Wow, I haven't updated this in almost two months. So sorry for the wait! It really doesn't seem like it's been that long to me. But at least this chapter is pretty long to make up for it.

So this is the engagement chapter! Hooray! We're in the beginnings of a Narumayo wedding arc. And after that, angst. :) But I won't say what. (Some of you might have picked up on something already though?)

Anyway, this chapter does have some steamy stuff but I don't think it's even as much as chapter 8 had. It's more a fade-to-black situation.

So please enjoy!

P.S. I'm really excited to post this so please excuse any typos (except the ones that are there on purpose). I will check it over again tomorrow and fix anything I find.


April 20th, 2029, 3:00 PM
Trucy Wright's Car

Trucy glanced at her father from the driver's seat of her used (but new to her) yellow Volkswagen Beetle as she turned the car onto their road. Phoenix was staring out the passenger's side window, with his hands clasped together in his lap and one leg bouncing up and down anxiously. He was getting more and more fidgety the closer they got to the house.

"Daddy… Are you nervous?"

Phoenix turned to look at her. "Huh? What?"

She looked at him again. "I said, are you nervous?"

"Nervous with you driving, yes," he said. "Eyes on the road, please, Truce."

She turned her attention back to the road in front of her. "You know what I meant. I don't even need my mom's bracelet to be able to tell right now."

He sighed. He never could hide anything from his daughter, even when she was little and hadn't fully realized the power of her perception, she always seemed to know when something was bothering him. It was half reason he even told her about his proposal plans in the first place. He couldn't keep it from her. "Yes, of course I'm nervous," he told her.

"Why?" She sounded truly curious.

"Well, just because. It's a pretty big decision and everything…"

The house was in view, so Trucy concentrated on pulling the car into the driveway. She made sure to set the parking brake before Phoenix could remind her that the car could roll down the driveway and into the street to kill someone without it, and then turned to him. She reached over to place her hand over his fidgeting ones, giving them a squeeze. "Maya loves you, Daddy, so don't worry. You'll do great."

He smiled. "Thanks, Truce."

She pecked him on the cheek, then grabbed her bag from the back seat and climbed out of the car. "So are you really going to see that Plumed Punisher movie first?"

Phoenix shrugged. "You know Maya. Twenty-eight years old but still loves her kid's shows. I've heard it's pretty good though. Besides, it is our anniversary, so I had to do something good."

Trucy giggled. "I'm almost worried she's going to enjoy the movie more than the proposal though."

Phoenix grinned. "Yeah, well if she does, at least I did one thing right."

"You still have the ring, right?" Trucy asked him in a hushed voice.

He patted his pants pocket. They'd just gone to the jewellery store to pick it up. That was another advantage of letting Trucy know. Now that she could drive, she was like his personal chauffeur. He'd decided to pick up the ring the day of so that Maya wouldn't find it. Trucy had begged to see it but he refused; Maya would be the first person to lay eyes on it.

Trucy nodded. "Don't lose it! And make sure she doesn't see it when you change."

"I will."

They entered the house together, and Trucy made her way straight to the living room to turn the TV on. Phoenix headed upstairs to his and Maya's bedroom. If they wanted to make the movie on time, he'd have to shower and change quickly.

He opened the bedroom door halfway, only for it to be shoved back into his face. "Ow…" He rubbed his face, hoping that wouldn't leave a mark.

"Mr. Nick!" Pearl's muffled voice came through the door. "Don't come in! Mystic Maya is getting changed!"

"Pearls… You know it's nothing I haven't seen before, right?" he said through the door, trying to open it again. Pearl must have had her back against it, because it didn't budge. She was still so deceptively strong despite how petite she was.

"Nick! Don't tell her that!" Maya called.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry."

"It's okay, Mystic Maya," he heard Pearl say. "I'm 18 now, I'm not a kid anymore. Obviously I know what goes on between people who love each other as much as you and Mr. Nick do! Especially when they're trying to have a baby…" Phoenix could just imagine her covering her face with her hands to hide her blush.

He leaned against the wall beside the door, waiting. "I need to get ready, too, Maya," he called. "If we don't hurry we might miss the movie…"

"I know, I know!" she called back. "I'm almost done, but you can't rush perfection. Don't worry, we are not going to miss this movie, Nick."

After a few minutes of tapping his foot and checking his watch, Pearl finally opened the door with a flourish. "May I present the beautiful Master Maya?"

Maya stepped out of the room from behind Pearl. "How do I look?" she said, twirling in place to let the skirt of her sleeveless dress fan out around her. It was such a deep, dark blue that it almost looked black, with a high front neckline that crossed in an X pattern over her chest and tied in a ribbon at the back of her neck to keep it up. It cinched at the waist, giving her a curvier look, and the back was low cut, but Maya's long hair, which was down straight from her usual topknot, covered most of her visible skin. Black high heels made their height difference less noticeable.

Phoenix stepped forward to wrap his arms around her waist. "Beautiful as always," he smiled. "But why a dress? It's just a movie."

She shrugged. "It's still our anniversary and we're still getting dinner after the movie. I thought I'd dress up."

"I like it. Except you're kind of showing me up."

Maya absentmindedly stroked the shining attorney's badge on his lapel with a finger. "Nah. We compliment each other. We look good together."

Pearl, who was still standing in the hallway, cleared her throat. She did love seeing those lovey-dovey moments between her guardians, but they had more important matters to attend to at the moment. It was their anniversary, and the last thing Pearl wanted was for it to be anything but perfect.

They pulled away from each other at hearing her and looked in her direction shyly. "Sorry, Pearls," Phoenix said.

Maya started pushing him towards the bedroom door. "Go get dressed or whatever you have to do. Just don't take too long."

"Right. I'll be quick." He was secretly glad Maya stayed out in the hall with Pearl. It made it easier to change without the risk of Maya finding the box in his pocket.

Out in the hallway, Pearl was fussing over Maya's hair and dress.

Maya waved her away. "It's fine, Pearly. Thank you."

Pearl took a step back. Ever since she'd blurted out Phoenix and Maya's family plans in front of the Kurain Elders, she tried to distance herself when she felt like she was getting too annoying. "I'm sorry, Mystic Maya. I'm just so excited for you. I can't believe you and Mr. Nick have been together so long already. How many years is it now?"

"I'm surprised you haven't been keeping track, Pearly," Maya teased. She put a finger to her chin. "Let me think. We don't really know our real anniversary day, but from sometime in 2020 to 2029… So about nine years."

Pearl covered her face in her excitement. "Wow, Mystic Maya. You're so lucky."

"Yeah… I really am."

