PHOENIX
Phoenix.
Miles knew that word too well; as far as he remembered he had always known it.
It was his soulmate's name, the only thing he was supposed to know about them until they met.
It was heartwarming to a lesser extent, if only there wasn't a little problem: how was he supposed to find someone with such a name as Phoenix?
And especially what kind of parents would think that giving that name to a child was a good idea?
As time passed he grew more and more resigned that he was never going to find his soulmate.
He was strangely ok with that, or at least he was trying to be; it was difficult to miss something you didn't even experience or know, they said.
Of course, seeing so many couples of soulmates living happily together made him wonder, sometimes, what it would be like to share that kind of bond with someone.
Everybody he knew had found their soulmate, he was the only one left alone.
It was obviously Phoenix's fault, for having such a rare name.
If he ever met them that was probably one of the first thing he would have told them.
If there was something that was able to distract him from that unnerving situation, it was his job.
He was a defense attorney, just like his father, but he was still a rookie; he had only taken part to a couple of trials, but he had always won.
Well, it was easy when the defendant was really innocent. No matter what, the truth always revealed itself; that was his creed.
- You did a good job, Miles-, Gregory said, ruffling his son's hair, much to his embarrassment.
- Thanks… dad-, he said, trying to readjust it as quickly as he could.
As much as his father was an inspiration to him, sometimes he would still be capable of acting like a cliché embarrassing movie dad. It must have been uncle Ray's influence; thank god he wasn't there with them, that time, or he would have probably done something even worse.
They decided to go celebrate at Miles' favourite restaurant and they invited also Mia Fey, a fellow defense attorney who was well acquainted with Gregory and who had come see the trial, and there was also his newfound protégé following her like a lost puppy.
Once they arrived there, and while they're waiting for the food to arrive, Mia and Gregory started a conversation but Miles didn't really feel like participating.
Actually, there was something about the other guy who was with them that intrigued him and no, it wasn't the spiky hair, even though he was wondering if it was natural.
It was mostly the way he was looking at him, like he was expecting something from him. Since they had been there he hadn't moved his eyes from him, and he couldn't help but stare back.
- So… you are Miss Fey apprentice, right?-, he said in a clumsy attempt to start a proper conversation. The other nodded.
- So what's you name?-, he asked then.
- Phoenix-.
No. It couldn't be.
Was he… that Phoenix?
- You…-, Miles started to say, but he refrained himself.
He didn't want to cause a scene there; after all that was a delicate matter, he couldn't just talk about it in a place so crowded like the restaurant.
The food had also arrived, so he decided that it would have been better if he waited.
After dinner he told his father that he would have come home later and he went for a walk with Phoenix; Gregory decided, then, to take Miss Fey home – it could have been dangerous for her to go alone at that time of the night.
He still had no idea why his son was action so strangely, though.
At first neither Miles nor Phoenix spoke.
Miles had no idea about how to bring the subject he wanted to talk about up.
Should he make an introduction or should he go directly for it?
Damn it, it wasn't supposed to be this hard, wasn't it? He just had to find the courage to speak…
Unexpectedly, it was Phoenix the one who spoke first.
- Am I… your soulmate?-, he asked.
- … Unless there are other people called Phoenix in this world, which I doubt, I think you are-, Miles answered.
The other sighed in relief.
- Good-.
- Finally I've found my own Miles-, he said, smiling.
- What do you mean?-, the other asked, a bit weirded out by that strange sentence.
Was he a sort of psycho, perhaps?
- Well-, Phoenix started, - It's just that you're not the first one I met with this name-.
- Someone played me once-.
- Oh- was all Miles said.
With that new perspective, he had been lucky to have a soulmate with such a particular name, and not a more common one like his. At least he could be sure that the person beside him was really the one.
- I'm sorry that had to happen-, he added, trying to be sympathetic.
- It's fine-, Phoenix answered, - It's in the past, now-.
They didn't really know where to start, now; ok, they had found out that they were soulmates, and then what? What should have happened next?
- Maybe let's just start with… holding hands?-, Phoenix proposed, being the one with more experience with that kind of things, and Miles nodded.
He tentatively drew his hand near the other's one and gently grabbed it.
It was quite nice.
There was a warm feeling growing inside both of them.
Miles felt a gentle squeeze and he turned his head towards Phoenix. He was smiling at him.
He smiled too.
They had finally found each other.
Author's notes: I've never written anything about a soulmates au, but I must say, I'm proud about how this thing turned out. -Feeldespair
