a dream. He let his mind linger on it for a moment, while slowly becoming more and more aware of his surroundings.
He felt the soft thudding of a heartbeat beneath his hand. Noted the slight rise and fall of the chest in front of him with each breath. Sensed the warmth radiating off the body he was pressed against.
That last discovery startled him out of his musings over the dream.
Opening his eyes, he was greeted by the profile of Phoenix' face, Miles' breath ghosting over his cheek. After waiting for a few minutes to let his eyes adjust to the darkness around him, he hoisted himself up on one elbow – or at least as far as he was currently able to – and observed the whole situation bit by bit.
Phoenix slept soundly with his back to Miles, one of his hands clasping Miles' left on his chest, and their legs were entangled. Miles' side of the bed was abandoned in favor of sharing closer proximity with Phoenix.
Everything indicated that Miles was, indeed, snuggling up to Phoenix and clutching his body unawares.
Realization dawned upon him. So Phoenix had been telling the truth, after all.
Now wide awake, Miles let his mind wander back to the dream, or whatever it had been.
He didn't recall it in detail – and honestly, he didn't want to – but there was something bugging him about it in the back of his mind.
It took him some time to figure out what it was.
Phoenix.
He'd been in his dream. But what stood out to him was that whenever Phoenix made an appearance, Miles somehow knew those were memories. His subconsciousness didn't make Phoenix up to play tricks, but rather provided Miles with long-forgotten memories of him as some sort of answer to the illusions created by his feelings.
Reflecting on that... it was true. Even when Phoenix hadn't been there physically, he'd always been present somewhere in the back of Miles' mind, he had to admit. He was, after all, one of the very few constants in Miles' life since his childhood. And now even more so.
Deciding that it was still way too early to get up but unable to allow sleep to claim him again, Miles settled back down, letting his thoughts drift this way or that, while simply relishing the feeling of intimacy.
Apparently Miles hadn't succeeded, though, since when Phoenix opened his eyes to the sun shyly peeking over the skyline of the city, the prosecutor was once more fast asleep.
He tried to turn around and look at his lover's face in the morning sun – Phoenix couldn't even hope to describe how damn perfect and beautiful Miles looked right then –, but Miles just grumbled in his sleep and tightened his hold on him, causing Phoenix to utter a soft chuckle.
Slowly he pried Miles' limbs from around him, rearranged his position so he was facing the other man, then snuggled back into the embrace. He stayed like that for a while, just admiring the peaceful face in front of him. And, well, occasionally planting a small kiss upon his lips,because that's innocent enough, right?
A short time later, Miles grumbled again, stirred and slowly blinked his eyes open. Phoenix kissed him again, just for good measure, and grinned at him. "'Morning, Sleeping Beauty."
Surprisingly, Miles answered with a kiss and a happy, if sleepy, smile of his own, while his arms tightened around the other's shoulders. "Good morning, Phoenix."
Phoenix raised his eyebrows, looking somewhat taken aback at him. "Huh, did something good happen? You're awfully cheery today, it's almost creepy."
The comment, playful but honest as it was, made Miles think.
Phoenix had always been good at reading him, especially since they dared to take their friendship – or whatever relationship they had before it turned into what it was now – to the next level, so it wasn't much of a surprise that he noticed something was 'off'. But Miles couldn't really pinpoint it himself.
He was content and happy, yes. Then again, he'd almost always been like that when he was with Phoenix. But he had a point, something.. felt different.
Distractedly, his hands moved in irregular patterns over Phoenix' back.
It felt like he'd finally found a missing piece to fill a hole that had been there before but which he never noticed. Something that had been there all along, albeit hidden in a dark corner of his self. Lying here like this, with Phoenix in his arms smiling at him, he felt like he had been lacking something before.
Slowly, things started to make sense.
"Perhaps", he replied cautiously.
"Care to share the secret with me?" Phoenix' eyes glinted mischievously when he looked into them.
"It appears you were right, I suppose. Regarding our new... sleeping arrangements."
Now Phoenix broke into a full-fledged, self-satisfied grin. "See? I told you so!"
"Yes." A small sigh escaped Miles' lips. "I'm sorry, I know I haven't exactly been fair to you."
Then it clicked as everything fell into place.
"Don't sweat it, Miles. There's nothing to be sor-"
"No, I... I think I understand now why you were upset. And before you even ask, Phoenix, do you honestly believe I wouldn't notice?" He shook his head slowly before answering his own question. "Of course I did. As a matter of fact, though, I only came to realize the impact of my actions so far."
At Phoenix' puzzled look, Miles closed his eyes for a second, gathering himself and focusing on the echo of Phoenix' beating heart.
"As you are well aware of, I am... not particularly familiar with relationships like ours. But I do understand that you have given far more into this than I, although it took longer than I would have preferred for me to do so. And I dislike owing people. You have, however, taught me a lot as well. I... believe we should be on equal terms now."
Silencing any retort Phoenix might have made with another kiss, Miles hoped he understood.
Up until now, he realized, he hadn't truly felt quite worthy of Phoenix unrestricted feelings, the passion with which he gave everything of himself, without receiving the equal amount back.
Now, though, Miles felt that he could finally give what Phoenix deserved.
A tingly feeling spread through him, making him feel somewhat giddy but content at the same time. This was possibly as close to bursting with overflowing emotions as Miles Edgeworth could ever get.
A/N: Okay, this got waaaay cheesier than intended. Blame Ersatz Writer for that, I'm innocent!
Believe me when I say I wanted to get more... depth, so to speak, into this, but it just wouldn't really fit. I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry. Don't judge me too hard, please. I usually am not causing diabetes with something like this, honestly!
This was written on a whim because I kinda felt like it. I wrote it in one go and am too lazy to go over it again. So this definitely isn't my best piece of work.