"Want to go wait for Mr. Nick downstairs?"

Maya nodded at her suggestion. "Yeah, let's go."


Maya was perched on the arm of the couch beside Trucy when she heard Phoenix coming back downstairs. She got up to meet him at the bottom. "Now you're showing me up," she said. "Have I ever told you you look good in black?"

"Probably at some point," he answered. He'd forgone the blue suit for black dress pants and blazer, though the dress shirt he had on underneath was still a dark blue. He wasn't wearing a tie or his badge.

Maya ran her fingers along the lapels of the blazer. "It almost makes me want to skip the movie and just stay here with you," she whispered to him. "Upstairs. All night together…"

He inclined his head slightly towards her. "Doing what?"

She smiled. "I think you could hazard a guess."

"Then what would've been the point in getting all dressed up?"

She shrugged. "Taking everything off again, nice and slowly—"

There was an over exaggerated cough from behind them, and both turned to see the two girls staring at them. Maya managed to look embarrassed.

Trucy waved at them. "You two need to get going or you're really going to be late."

"Alright," Maya said. "Don't get into any trouble, you two."

She turned and headed towards the door. Phoenix made to follow. "See you later Pearls, Trucy." He noticed Trucy smile at him and mouth 'good luck'. He nodded at her and followed Maya out the door.

Maya took his hand as they walked down the driveway. "So how are we getting there? Did you rent a limo or something?"

Phoenix snorted. "Uh, no." He pointed down the road a bit and Maya could see a yellow dot heading their way.

"A taxi? Really?"

"Yeah, I called them earlier so they had time to get here." Maya stuck her lip out. "What? Did you forget that neither of us can drive? I wasn't about to have Trucy chauffeur us around on our anniversary and limo rentals are way too expensive."

"You need to get your licence, Nick," she stated.

"You need to get yours," he countered.

She stuck her tongue out playfully as him as the taxi pulled up to the end of their driveway. He opened the back door for her. "After you."

"Why thank you, sir."

She slid into the back seat as gracefully as she could. Phoenix followed her in and gave their destination to the driver.

"You two going somewhere fancy?" he asked from the front seat.

"Just the movies," Maya said. "But it's our anniversary so we thought we should look nice!"

"I think you're the prettiest gal I've given a ride to today," was the reply.

Maya smiled politely as he pulled away from the curb. Phoenix leaned over to her. "And you're all mine."

She punched him lightly on the leg. "Shush."


When they climbed out of the taxi at the theatre, Maya broke for the snack bar line right away. Phoenix followed her. By now he was used to spending approximately $50 every time they went to the movies, since Maya always needed a large popcorn, large drink, one of the expensive bags of candy, and usually wanted real food like a hot dog or nachos to go with it. The theatre was even selling limited edition, reusable drink cups for an extra $10, which he hadn't even bothered trying to talk her out of. He would simply stick with sneaking bites from her popcorn bag when he could. When both of their arms were full with food, they finally made their way to the line into the theatre.

"Wow. I'm kind of surprised there's not more kids here," Phoenix observed, looking around at the other people in the line. Most of them were adults around Maya's age or a little younger, but most definitely all twenty-somethings.

Maya nodded. "Well, the Steel Samurai was a big thing for a lot of kids when it originally aired back in 2016. Everyone who loved it back then has grown up, so it's kind of a big deal that a show like The Plumed Punisher is coming to theatres here in the U.S. It's nostalgic for a lot of people, I think, but there are some like me who never really grew out of the Samurai series. I know The Plumed Punisher isn't technically affiliated with The Steel Samurai, but they're pretty similar and the Samurai series isn't as popular anymore, so a lot of fans have started watching The Plumed Punisher instead."

Phoenix nodded at her explanation and gazed around. "A lot of people are dressed up, too."

"Yeah. I thought about trying to get you to cosplay but I decided to spare you."

"Thank God," he said.

Maya attempted to nudge him with an elbow without spilling her popcorn. She just barely managed to rub elbows with him. "Shush. You loved it that one time, just admit it."

"What time?" he said, not meeting her eyes.

"We went to that convention! Remember you told Trucy we were going on a romantic mini-vacation?"

"Oh yeah," Phoenix said, rolling his eyes. "I wish I hadn't been lying, to be honest."

"Well, once we save up some more money after buying the house, we should be able to go on a real romantic vacation," Maya said, smiling up at him. In his head, all Phoenix could think was that would hopefully be happening sooner rather than later, when they went on their honeymoon. "But you looked so good in that Steel Samurai costume!" Maya said, going back to the subject of Steel Samurai. "I wish we still had it. I could think of some good uses for it."

"What happened to it anyway?"

"I don't know. I always assumed you got rid of it without telling me."

"I don't remember doing that. I might have hated it but I knew how much you liked it. You're sure it's not at Fey Manor in one of the storage rooms or something?"

"No…" Maya pursed her lips as she thought, then realization dawned on her face. "Oh wait. We had to throw it out. It got dirty and it couldn't be cleaned."

"Huh?"

"Remember? During the con? Some little kid saw you take the mask off and threw his chocolate milkshake on you because you weren't the real Steel Samurai. It made a huge stain." Maya smiled fondly. "But you were so good about it. You convinced him that you were the real Steel Samurai and he had to keep your identity a secret, even though really, the Steel Samurai doesn't have a secret identity. He still believed you though."

Phoenix smiled. He remembered that now, how could he have forgotten? "Well, I was with the Pink Princess. That was convincing enough for him, and you were great too."

"That was one of those times that I realized how much I loved you, you know," she admitted.

He raised his eyebrow as he stared down at her. "Because I convinced a little kid I was the Steel Samurai?"

She nodded. "Yep. It seems weird, I know."

"With you, it's not that weird."

Maya would have smacked him if her arms weren't full. Instead she stuck her tongue out at him. The line they were standing in had been moving steadily throughout their conversation and they were nearing the front now. Maya shifted her food into one arm, balancing everything carefully so she could reach into Phoenix's pocket for their tickets. She held them out to the attendant at the front of the line, who ripped them and handed them back before pointing them in the direction of the correct theatre.

Maya quickly made her way into the theatre and up the stairs to her favourite spot for movies, about three rows down from the top and right in the middle. They both plopped into their seats, relieved at finally being able to put their food down.

They talked in hushed whispers throughout the previews, but when the movie started, Maya shushed him. He had ended up watching the rest of the Plumed Punisher series before the movie, so he was completely caught up and managed to pay almost full attention. The only times his attention wasn't on the movie, it was focused on Maya. He loved watching the emotions on her face as she watched. The movie was action packed but there was an underlying emotional plot to it as well, and even a little romance. Maya turned and caught his eye during the climactic kiss between the Plumed Punisher and her love interest and leaned over to peck him on the lips at the same time, then went right back to paying attention to the movie.

