"Be honest."

Edgeworth looked so sincere that Phoenix had to try very hard to conceal his laughter. If he was going to be honest, then Miles looked extremely silly. But since this apparently meant a lot to both him and Maya, he thought he could spare a little lie.

"It looks great! Really, uh… traditional?"

It did! Sort of! Maya's friend had wisely avoided using the pink material that he'd seen others wear, and the robe that Miles was trying on was a deep crimson with a charcoal gray band around the waist. He looked… quite the sight, standing tall with the robe reaching to just above his knees, his face almost as red as the fabric with embarrassment- which Phoenix found ironic since it wasn't that different to what he wore every day in court anyways.

He couldn't help the tiny smile that crept onto his face.

Edgeworth huffed and moved to storm back into the bathroom.

"Wait!" Phoenix called. He didn't mean to put him off. And he was supposed to be the supportive one. "The fitting looks good. You look like you came straight out of the village."

Miles's face softened slightly at that. "Do you really think so?" He asked in such a tentative way that it threw Phoenix off guard and he had to make sure it was still the same person.

"Yeah, of course I do." He assured. "Stop worrying."

His friend seemed to relax at that and sighed as he looked down at his new attire. "I'm not even certain that I put this on correctly…"

"It looks exactly how Maya wears it so I think you're fine."

Miles let out a little smile in relief and he looked at Phoenix almost affectionately. "Thank you."

He then hesitated for a moment, before turning around. Phoenix was confused as to why he was doing it until he noticed that the gray band that Maya usually had tied in a neat bow was hanging loose behind his back.

"I'm, er… not that good at tying things." Edgeworth admitted. And even though he couldn't see his face, Phoenix could hear the embarrassment in his voice. "Do you mind, Wright?"

It took Phoenix a good few moments to realize what he wanted him to do, and the second he did he felt the heat rise to his cheeks. "Oh, um, sure."

It was nothing, really. Just tying a knot with some fabric. Nothing rude or invasive or anything. But then why was he so nervous?

Hesitantly, Phoenix moved forward and grabbed one end of the gray fabric with each of his hands. Miles flinched at this, his body growing tense, but he didn't object.

"So, do you want a bow like how Maya does it? Or-"

"Good heavens, no!" Miles interrupted as if he had just been deeply offended. "Just a normal knot."

"You're gonna have to be more specific." Said Phoenix. He'd been a boy scout, and even though he wasn't any good, he did remember a couple of the knots he'd been taught. Then again, this was a spiritual garment, not an itchy rope that attacked your skin until your wrists felt like they were on fire. He never liked being a boy scout.

"Just tie the knot, Wright!"

He laughed at Edgeworth's angry outburst. "Miles, we haven't even had a date yet, isn't that moving a bit too quickly?"

That was not what he meant. Oh no. Phoenix forced himself to laugh again, trying to play it off as a joke, the last thing he needed right now was Miles taking the joke seriously.

It was a joke, of course. He was prepared to call it a joke. Nothing else.

Miles had gone still, his frame even tenser than it had been before. He remained quiet even though Phoenix had long stopped laughing until he let out a few forced chuckles of his own.

Now it just felt awkward.

Phoenix tied the fabric as quickly as he could, but because it wasn't as a bow two strands still fell behind Edgeworth's back. It was better than nothing.

Neither man said anything as Phoenix moved toward the door and knocked on it. It then only took a few seconds before Maya burst in, freezing when she caught sight of Edgeworth standing there.

"Oh my god…" she said as she looked him over.

Miles cleared his throat.

"It fits well." he said, brushing off the non-existent dirt off his robe. "Your friend did a good job. Thank her for me."

Maya said nothing.

Phoenix looked at her with concern. "Uh, Maya? You okay?"

Maya still said nothing.

"Maya?"

Without warning she bolted forward and engulfed Miles in a hug. Miles, who hadn't been prepared for this, wheezed at the impact.

"You look so good!" She squealed as she pulled back, oblivious to Edgeworth's pain.

"I've never seen a guy wear one of our robes before and I'm gonna be honest I thought it would look really silly on you but you managed to pull it off!"

"Um, thank you?" Miles said.

"Right! Now you're ready to go meet the elders!" Maya exclaimed happily.

Miles blinked. "What?"

Phoenix decided to provide an explanation. "Oh yeah, she's been planning to take you to meet the elders once you had your robe and stuff."

"Exactly!" Maya added. "Small steps, but important steps."

"That's… not a saying…" Phoenix groaned, resisting the urge to facepalm.

"Oh," Edgeworth looked surprised by this news, "I see. Thank you."

"No problem! Hold on, I'm gonna go get Nick's camera so I can-"

Maya's voice faded as she rushed out of the room in search of Phoenix's camera. A camera that Phoenix had not given her permission to use.

"Listen, Miles," Phoenix began once he was sure that Maya was out of earshot, "what I said before. I was joking." Mostly. "I don't know what you think about all that but I just-"

"I know." Edgeworth said hurriedly. "I assumed so. But…"

Phoenix sucked in a breath. So he had offended him. "But?"

"...Nothing."

It was only as he said 'nothing' that Phoenix noticed how disappointed he felt. What had he been expecting him to say? What did he want him to say?

Did he want Miles to take him seriously?

Did he want Miles?

"I wouldn't mind a date though." He blurted before thinking about what he was saying. He held his breath, waiting for Edgeworth's inevitable affronted response. Oh god, he'd just ruined the friendship he'd worked so hard for, hadn't he?

"I wouldn't mind either, Wright."

Wait, what?