"Maya?"
"Hmmmmmm?" Said a certain purple-clad spirit medium. Maya hung backwards over the couch, book in hand, and sweeping black hair dangling over the edge. She appeared calm and at ease. Her sandaled feet waving at the lawyer in recognition.
"Oh, nothing, I was just seeing if you were still awake." Phoenix turned back to his paperwork. The sun had long set and the only light in his office was shining directly into his mess of files.
(How is she even reading in the dark?)
"Of course I'm still awake! It's been such a boring day, I barely used up any of my energy. I could still run a marathon if you were up to it! You wanna?"
(Why are we suddenly on the topic of racing?) "Uh, no thanks. I still have some work left to do." With that statement the blue-suited lawyer turned his gaze back to his desk. He stared at the papers until all the words blurred together. In all honesty, Phoenix was pretty much at the end of his work-load but he refused to admit that to Maya, worried about what crazy scheme she'd come up with to eat up time.
And by eat up, he means eat up.
As if by a stroke of (fate? God?) luck, Maya let out a loud groan.
"Hey Nick!"
"... What is it?" Sweat began prickling on his forehead. He was waiting for her to bring up burgers or cheeseburgers or bacon burgers or spaghetti or whatever food she was craving this night.
"You know what I realize? Sitting on this couch and all... while you work... and while I do nothing..." she stressed the word 'nothing', "I realized that we never..."
(N-never? What?)
"We never talk, Nick!"
(Huh?) Phoenix finally looked up from his fake scribbles of writing and peered quizzically at the upside down medium. She appeared quite serious with her cheeks puffed out and bangs flipping backwards. Phoenix stifled a laugh.
"What's so funny? I mean it! I mean we chat and all and I crack jokes, but have we ever had a legitimate conversation?"
"Now what on Earth would we have to talk about? Besides stepladders and my cultural... or whatever it is you say," he finished pathetically. Phoenix was slightly surprised at Maya's declaration. She thought they didn't talk? The lawyer was too flummoxed to even feel insulted.
"Well..." Maya flipped over and placed her head in her palms. "How do you feel about..." she paused mumbled over her last word.
(How do I feel about what now?) She had his full attention now. But not wanting to completely take the bait, he mockingly began to work again.
"Hey! I'm serious! I really do... want to know more about you." Maya's head dipped a little as she mulled over her words. She didn't want to embarrass herself by sounding foolish.
Phoenix raised an eyebrow but did not lift his head. "What don't you already know? I feel like I am already a pretty open enough book as it is." His pen glided listlessly over blank papers.
"You're kidding me!"
Phoenix's head shot up at the yell and change in volume. Maya was standing now, right in front of his desk. She slammed her palms onto the surface in what seemed an accurate rendition of his usual courtroom duals. Her cheeks were puffed out in annoyance.
"W-what-" Phoenix sat back in his chair, pen falling to the floor forgotten.
"I'M the one that is the open-book here! You now know all about my family and its history and my home of Kurain and what my favorite foods are-!" Maya ranted animatedly, waving her hands for effect. The dark lighting in the room only served to make her look more terrifying.
"You know my favorite shows because I go on about them constantly and I make you watch them! But you've never, ever, ever, ever..."
Maya locked eyes with Phoenix with as much of a serious look as she could muster.
"told me about YOU!"
Now this was interesting, thought Phoenix. He loosened his tie slightly and regarded his angry assistant for a moment. Her cheeks appeared slightly enflamed from her outburst but she didn't necessarily seem angry at him. Maya's eyes held a flickering and wavering fire as if it were a flame on a windy night. Phoenix could see her steady resolve and yet a weakening foundation.
It was true he knew a lot more about the young medium than he has ever once thought to reveal about himself. It just never came up and the prospect of willingly admitting minor details seemed wholly unnecessary.
But Maya seemed genuinely upset and Phoenix thought of only how to appease her.
"Well, you're a lot more interesting than I am." said Phoenix simply.
"I-interesting?"
"I mean sure, you're a spirit medium for starters. I'm just a lowly defense attorney." Phoenix shrugged as if it were the most obvious point in the world. His eyes swept over Maya's startled expression and went back to his papers. Why was he even pretending to work anymore?
"H-how... how can you say that!" Maya yelled in a disbelieving tone.
Phoenix turned a wide-eyed expression upwards for the fourth time that evening. Maya was really throwing her punches and he was clueless as to why. He had no problem admitting he wasn't the most interesting guy in the world. The idea was never particularly an issue.
But he would bite.
"Honestly, I'm shocked as to why a majority of people talk to me."
Maya's jaw was practically on the floor. Once again, Phoenix shrugged. His statement didn't come off to him as either shocking or important.