He watched the rest of it quietly as well, paying more attention so he could talk to her about it after. Maya loved to talk about movies after leaving the theatre, so he had to be sure he could follow along with her crazy theories and ideas for sequels.

When the movie had finally ended and the credits were rolling, Phoenix leaned over to her. "I'm going to go ahead of the rush and wait for you outside the theatre, okay?"

Maya pouted. "What if there's an after credits scene?"

He sighed. "You can tell me about it. They're never any longer than a minute or so, I won't miss much."

"Okaaaay, fine."

He squeezed her hand and gathered up some of their garbage, then headed out of the theatre. He threw all of their garbage out and once he was back in the main lobby and into the light, he took out his cell phone.

There were four different messages. He scrolled to Athena's first, since he was actually expecting hers.

Athena Cykes 4:34 PM
Hey Mr. Wright. I'm visiting my friend for the night and I'll be sleeping there, so the office is all yours for tonight. ;)

Was it weird to make a winky face right there? Sorry if it was.

Anyway, everything looks perfect, so good luck! I can't wait to see that ring…

He shot a quick thank you back to her, and assured her that the winky face wasn't weird even though really, he did think it was kind of weird. But Athena was becoming more and more like a close friend rather than employee, so he supposed it was fine.

He scrolled through the other three messages.

Pearls 4:55 PM
MR. NICK TRUCY TODL ME WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO TONIGHT I CA'T BELIEVE YOU DIDNT TRUST ME ENOUGH TO TRLL ME! I CAN'T WAIT FOR YOU TO GET HOME! PLEASE LET US KNOW AFTER YOU'VE POPPED THE QUESTION! I REALLYWANT TO SEET THE RING! I BET IT'S BEAUTIFUL1!

Phoenix actually laughed out loud at that. Trucy must have decided to tell her after they'd left, since there was no way she could accidentally blurt it out to Maya anymore. When he scrolled to the next message down, that thought was confirmed.

Trucy 5:00 PM
Sorry daddy. :P I told Pearl what you were planning and she kind of freaked out. I hope everything is going well so far. You're probably not even out of the movie yet. Please call us when you can.

He decided not to send a reply to either of them. They would both have to wait until the end of the night to find out anything. Leaving them in suspense was kind of fun.

He was surprised to find the last message was from Edgeworth. It was simple enough:

Miles Edgeworth 5:05 PM
Did you do it yet?

Phoenix tapped a reply, just as simple:

No, not yet. We're getting there.

At least that would give Edgeworth some idea of how the night was going so far. He tucked his phone back into his jacket pocket before he got any replies. He didn't want Maya to ask him who he was texting. The phone was out of sight just in time, as Maya and the rest of the more hardcore fans who'd sat through the credits were making their way out of the theatre.

Maya scanned the crowd and found him standing to the side. She made her way over and wrapped her arms around his torso. "Thank you so much for getting those tickets, Nick," she said. "The movie was awesome."

He hugged her back. "Hey, you're pretty easy to please. I consider myself lucky."

"Hmph!"

"So, was there anything after the credits?"

She pulled away and shook her head. "Sadly, no."

"So you waited all that time for no reason."

"Better to be safe than sorry, I think," she said, nodding sagely. "Anyway, I'm starved. What restaurant are we going to?"

"How are you starved after eating all of that junk in the theatre?" Phoenix said, rolling his eyes. "I thought we could go for a walk somewhere before eating. It's still pretty early after all."

"Alright, I guess. Where were you thinking?"

He shrugged. "Nowhere in particular. Let's just walk."


April 20th, 2029, 6:36 PM
Downtown L.A.

"It's nice out tonight, isn't it?"

Phoenix nodded, readjusting his grip on Maya's fingers. "Yeah. Not too hot, not too cold." Maya giggled and he looked down at her curiously. "What?"

"Are we really talking about the weather?"

"Hey, you were the one who started this conversation."

Maya promptly changed the subject. "Can you believe we've known each other for twelve years already? Never mind us actually being together, but just being friends. Twelve years, Nick. I've known you for almost half of my life."

A smile tugged at his lips. "It's been fun, right?"

"Yeah. I can't even imagine how boring my life would have been if I hadn't met you. Assuming I even got off the first murder charge, the Elders would have kept me trapped in Kurain Village, and I would have had no reason to ever leave anyway. I would have spent all my time training and channeling instead of hanging out with you and getting to go to all the fun places we've gone." She smiled up at him. "The best part of everything though has always been helping you in court."

"Really? Out of all the amusement parks and circuses and movies and everything we've done, and investigating murders and going to court are your most fond memories?"

"Of course," she confirmed. "At first it was because you sort of reminded me of my sister, and it was comforting. Then after that it just started to feel good, knowing we were helping people. Well, you were doing most of it, but I got to witness it."

"You helped me out a lot more than you give yourself credit for, Maya," he told her.

"I know, I know, I channeled Mia a lot for you."

"Well that, but not just that. Just having you around as a second pair of eyes was helpful, or to bounce ideas off of. You could seriously be a detective or even a lawyer yourself if you ever wanted to go to school for it."

"Really? Hm. I never really thought about it before."

"You'd be good at it."

Maya smiled. "Maybe, but I don't think that's in my future. I'm committed to Kurain now. Aside from that, all else I want to be is a mother."

"Soon," Phoenix reassured, remembering her stresses about it a few weeks ago.

"Yeah. Do you think we'll have a boy or a girl?"

"I have no idea. I kinda hope it's a boy though."

"What? How come?"

"I already have two girls, plus you. I need another boy in the house," he said, smiling down at her playfully.

"Pfft, Nick."

"Haven't I already said, Maya?" he continued more seriously. "It won't matter to me at all. I'll just be happy."

"Yeah. Me too." She looked up from the sidewalk. "Hey, where are we?"

Phoenix looked around as well. They'd wandered to an area of town that was quieter than the rest, though there were still a few people here and there, mostly couples like the two of them. Beside the sidewalk was a wrought iron fence leading to an open gate. They stopped in front of it to read the sign.

Maya grinned. "It's Gourd Lake! We haven't been here in so long, I didn't recognize it in the dark."

"Wow, it looks different," Phoenix said.

"It's nicer," Maya observed. "The city must have decided to clean it up for tourists again. You haven't seen any Gourdy sightings on TV lately have you?"

"Not that I can recall. That brings back memories though."

