Phoenix breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of a functioning elevator. At least he didn't have to climb any more stairs.

"You know I would have never guessed Prosecutor Edgeworth is a Steel Samurai fan!" Athena chirped.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't mention it in front of him if I were you. He's not exactly open about it." Phoenix chuckled.

The elevator dinged as they arrived at the 12th floor. It was rather quiet, he assumed most of the employees left for the day, but knowing Edgeworth he would still be hard at work. He glanced up as they passed room 1202, Edgeworth's former office. After being promoted to Chief Prosecutor, Edgeworth was moved down the hall into a more spacious work area, though it still had that same Edgeworth aesthetic.

He knocked quickly on the door and entered upon Edgeworth's voice welcoming them inside.

"You know, going home early every so often won't hurt you."

Without glancing up Edgeworth replied, "The life of a Chief Prosecutor is a busy one, Wright."

After finishing whatever he had been writing, Edgeworth sat up and motioned for the two to come closer.

"Kay hasn't caused you any trouble already, has she?"

"No, no. She's fine, it's you that I'm concerned about, Edgeworth."

"Me?" Edgeworth moved to one of the couches as the two defense attorneys followed suit. "Considering I have no involvement in this case, I don't believe there is anything you need to worry about."

"There's already a glaring contradiction in that statement and you know it!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Wright. What on Earth are you referring to?"

Athena quickly chimed in, "Mr. Edgeworth, I'm afraid your fingerprints were at the scene of the crime."

Edgeworth didn't flinch, he merely straightened up and began to clean his glasses.

Phoenix shook his head, "Look, I know you're obviously innocent, but why try to hide the fact that you definitely visited that exhibit that night? It would have been helpful information to know!"

"I didn't hide anything, I don't hide things, Wright. You know that."

"Are you just embarrassed? I don't care what fictional character's exhibit you visit, I just need to know what you saw."

"Very well," Edgeworth replaced his glasses, "It was a… recreational visit. I merely came out of curiosity and left just as swiftly."

"Was anyone there at that time," Athena inquired.

"I don't recall seeing anyone. Am I correct in assuming there is no security footage?"

"Unfortunately they were updating their security that day, so all cameras in that area were-" Phoenix sat up, "What? What is it?"

Edgeworth had that gleam in his eye that was all too familiar. He had realized something Phoenix had overlooked.

"There's no way you have this figured out!"

"Of course not, though what you said is quite interesting… Think about it. The one night security is down, there is a theft? I'm sure it is no coincidence."

Athena gasped, "You don't think… this could be an inside job?"

"The possibility cannot be completely overlooked."

"What should we do, Boss?"

Phoenix ran a hand through his hair and pondered, though not for long, "Athena, do you mind calling Gumshoe? We should find out everything we can about the staff, especially those who worked this night."

"Got it!"

Athena quickly rose from the couch and ran into the hallway to make the call. Meanwhile, Edgeworth began to rise.

"Woah, hold on. You're not entirely off the hook yet!"

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow and sat back down across from Wright.

"I just want to talk to you for a sec."

"Wright, it appears both you and I don't have the time for idle chatter."

Phoenix's voice shifted from his prior professional tone, to one more suited for a close friend, "Why didn't you tell me earlier when you knew I was on the defense? You know, about you being at the scene of the crime and all."

"I didn't think my presence was significant."

"Oh, so it never crossed your mind that having your fingerprints at a crime scene might have been a little relevant?"

"You're acting childish, Wright," Edgeworth shook his head and moved to turn back to his desk, "There's no need for attitude, I apologize if my retaining of such frivolous information had offended you in any way."

"My attitude? That remark of yours sounded pretty sarcastic to me."

Edgeworth paused before sitting down at his desk and looked off to the side, "Well, I did not intend for it to sound that way. I truly apologize."

There was a brief moment of silence as Phoenix realized he was now standing across from Edgeworth, the desk being the only thing between them. The silence was soon broken by a soft chuckle from Phoenix.
"I… I am being ridiculous aren't I," he rubbed the back of his neck subconsciously, "I'm sorry Miles. I guess it's just been bothering me that we don't talk often. I get how busy you are, but I thought things were starting to get better between us. I thought our friendship was finally being rekindled but now you're not being completely honest with me. And the whole thing with Kay? I had no idea about that. It feels like sometimes you can't just… talk to me."

Edgeworth simply crossed his arms and continued to look anywhere but at Phoenix. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally lifted his head and looked into the man's eyes.

"Wright. You know you are a dear and indispensable friend to me. And because you are my friend, you know how I am in a social setting. Out of work, my life is just being at home and taking care of my dog."

"I never said we had to go out partying Edgeworth," Phoenix laughed quietly at the thought, "A call every now and then would be nice though."

"You… are right."
"Yes, that is my name."

Edgeworth's arms dropped to his side and he shook his head.

"Absolutely incorrigible."

Phoenix laughed, "Sorry, you know I had to! It was just too perfect."

At that moment Athena peeked her head through the door and called to Phoenix.

"Hey! So I just got off the phone with Gumshoe. I have a list of names here and he said he's going to keep researching! Think it's time to check all this stuff over back at the office?"

"Great job, Athena. Seriously, you've been a huge help today. And yeah, you're probably right. I'll meet you out there in a second and we can head back."

"No prob, Boss!" Athena exited the office again, reviewing the notes she took using her portable computer, Widget.

When Phoenix looked back, Edgeworth was working away once more, as if he hadn't been disrupted in the first place.

"Well I guess I'll get going then, huh?"

"Don't forget to close the door on the way out."

"See you," Phoenix added softly before moving towards the door."

"Phoenix."

The use of his first name coming from the timbre of Edgeworth's voice was unexpected, he turned around quickly.

"Wright," Edgeworth corrected himself. Phoenix didn't think the first name usage would catch on anytime soon. But it wasn't surprising.

"I apologize if it ever felt like I was closing myself off from you. I never meant to make you worry. I just assumed that distance was what you needed in restarting your career, though it appears I was mistaken."

Phoenix paused briefly, then smiled, "Edgeworth, you are in no way an annoyance to me. You're like, my closest friend, okay? You need to really loosen up sometimes," he laughed, "After we win this case you should join us back at the office to celebrate. It's not like you're involved."

"I wouldn't say I'm not-"
Phoenix cut the other man off before he could finish, "Just forget about that. You were right; It's not important. I trust you."

That seemed to really catch the Chief Prosecutor off guard.

"I don't want to make Athena wait any longer. See you later, Edgeworth!"

Before Edgeworth could reply Phoenix had already waved and was out the door. The room fell silent once more and the prosecutor was allowed to return to his work. He picked up his fountain pen and began to write, with Phoenix's offer still in mind.

A/N: After months... or has it been years? At this point I don't even remember but FINALLY I found the inspiration to write this chapter! I'm quite happy with how this turned out. I know it took a rather serious tone but my original intention was to always involve Phoenix and Mile's relationship. It was always one of my favorite dynamics in the games and I hope you enjoyed my take on their personalities! Whether you take this as romantic or platonic is completely up to the viewer. I tried to keep it vague so It could go either way. So whether you ship it or not, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you next time~