"But why," Maya scoffed, "I mean, Nick, you're so great! And funny and smart and you do this thing where you say something sarcastic and it cracks me up! Though I don't usually laugh out-loud... can't encourage you too much, you know..." The last part of her statement was mumbled softly.
Phoenix chuckled and raised an eyebrow at her antics. "Oh? And what else am I?"
"Ooooh no, I'm not going down that path." Maya shuffled on her feet and shifted her gaze. She felt restless and at a loss for what she was exactly trying to accomplish in the first place.
"Ah-ha!" Maya grabbed Phoenix by the arm and yanked him up out of his seat. "I know what we can do!" She dragged him towards the office door and flung his coat at him.
"Maya! You know I have work to do... right?"
"Oh yeah? That doodle of a magatama part of your case?" She huffed, pointing at his messy desk.
(Busted.) Phoenix sighed, "You caught me. Now, what did you want to do?... Besides getting burgers!" He added on before Maya began her urgent demand for meat.
"Fine," she grumbled, slipping on her coat. She began tapping her chin in thought. "We can... sit somewhere and chat I suppose."
The idea honestly appealed to the cash-strapped lawyer. But he didn't see why they had to leave the office to just have a friendly "chat." Not wanting to start a fight, and since he was already half way out the door, Phoenix conceded with her demands.
He never could find it in himself to truly refuse Maya.
"We still need something to snack on though," Maya interjected.
They had ended up with burgers after-all. Finding a well-lit park bench, Maya sat contently and dug into the rustling paper bag for her nightly feast. Phoenix slumped down as well, thankful for the cooling air. He leaned back and let out a small sigh. He was feeling a little drained.
"Tired?" Maya said through a mouthful of food.
"Just a bit... maybe I am getting a little too old for babysitting..."
"Well, ONE part of that sentence was true," Maya mocked anger and smacked him on the shoulder, "are you going to eat your sandwich or what?"
"Yes, master, I'm going, I'm going." On command, Phoenix leaned forward and accepted his tightly wrapped meal.
"...Master..."
Phoenix was paused in his unfolding and looked up.
Maya looked dazed. Her eyes were sadly fixed towards the darkness. Her burger forgotten sadly in her lap. Phoenix was unsure of what he said. Jokingly calling her a master, implying he was her lackey...
Suddenly he recalled with great clarity her now all too real responsibility as Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique. Phoenix gulped. Had he upset her on accident?
"Maya, are you...?"
"... I sure have a lot to live up to, huh? It's a little scary!" Maya offered him a tearful smile. Adding on a hollow laugh to the end of it. She stuffed her burger back into her mouth and began chewing aggressively. The tears seemed to fade away as if he had imagined them.
Phoenix couldn't imagine the pressure that Maya felt at this point. And he wasn't fooled by her little display of bravery. He noticed the forced smile and how she pretended that nothing ever bothered her. But if she felt necessary to hide those emotions, he wouldn't pry.
Then again, she was the one that wanted to chat.
"It's more than that, isn't it?" Phoenix started. He could tell with certainty that Maya had more to say. More that she wanted to say, to scream, or cry about. But she wouldn't, and Phoenix also realized this.
The notion stirred within him a little frustration. (How can she possibly stay so strong? I don't know what I would even do if I were her...)
"What more is there? I mean, I never really thought about what it means to be Master. It has never felt real to me, until now!" She exhaled sharply and took another bite.
(There's more to this, I can tell... I'm a lawyer) "How bad would it be? To be Master, I mean." Phoenix draped his arms over his knees. His eyes were fixated on Maya as she sat back in her seat. She was literally and figuratively under the spotlight.
His stare was a little flustering and Maya struggled to answer him, "It's just... a lot of work! And duties! And a HUGE responsibility!" She waved her arms for emphasis. She smiled at him, satisfied that she gave a sufficient answer to his question.
Phoenix just shook his head.
"Why do you always do that?" He questioned earnestly.
"Do what?"
Phoenix sat up straight and looked at his assistant. "Make everything into a joke even if it bothers you?"
"H-huh? What are you talking about?"
"Just now, when thinking about the Master position, you looked upset. But then a second later, you're smiling about it? I don't get it." Phoenix spoke calmly but urgently, "It's okay to be upset, you know?"
"I-I know tha-"
"Then why don't you ever just act that way?"
"Jeez Nick, and I thought I was the one trying to have a serious conversation!" Maya said in her attempts to diffuse the tension.
"There!" Phoenix stared accusingly at Maya's joking demeanor, "You're doing it again!"
"I'm not... doing it on purpose..." Maya's posture slumped, "I just do that. I can't help myself."
"Can't help what?"
"Make it into a joke. Or laugh it off like nothing. I guess..." Maya's gaze turned to the man next to her, "I've just been doing that for so long, it feels natural. It's just what I've always been doing."