"Yeah, it really does. That was only our second case together, I think? And it was Mr. Edgeworth you had to defend."

"Mhm. Remember the boat shack and Yanni Yogi? He kept calling us Keith and Meg."

Maya laughed. "Oh yeah! That was really weird. He was a good actor when you think about it."

"He'd been putting on that act for fifteen years by then. It's no wonder he was good at it."

"Let's go in," Maya said, pulling on his arm. "Let's see if it's still there."

"The boat shack?"

"Yeah!"

"Why? If I recall correctly, you said it creeped you out."

Maya waved a hand. "That was twelve years ago, Nick. I think I'll be fine now."

"Ladies first then," he said, gesturing for her to lead.

Together they walked through the gate into Gourd Lake. The woods had been cut back a bit, but there was still a thicket of trees they had to walk through before they reached the picnic area. A gazebo had been erected there, and there were no more food stands or giant inflatable Steel Samurai balloons. There were a few people milling about, some fishermen at the lake's edge, and a family at the gazebo having a picnic. Maya pulled on his arm in the direction of the old boat shack.

They walked down a path through another patch of trees. There were no signs anywhere advertising any sort of boats for rental, so Phoenix doubted the shack was still there, or if it was, it would be abandoned and decrepit. When they made it out of the trees, Maya pointed.

"Aaw, it is gone." The old shack where Yanni Yogi had lived was indeed gone, but in its place was a new dock reaching out over the lake, but there were no boats attached to it. "Let's go sit at the dock, Nick," Maya suggested, still pulling on his arm.

They walked to the end of the dock together where Maya slipped off her shoes and sat down on the edge. The water was too low and the dock too high for either of them to get their feet wet, but she didn't want to lose her high heels in the water. Phoenix sat beside her, and she shifted over so they were side by side.

"It's kind of romantic, even if we did have to investigate a murder here once," she said.

"It is. The sun will set soon too. Want to wait for it?"

Maya nodded and leaned against him, sighing. "I remember when we first came here I admitted to you that I'd never been on a boat before, and you said we should go on one after the case. Even back then when we hadn't even known each other for long you were thinking of me."

"Yeah, but you didn't actually end up going on one."

"Not until Gatewater Land. That was fun, but Pearly kind of ruined the mood by pointing out how romantic it was every ten seconds."

Phoenix chuckled. "Yeah. Pearls really did more harm than good to our relationship back then, I think, not that I would ever tell her that. We'd just get embarrassed every time she said anything and for me at least, it made me think about it too much and I'd convinced myself that she was wrong. If she had kept quiet things might have progressed a little faster. Maybe I would have realized sooner."

"It was sort of the opposite for me," Maya admitted. "Every time she'd say something like that I'd get embarrassed because I really did have a big crush on you and Pearly knew it. She was right about how I felt, but you always just thought it was all in her head, and I could never admit anything else."

He shrugged. "Things worked out, so I guess it doesn't really matter now."

"Yeah." Maya felt for his hand and entwined her fingers with his. "Do you believe in fate, Nick? Or soulmates?"

He sighed. "I don't really know, Maya. I don't like to think that Mia died just so we could meet, that seems cruel. But I think we were supposed to meet, just that it could have happened anywhere, anytime. We were just unlucky."

Maya hummed. "But if you think about it, we're luckier than most. I lost my sister and you lost your mentor, but even though she's gone, we can still talk to her. That makes it easier."

Phoenix nodded. "I guess you have a point."

Maya turned her head to look out over the water. The sun was getting lower in the sky and the orange glow was bouncing off the lake now. "We should have Pearly channel her again soon. It's been a long time since we last saw her."

"The last time I talked to her, I was freshly disbarred and we weren't even together yet. I wonder what she'll think." He thought back to that night. That was the last time he'd asked her for help of any kind. He'd done the rest by himself. Even then, Mia had teased him about how close he and Maya were becoming. He wondered if she had known even then what was going to happen between them.

Maya snickered. "Who knows."

They were quiet after that, listening to the soft lapping of the waves on the shore beneath them and the birds chirping above them in the trees, until Maya shifted. "Okay, now that it's getting dark out it is getting kind of creepy again. It's only romantic in the daytime and during the sunset."

She moved back from the edge of the dock and stood up. Phoenix followed her and held out his arm to help her balance while she stepped back into her shoes. "We should get to the restaurant too," Phoenix said. "It's getting later, but I also don't want you wilting away to nothing since you haven't eaten for a full two hours."

Maya laughed. "Yeah, if I don't eat soon I might disappear."


April 20th, 2029, 9:04 PM
Wright Anything Agency

Their dinner was relatively uneventful, besides Maya deciding to get a salisbury steak instead of t-bone or a regular burger. She teased him about his same old order of chicken and salad, and they spent the rest of the time eating and chatting casually about the past twelve years, remembering cases, clients, and witnesses that neither of them had thought about for a long time.

After dinner, Maya began to hail a taxi, but Phoenix took her by the hand to walk again. She sighed. "Nick, where are we going now?"

"The office," he stated plainly. It wasn't far, only down the road. The restaurant they'd been at was their favourite for a reason, it was close to the office and it was somewhere they'd both been to plenty of times throughout the years.

"Why do you have to go to the office? I want to go home. Our anniversary night isn't done yet," Maya said, wiggling her eyebrows at him suggestively.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah, hold your horses. I need to get something, okay?"

Maya crossed her arms as she followed him down the road. "You'd usually be the one rushing me home once I mentioned sex."

"Maya," he laughed. "We have all night for that. This won't take long."

When they made it to the building they entered quietly and rode the elevator to the second floor after Maya complained of having to walk up a flight of stairs in heels. She waited for him to unlock the door and followed him into the darkened office. "I can't see, Nick," she whined.

He flicked on the overhead lights. "Happy?"

"Yes…" she muttered, stepping further into the office. She got quiet when she noticed how tidy the office was. Trucy's magic props scattered around and on the piano were put away out of sight, and the red cover had been removed from it. The couches and table had been pushed away to make room for the piano bench, and on top of it only the old candelabra still sat, along with a bottle of wine and two glasses.

Maya looked to Phoenix for an explanation. "Nick, what is all this? Why is everything so… clean? Did Athena get tired of walking through Trucy's mess?"

"No," he said, taking her hand and leading her across the room where he gestured for her to sit on the piano bench. He turned the lamp on his desk on, then switched the overhead lights back off. Moving back to the piano, he picked up the matches that had been left near the candelabra and lit the candles. They were more for the mood than an actual light source. The lamp on his desk provided just enough light that he would be able to see what he was doing.

Maya watched him silently until he finally sat down beside her. By now she knew that something was going on, but what she had no clue. As far as she could tell, this was just another part of their anniversary date.

"Want some wine?" Phoenix asked, reaching up to the glasses and the bottle on top of the piano. "Edgeworth suggested it, so it should be good. He knows all about that stuff."

Maya nodded. "Sure."

He managed to uncork the bottle without making a mess, and poured them each a glass. Maya sipped at it. It was some sort of fruity tasting wine, possibly a plum flavour. She didn't have much of a taste for regular red wine, so she appreciated Edgeworth's suggestion.

"Are you going to play me a concert?" she teased after she'd set her glass back down. "I'm not sure I want to hear it. Last time I heard you play, it was terrible."

Phoenix made a sad face at her as he placed his own glass back on top of the piano, but couldn't hide his smile for long. He would be the first to admit that he was a terrible piano player, so he didn't mind the teasing insult, but he hoped he could surprise her this once. "Actually, I've been practicing."

Maya raised her eyebrows. "Wait, you really are going to play something?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

A smile slowly stretched across her face, and she placed a hand on his arm. "Okay. I was kidding before. If you're being serious, then of course I want to hear it."

He nodded and took a deep breath. He was nervous. It was a strange feeling, being nervous. It wasn't something he usually felt, whether he was in court or even back when he was still the pianist at the Borscht Bowl Club. He was terrible at it, but his real job was down in the Hydeout, so he never cared enough to get nervous playing in front of people back then. But playing in front of Maya, after practicing for hours upon hours with a decidedly tough teacher specifically for this night was different.

He'd lifted his hands to the keys where they hovered, and Maya sensed he needed space or at least complete control of his arms, so when he hesitated, she laid her hand on his knee instead. "Go ahead, Nick."

With that final nudge from her, he started. He heard Maya take in a quiet breath of surprise when he didn't immediately hit the wrong key. Instead his fingers made their way across the keys fluidly, and a melody made its way to Maya's ears.

She was expecting something slow and romantic, but the song he started to play had a quicker sound. It was almost playful. She watched his hands move across the keys, mesmerized by the sight of it, and the sound he was creating. It was like magic.

When she managed to turn away from his hands to glance at his face instead, she found him staring hard at his hands, concentrating on where to place them. He couldn't read music, so he'd managed to memorize the song. He still hit the wrong keys a few times, it wasn't perfect, but Maya didn't even notice.

The song reached its climax, and to Maya it sounded like it could have been used as the background music during the most important part of an Oscar winning movie. Then the music slowed again, until finally Phoenix stopped, letting the last note fade off.

Maya could only sit in awed silence. He turned to her nervously, thinking it was horrible and she'd hated it, but instead found her smiling. She turned to him, that smile turning into a grin. "Nick, that was amazing."

"R-Really?"

She nodded enthusiastically and took his hands in hers. "How did you do that? How long did you practice?"

"A few weeks."

She looked even more surprised. "It only took you a few weeks to learn that song and memorize the whole thing?"

He nodded. "Memorizing it was easier than you probably think."

She thought for a moment. "I didn't recognize the song though. Not because you were bad, you were great, it just didn't sound like anything I'd heard before."

"Well, I wrote it, so it's new," he said, looking down. He didn't know why he felt so shy about admitting that. He hadn't been that confident in it, but Maya seemed thrilled.

"You wrote it?!" she exclaimed. "How?! I didn't know you could read music?"

He shook his head. "I had help. Believe me, it was difficult, but I worked with someone who knew how to read music and he helped me decide what sounded good, and we put it together that way. That's why it was so easy to memorize. I'm not talented enough to do it on my own, but I wanted to do something different for tonight. This is the one and only song I know how to play properly."

Maya reached up to caress his cheek. "It was amazing, Nick. Thank you. Does this new song have a name?"

He brought a hand up to place over hers, turning his head to kiss her palm. "I was thinking… 'Maya's Theme'." He turned back to her. "Or 'Maya's Song'. I wrote it with you in mind. The way you're always so happy and optimistic and how contagious that is. It's something I really love about you."

She moved her hand away from his face to take his again, rubbing her thumbs over his knuckles. Phoenix swallowed. If he felt nervous before, now he was really getting nervous. Playing piano in front of her was nothing compared to what he was about to do. He stood up suddenly, his hands slipping from hers, and walked around the piano bench to stand with his back to her.

Maya swung her legs over to the other side of the piano bench so she could follow him with her eyes. She tilted her head curiously. "What's wrong, Nick?"

He took another deep breath to calm himself before turning around to face her again. "Nothing is wrong, Maya," he said. "Everything is perfect. You're perfect."

She smiled, still watching him. "You're pretty perfect too, you know." He was quiet, and Maya quirked an eyebrow. "Why are you over there?"

Another swallow, and Maya could see the Adam's apple in his throat bob up and down. Something was up, she just didn't know what. Truth be told, she was getting a little nervous, but she didn't think he would go through all of this trouble on their anniversary day just to give her bad news.

"Maya, I want to ask you something important," he finally said, eyes still downcast.

"Okay…?"

"I don't even know where to start," he muttered, more to himself than to her. She furrowed her eyebrows while he thought of what to say. After yet another deep breath, he raised his eyes from the floor to look straight at her, and took a step forward so he wasn't so far from her. She gazed up at him as he stood in front of her, holding out his hands. She raised hers to lay them in his. Then he finally started to speak.

"Maya, I love you so much. I love you more than I ever thought I'd be capable of loving someone. And I wouldn't say I was unhappy before I met you, but the amount of additional happiness you've brought to my life since then is immeasurable. Even before we were… well, us, you were my best friend, and you're still my best friend."

Maya's eyes were beginning to mist up. She didn't cry that often, but she would always prefer these tears of joy to tears of sorrow, and she wasn't afraid to let them out.

"You were there for me all throughout my disbarment and never gave up hope even when I did," Phoenix continued. "You've been there for Trucy any time she needs you, which I appreciate more than I can even say. We've been through so many hardships… and I mean, a lot of hardships." She laughed through her tears and nodded, but kept quiet. "But we've made it this far, and I want to go farther with you."

Maya gasped shakily when Phoenix knelt in front of her, hand going to his pocket where he gripped the black velvet box that had been kept there the entire night. The tears that had been building up behind her eyelids during his speech were now spilling over. She rubbed at them, trying to see him through the blur her tears were causing.

"Maya Fey," he said, slowly opening the box to reveal the ring he'd picked up earlier, "will you marry me?"

Maya could only be described as bawling when she heard him say those words. Her tears were flowing, her hand was clamped over her mouth, but she was nodding frantically.