Phoenix started at her now sad expression. He hadn't meant to scrutinize her way of coping, he just wanted to know why she would never admit to anyone else or even herself that she was just not okay.
"Oh..." Phoenix was suddenly at a loss of what to say.
They sat in silence for a moment. Phoenix wanted to continue asking her about her defense mechanism but decided there was nothing more for her to say about it. She pretty much admitted that humor and smiles was her ticket out of any hard situation.
The wind picked up a little and Maya shivered in her seat.
"Cold?"
"Nah, I'm all right."
Phoenix internally scoffed at just how incorrect that statement must be. However, silence fell again and Phoenix began to feel a little awkward about where they left off. But Maya beat him to it.
"Hey! Wasn't I supposed to be badgering you with questions tonight?"
Phoenix smirked, "See what I mean?" He pointed to himself, "Just not interesting enough."
Maya let out a tinkling laugh, stifled by the chill, "You can say that again..."
The mood had lifted considerably but Phoenix wasn't satisfied. Now that his interest was peaked, he didn't want Maya to get off the hook just yet. He knew she would do this. Smile again and make a joke to ease the tension. But that's exactly what he wanted. Phoenix wanted tension, he wanted to be serious for half a second and hear what she had to say.
She was right; they never really do have serious conversations.
He was about to speak again but Maya cut him off.
"But really, Nick. You are very interesting! I don't want you going around thinking you're some boring, old guy because you're nowhere near that. You can be silly and yet heartfelt. And you're always the voice of reason! And not to mention have saved me on more than one occasion," Maya continued, "Come on, you gotta admit that dashing to my rescue is anything BUT un-interesting! Then again, I'm not sure why you always keep bothering..."
"What do you mean by that?" Said Phoenix seriously.
"Exactly what I said! You make stupid jokes-"
"No, about the last thing you said."
The medium's eyes widened slightly but she answered quietly, "Well, I've just been a ton of trouble, haven't I? Murder charges- more than once!- kidnapping... what happened at Hazakurain... the list goes on!"
"Why wouldn't I bother to help you? You're one of my dearest friends." Phoenix's gaze didn't waver from Maya's face. "Heck, you're one of my only friends..." he tacked on at the end. Phoenix turned away, slightly embarrassed at his admission of loneliness. His cheeks tinged a pink hue. (What a loser!)
"So? I'm way more trouble than a friend is worth! You do stuff for me that no friend should ever have to do. Besides, you have tons of friends." Maya began counting off people on her hand.
Phoenix turned back to her once he got his embarrassment under control, "It's not like I feel obligated to help you. I want to help you. I want to make sure that you're okay. I don't feel good knowing you're not..." he blushed again at Maya's piercing stare, "alright," he finished.
"Nick..." Maya was touched, "But! I... I've never helped you!" Her hands balled into fists and she raised them determinedly.
Phoenix let out a "tch" and turned to his assistant. He seemed to be laying his guts out on the table tonight, "You help me just by... b-being at my side." Phoenix coughed into his hand and scratched his face, unable to keep still. (Lame!)
Maya had her hand to her chest, the remains of her burger forgotten in her lap. "...how so?" she asked after a considerable pause.
"Well, let's see..." Phoenix mulled over the question for a moment, "Remember when you left after Edgeworth's case?"
Maya nodded.
"Anyway, when you were gone... I..." Phoenix paused dramatically, unsure of what reaction this would illicit from the silent medium, "I didn't take any cases for weeks... simply because you weren't there. I didn't feel motivated to work; let alone do anything that had nothing to do with you."
"Nick..." Maya whimpered, "but why? You're a great attorney. You don't need me to do the great job that you always do!"
"But I do actually."
"What?" Maya said quietly.
"Ever since your sister's case, you've been apart of my life in a way I can't possibly explain. At first it was just because I needed to get you off the hook for murder..." Phoenix looked off in thought, "but afterwards you became every single push, or motivation, or reason for me to do my job at all. When you weren't there, I didn't-" Phoenix turned red before continuing, "I didn't know who I was or what to do."
When Phoenix looked back at the girl next to him, her eyes were filled with tears glistening on the very edge. She couldn't hold them in. One by one, tiny droplets flowed down her cheeks in quick succession.
Nick reared back, "Ah! M-maya! Please don't cry!" He pulled up a napkin from his nearly empty sack of food and offered it to her. She accepted it carefully but didn't bring it to her face at all. The tears flowed freely.
"Nick! W-why? I d-don't want you to hold yourself back because of me!" Her hands curled into tiny fists. "That's the reason I left in the first place! Because I felt like I was useless to you... I wanted to be a better help! Augh, and I did the exact opposite!" She pressed a shaking hand to her eyes. "Nick!" She wailed.