Phoenix smiled up at her and took her other hand in his. "So that's a yes?"

"Y-Yes," she said, her voice cracking. "N-Nick… of course I'll marry you!"

She flung herself off of the piano bench and into his arms. He managed to stay kneeling and keep the ring safely in one hand, while Maya cried with her arms tightly around his neck, and her face buried in the side of it. He wrapped his free arm around her waist and held her there, trying not to cry himself. Why had he waited so long to do this?

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Maya," he said into her ear, her soft hair tickling his cheek. "I don't want to live my life without you in it, as my partner and my best friend for all the years ahead of us."

She pulled back just enough to kiss him quickly on the lips, then pressed a bunch of tiny pecks wherever she could. "I…" kiss, "love…" kiss, "you…" kiss, "too…" kiss. "And I feel the same way, Nick," she said, nuzzling back into his neck when she'd finished with her kisses. "When I met you I had no idea how important you'd become in my life. For the longest time you were the only person I had who I could just talk to as an equal, as a friend… I really needed a friend when I met you. There's no one I'd want to spend the rest of my life with than my best friend. I'm so grateful I got to fall in love with you."

Phoenix held her tight against him. He didn't know what to say. He didn't have words for what he felt in that moment. When Maya lifted her head from his shoulder, she slid a hand from the back of his neck to his cheek, where she brushed away an escaped tear with her thumb.

He sniffed, and held the box up. "Want to put this on?" he asked.

She grinned and pulled him back up to the piano bench with her, where they again sat side by side. She held out her left hand and splayed her fingers to allow him to slide the ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit.

"I didn't really get a good look at it before," she said. "I couldn't see anything through all my crying. It's beautiful, Nick. It's perfect."

The amethyst Phoenix had chosen was a rich purple, cut in the traditional Princess style and placed in the middle of a thin white gold band. He hadn't been able to resist the suggested accents of smaller round diamonds on each side of the large amethyst. It looked incredibly delicate on Maya's finger, but the amethyst was large enough that it caught the eye, and the diamonds sparkled in the light. It had been more expensive than he originally planned on spending, but for Maya it was worth it.

"I am not going to be able to stop staring at this for a long time. I love the gemstone. It's so different than a regular old diamond ring. It's an amethyst, right?"

He nodded. "I'm glad you like it. You'll never believe who helped me with that."

She tore her eyes from it to look at him. "Who?"

"Adrian Andrews."

"Oh wow, really? That's great!" She smiled again. "I guess we can invite her to our wedding." She curled her hand into a fist and held it against her chest. "Our wedding, Nick."

"Mm. I know that you'll keep your last name, but can I please have permission to call you my Mrs. Wright?"

Maya laughed. "I suppose so."

"You know I almost blurted that out when I proposed? I guess it was the nerves," he said thoughtfully.

"What?!"

"It crossed my mind. 'Say 'will you be my Mrs. Right' to her, Phoenix, it'll be funny when you look back on this in twenty years'. But I decided against it."

Maya snorted. "Nick, you're such a dork."

"A dork you're going to marry."

She got up to sit back down on his lap instead, and wrapped her arms around his neck again. She leaned in to kiss him, deeply, passionately, and he returned it with just as much fervour, wrapping one arm around her waist to hold her steady and another around her back, reaching up to run his fingers through her hair.

"Do you remember our first time together together?" Maya asked in a moment when their lips weren't pressed together.

Phoenix opened his eyes to find her looking at him through half lidded eyes of her own. "How could I forget? It was so awkward."

Maya's fingers tapped against the back of his neck while she laughed quietly. "Yeah, it really was, but it was still nice. You were my first," she said, pecking his lips quickly, "and my only. But you're all I need. All I'll ever need." She held up her left hand to look at the ring again, and Phoenix could see the tears swimming in her eyes again.

He rubbed his hand up and down her back before letting it rest on the bare skin where her dress was lower cut. Maya sighed, the feeling of his hands on her skin even innocently made her shiver. She leaned forward, capturing his lips again and pressing her tongue into his mouth to tangle with his. The taste of the wine was still there, giving the kiss a rather sweet taste.

It didn't take long for his fingers to grasp the zipper in the back of her dress and begin tugging it down. Maya pulled away, breathless. "Wait, Nick. What if Athena comes in?"

He shook his head. "She's gone for the night. She knew I was going to propose, she even helped set all this up, so she's staying at a friend's house tonight, and I don't think anyone else will show up this late."

"Well then," Maya said, smirking playfully. "I'm sorry I interrupted. Why don't you continue?"

He didn't have to be told twice. He unzipped her slowly and when the zipper had reached its end he ran his fingers over her skin again, stopping on the small of her back. The whole time Maya had been pushing his blazer from his shoulders and had already moved on to unbuttoning his shirt and trying to yank it from where it was tucked into his pants. When she'd finally managed to remove both layers, she leaned back and glanced down at herself, then back up at him.

She didn't need to say anything for him to know what she meant. He slid his hand up her back under her hair to take hold of the ribbon keeping the front of her dress up and pulled, untying it to let the dress fall from her chest. He made an approving noise and inclined his head to kiss her neck while his hands explored her.

Her own hands were still wrapped around his neck, and she moved them across his shoulders, nails scratching, but not enough to hurt or leave marks. "Nick…" she sighed when his mouth reached a particularly sensitive spot. He hovered there, nipping and licking at her gently, until he heard her moan.

He lifted his head from her chest once he heard that. "Let's move to the couch," he suggested in a whisper. "As beautiful as it is I need to see that dress off of you."

Maya slid off of his lap, excitement filling her whole body. Phoenix was usually quite reserved when it came to intimacy, at least around other people, but when they were alone and the mood turned romantic, he always became a little more lewd. It was never enough to be off putting, she actually found it rather sexy since it was such a change from how he regularly acted, and when he told her how he wanted to see her, how he wanted to touch her, and what he wanted to do to her, it made her desire him even more.

Her dress was still held up at the hips, and she sauntered over to the couches. She shimmied out of the dress, letting it fall to the floor, and kicked off her shoes, leaving her clad in only her underwear. Phoenix watched her appreciatively as he stepped around the couch and took her into his arms.

"Do you think we should stop and save ourselves for after marriage?" Maya murmured, pressing her palms against his chest.

He looked exasperated. "You always say something like that right when things are getting good."

She snickered but said no more, instead leaning up to kiss him again. Her hands started at his shoulders and made their way down his chest, then stopped on his abdomen. She loved to touch him, to feel him there, so warm and close and at the moment smelling of cologne. She pushed on him gently, forcing their lips apart and him to take a step back. He willingly went where she pushed, eventually falling back onto the couch. Maya wasted no time stripping herself of her last remaining clothing item and climbing on top of him to straddle his waist. She was naked save for the engagement ring. That wasn't coming off anytime soon.

He pushed a bundle of her hair back over her shoulder and smiled at her lovingly. She shifted her hips against his, and he closed his eyes, the friction almost becoming too much to handle. Maya smiled and pushed his own lock of hair back playfully, pressing it down to try to get it to stay off of his forehead, but it just popped right back into place.

"Maya," he groaned. She got distracted so easily. "Please."

Normally she would let him take over, let him ravish and lead her if he wanted, but at the moment she had the high ground so to speak, and she was going to take advantage of it. "I love watching you squirm though," she said, leaning forward to place a kiss against his collarbone.

"You are naked and beautiful and kissing me and I still have my pants on," he complained. "I can't help being squirmy."

Her kisses continued across his chest, her breath tickling wherever her lips met with his skin. She raised her head again and smiled wantonly. She moved back and slid off of him to the floor, where she knelt in front of him.

"Then let's remedy that, shall we?"


April 20th, 2029, 10:45 PM
Wright Anything Agency

Even long after they'd made love, the slow caresses and sleepy kisses continued as they lay together under a blanket that had been conveniently left laying over the back of the opposite couch. Maya was resting comfortably on top of him as he reclined against the arm, returning her soft kisses.

When they pulled apart to take a break, she rested her cheek against his chest, nestling her head under his chin and sighing contentedly. He kept an arm around her, stroking her back methodically. She was just beginning to drift to sleep when she heard Phoenix's phone buzz.

They both ignored it, saying nothing, but a few seconds later it buzzed again, and then again a few seconds after that, and then again after that. Maya sighed this time not in contentment but annoyance. "Nick, who is texting you at this time of the night?"

He shrugged, seemingly unconcerned with it, but when it buzzed again Maya lifted her head from his chest. He opened his eyes lazily. "Just ignore it."

"I'm too curious," she said, pushing herself up and getting off the couch, pulling the blanket with her to wrap around herself.

"Hey!" he protested, sitting up and grabbing his pants from the floor. "It's gotten cold in here you know."

Maya giggled and raised her eyebrows at him. "I can see that."

He rolled his eyes. "Not funny."

She grinned and strolled over to the piano bench where his shirt and blazer had been left. She bent to feel for the phone. She found it tucked into the inside pocket of the blazer. She tapped the screen and grinned. "Uh, Nick…"

He looked over from where he was attempting to pull his pants back on. "Hm?"

She brought the phone over to him and held it up, trying not to laugh. Some texts were still coming through even as she held it. He squinted at it.

Pearls 10:45 PM
MR NICK DID YOU ASK MTSTIC MAYA YET?!

Pearls 10:46 PM
SERIOUSLY AWHERE AREOY YOU GUYS IT'S GETTING SO LATE! AR YOU ENDGAGED YET?!

Pearls 10:48 PM
Oh wait. I bet I know what you're up to. I'm sorry for being so nosy.

Trucy 10:50 PM
Sorry daddy. Pearl is getting really worked up, but now I am too! Please hurry and come home or at least call us to know how it went if you're not going to get home until late!

Miles Edgeworth 10:50
Well, did you do it yet?

Klavier Gavin 10:53
Hello Herr Wright. I hope your plan for tonight has gone off without a hitch. I figured texting at this time, I shouldn't be interrupting anything. Let me know how it went. I hope she liked the song.

Athena Cykes 10:55
Hey Mr. Wright! I hope everything went the way you planned! Call me tomorrow and tell Maya I really want to see that ring! I bet it's beautiful.

"Oh my God," Phoenix muttered.

Maya laughed. "Wow, even Klavier Gavin knew about this?"

Phoenix nodded. "He was the one who helped me with the song and the piano."

Maya smiled. "I guess he did sort of owe you one."

"Yeah, but we're even now, for sure. He was a huge help."

Maya glanced down at the phone again. "Pearly is going to freak out even more than she already is when I show her this ring. And you'll have to phone everyone tomorrow to let them know."

Phoenix had walked across the room to pick up his shirt and was putting that back on as well. "Yeah, I'll text Edgeworth later but I'll call Athena and Klavier tomorrow. Pearls and Trucy probably won't go to bed until we get home, so we should go soon. Pearls didn't know about this until tonight. Trucy told her after we left, so she's understandably excited."

"Who did know? You said Athena, Klavier, and Edgeworth obviously did, right?"

"Yes, they all helped me quite a bit. Trucy was the only other person and I didn't tell her until more recently, because I needed her to drive me to the city to pick up the ring," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "I really do need to get my licence."

"So why didn't you tell Pearly?"

"I just didn't want to run the risk of her telling you by accident. You know how excited she gets about stuff like this, and how she blurted out about us trying to get pregnant to the Elders in Kurain. I feel bad for not telling her but I couldn't risk it. And besides, this is probably just as exciting for her as it is for us anyway, so it was sort of a surprise for her too, I guess."

"I have to say understand," Maya said.

"Hey, I was wondering something."

Maya raised her eyebrows. "Yeah?"

He finished buttoning the top button on his shirt and went about trying to tuck it in again. "I know Pearls is eighteen and all so she's already an adult but… what do you think about adopting her?"

Maya sat down on the couch, the blanket still wrapped around her. "Wow, really, Nick?"

He nodded and came to sit down beside her once he was finished with his clothes. "I mean, you were her legal guardian after Morgan went to prison anyway but you never officially adopted her. And I've always thought about her as a daughter, and a sister to Trucy. I figured, if we're going to get married, we could make it official." He smiled as he thought back. "A few weeks ago she asked me if we were ever going to get married, just out of the blue, the way she does, you know? She said that if you and I got married, then me and her would actually be related, and it got me thinking about it. Not that I don't already think of us all as a family, but I don't know. I thought it'd be nice to make it official."

Maya shook her head in disbelief, but when she looked up at him he could see tears shining in her eyes yet again. "I think she'd really love that, Nick. You should ask her though, and whatever she decides, we'll do." She grabbed him in a hug. "Jeez, Nick. You have to stop one upping yourself. Every time I think you can't be anymore amazing you do something like this."

Phoenix smiled at her. "Don't say anything to her though. I'll ask her. I want to."

"Alright." She let go of him and got up to stretch one arm into the air, holding the blanket up with the other. "I'm going to go take a fast shower, then we can get going."

"I guess I'll uh… clean up in here," he said. "We always seem to forget that clients come here and sit on these couches."