"M-maya," Nick stuttered, at a loss for how to continue. He raised a hand and pressed it into the spirit medium's shaking back with sobs wracking her body at every sniffle. The motion displeased Nick greatly. He continued to rub her back in slow circles, hoping the motion was soothing.
"O-oh Nick…" Maya suddenly looked up from her balled fists, "I am so sorry… for all the trouble I've caused... in the past, and now…" She whimpered, giving him the saddest look he had ever seen.
"P-please, Maya, there is absolutely nothing to be sorry for!" Nick gently grasped Maya's shoulder and pulled it to face him. "Don't ever feel like you're a burden to me," he stared into her reddened eyes. "Like I said earlier… you're my dearest friend. And you should know I'd never desert you if you needed me." (Urg, I'm such a sap.)
Maya looked back at the lawyer with wide eyes, her cheeks lightly turning pink at the admission. The spirit medium ceased her sniffling and smiled halfheartedly, wiping away the remainder of her tears. "…Thanks Nick…it makes me so happy to hear you say that."
Nick chuckled, the gloomy atmosphere lifting in a heartbeat. They were close like that, he mused. "Well, yeah of course, after everything we've been through…" He rubbed the back of his head, remembering some memories as being more unpleasant than others.
"I want you to know that too," Maya spoke up suddenly. She balled her tear-stained napkin in her palm.
"Know what?" questioned Nick.
Looking serious, Maya continued, "I want you to know that I'd always be there for you too… I mean, if you ever did need me…"
Nick smiled at the sentiment. "Thanks Maya, I'll keep that in mind." He patted her on the back and Maya grinned.
(This is nice.) He leaned back, stretching his legs to their fullest length, sighing in a content manner. Nick thought they got a lot out of their systems just by speaking about different topics they might not casually talk about. It was a refreshing change of pace for the pair. Even with the emotional ups and downs, he knew that such things would only strengthen their relationship.
The silence that grew between them was calm and comfortable. Nick felt he could drift off right then and there. He stole a glance at Maya and saw that she looked equally at ease next to him. It felt like it was getting late and Nick wondered briefly if they should go back to the office soon. However, he was enjoying the cool night air far too much and preferred Maya's company over the company of a hard wooden desk and stacks of papers.
"Hey," said Maya quietly. She was staring ahead into the darkness.
"Mmm?" Nick responded without looking at her.
"Do you… do you feel like things will always be like this?" Her voice was soft, just barely above the din of the soft breeze.
Nick turned to her, regarding her expression. It was filled with a deep longing, maybe even sorrow? He couldn't place it and didn't try to.
"You know," she continued, "us together like this?"
Phoenix was unsure of what she meant. "You mean… as my assistant?"
Maya smiled ruefully, still not looking at the lawyer beside her. "Yeah…yeah, that's what I meant…"
"Well, as long as you'd like to be, I guess." He turned to her, offering a smile he hoped was reassuring.
"I'd like that. I wish we could solve crimes forever!" She threw her hands in the air as she yelled the last word. A dog began barking in the distance.
(Me too.) Sighing, Nick leaned back again, opting to look up at the blackened sky. It was speckled with innumerable stars. The moon was barely visible behind a curtain of gray clouds.
"Oh!"
(Huh!?) Nick was startled awake by Maya's sudden outburst. He seemed to have drifted off for half a second.
"We weren't done talking about you, mister!" Maya shook a finger at the befuddled man. He rubbed sleepiness from his eyes and blinked.
"Must we?" Nick groaned, "What's left of me to discuss?"
"Hmmm, let's see," Maya tapped her chin, looking to the streetlamp for inspiration. "Why don't you just… pretend we are meeting for the first time. And tell me about yourself!"
(I doubt I'd reveal much to a complete stranger…) Nick played along anyway. "Hello, my name is Phoenix Wright and I am a defense attorney," he deadpanned. Like a professional, he stuck his hand out in an offer to shake hands.
Maya just rolled her eyes. "Ha-ha, funny guy. Try again."
"Well, where to start?..."
...
AN: Hey everyone! This is bit of a special story. I was cleaning out my hard drive and I found this fanfiction that I wrote YEARS ago. Before any of the new games even came out.
Reading this was a little bittersweet for me considering the content and what had inspired me to originally write this was because of a very important friendship that I used to have. Also because, if you've played any of the later AA games, you'd know that Nick and Maya really didn't continue solving crimes forever, so it was even MORE bittersweet to read in retrospect. It was surprisingly fitting. I loved Maya and Nick's early relationship and I guess I tried to capture a small cross-section of it. Haven't played the new game yet but I don't know if I'll be able to handle it :(
This story is technically unfinished but I thought it ended on a decent note (also I have no idea where I was taking it) and I wanted to share it with the world. Thanks for reading!