Maya giggled. "No one wants to know the things these couches have seen," she said, grinning at him before walking to the bathroom.


April 21st, 2029, 12:30 AM
Fey-Wright Residence

When the taxi finally pulled into the driveway of their home, Phoenix gently shook Maya, who was asleep on his shoulder. She snuffled and opened her eyes.

"We're home," he told her.

She yawned and sat up straight, unbuckling her seat belt to climb from the taxi. Phoenix paid and thanked the driver and waved as the man pulled away. They headed towards the front door together, but they weren't even able to make it up onto the porch before the front door was flung open, and the smiling faces of their two girls looked out at them.

Pearl rushed them into the foyer. "Well, well?! Mystic Maya?! Did you say yes?!"

Maya laughed. She was tired but Pearl's excitement was contagious. She nodded and held out her hand. "Of course I said yes, Pearly."

Pearl gazed down at the ring, her mouth hanging open in wonder, and Trucy clapped her hands together. "Oh wow! It's even prettier than I thought it would be! Daddy, you have good taste! And it looks so pretty on your hand, Maya!"

Maya wrapped an arm around Phoenix's waist. "Thanks, Trucy. Your dad does have pretty good taste, surprisingly."

Phoenix shrugged. "I had a little help at the jewelry store—"

He didn't get much farther in his sentence before he was interrupted by Pearl, as a sob burst out of her. They all turned to her, surprised at the outburst, and Maya hustled over to gather her in her arms. "Pearly, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing!" she cried. "I'm just… so h-happy," she said, burying her face in Maya's bosom. "We'll be like a real family," she said, her voice muffled.

Trucy went over to put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't cry, Pearl, you'll make me cry too."

That just made Pearl sob harder, and Trucy wrapped her arms around Maya and Pearl to hug them both at once, a few tears leaking from her own eyes too. Phoenix watched them, hugging and crying from joy, and smiled.

Pearl finally looked up and untangled herself from Trucy and Maya's embraces. She wiped at her eyes and turned to address him. "Mr. Nick," she said. "Thank you for making my Mystic Maya so happy all these years. All I've ever wanted was for her to be happy."

He smiled at her. "She's made me just as happy, Pearls." She nodded, more tears beading at the edges of her eyelids. "Pearls, come here," he said, holding out his arms. She practically tackled him, ramming into him and wrapping her arms around his waist tightly. She pressed her forehead into his chest and he could feel her sniffling again, trying to hold back more tears. "Pearls, I hope you know that we've always been a real family."

She took a deep, shuddering breath. Finally, she pulled away from him and began to wipe at her nose and eyes again. "Thank you, Mr. Nick. I'm sorry for being so emotional," she said. "I'm just so happy for you both."

Maya and Phoenix glanced at each other over Pearl's head. "We're happy too, Pearly," Maya said.

Trucy jumped forward, her tears dried up and her normally cheerful self back in high gear. She wrapped an arm around Pearl's neck. "We'll be sisters, Pearl!" she said. "This is so exciting! Aaah, I can't wait for the wedding! Can I perform a magic show, Daddy? Please?"

Phoenix laughed. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Truce. We don't even have a date picked out yet. Plus it's late, and Maya and I are beat. We're going to head to bed. Don't stay up too late, girls."

"Good night, you two," Maya said, giving each of them a hug.

When she was finished, Phoenix wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her away from the still smiling Trucy and the still sniffling Pearl.


The next few days were filled with congratulations. The news spread rather quickly, with some friends finding out before Phoenix or Maya even had the chance to tell them. Phoenix had texted Edgeworth in the taxi home that night to tell him the good news, and the next day he'd made a call to Klavier Gavin to thank him sincerely for all of his help. Klavier congratulated him and teasingly joked that he would expect a wedding invitation, especially if Herr Forehead was going to be in the wedding. Phoenix assured him he would get one.

He called Athena as well, and she had squealed into his ear over the phone for a solid five seconds before congratulating him. When he went into work the next day, Maya had gone with him, and Athena had squealed even more when she got to finally get a good look at the rock on Maya's finger.

Detective Gumshoe and Maggey sent them a card and then showed up at the house the next day to congratulate them in person too. Phoenix got all sorts of calls from old clients, some that he hadn't talked to in years.

They managed to get Apollo and Thalassa on FaceTime, it was early morning for them and late at night for Phoenix and Maya. Apollo congratulated them with one of the loudest Chords of Steel voices Phoenix had ever heard, then got particularly quiet. When asked what was wrong, he wiped hastily at his eyes and denied anything, then abruptly made his way offscreen. Thalassa smiled at them apologetically and congratulated them before ending the call.

Phoenix had even called Larry to give him the news, and Larry had cried and gone on about how it wasn't fair that Phoenix was getting married first, then asked if he could be the best man. Phoenix had managed to avoid that question by asking Larry about his newest girlfriend, which effectively distracted him.

Maya took great pleasure in going to Kurain Village and shoving her finger in the face of Elder Daisy to tell her that her 'lawyer boyfriend' had finally proposed to her and now he was her 'lawyer fiancé'. Daisy had harrumphed, but the other Elders, especially Rose, congratulated her sincerely. The news spread throughout Kurain Village quickly as well, with people from all over town coming to the manor to congratulate her, and Maya and Pearl took the train into Eagle Mountain to give the news to Iris and Bikini too.

Pearl and Trucy had even surprised them by taking out an ad in the newspaper to announce the engagement once all of their close friends and family had found out. It became surprisingly big news, with both Maya and Phoenix being more famous than either of them ever thought of themselves as being, and people Phoenix didn't even recognize would congratulate him in the courthouse almost every time he was there.

Neither Phoenix nor Maya were in a rush to get things moving. Maya still wasn't used to looking down and seeing that beautiful ring on her finger, and neither of them were used to calling the other fiancé(e) yet. They were content to take their time, discussing small things when they had the chance and not worrying too much otherwise.

A few days after the proposal, while they were laying in bed together after a long day or work for both of them, Phoenix had turned over to look at her, and picked up her hand to place a kiss on the top of it. "Maya?"

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry it took me so long to propose to you," he whispered.

Maya opened her eyes sleepily and turned on her side. She shifted closer to him and wrapped her arms around him, tangling their legs together under the blankets and placing a soft kiss on his neck.

"Nick, I'm the happiest girl in the world."

She left it at that, and it was all he needed to hear.


Yay they're engaged! Also, thank you to MexicanDetective because one of his headcanons is what brought about the idea to have Phoenix play a song on the piano and actually be good at it.

Fun fact: Pearl's texting was just me typing really fast and not correcting any typos.