AN: I plan to finish posting this story on here but lack of traffic and reception has lead me to the decision to post future Ace Attorney stories on AO3. If you like my writing and would like to see more of my work, you can find me under the same username. If I get a large response to this work, I could reverse that decision. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy a nice fluffy chapter.
Trucy rejoined the two men, and they slipped into comfortable discussion. Miles was unaccustomed to engaging in so much chatting, but he listened intently while the other two carried on. It all felt very familial. Miles realized as the evening went on, that he was eating up all of the sappy feelings, likely because he had been denied such interactions for so long. It was like covering up with a warm blanket on a cold day, melting his heart into a puddle of goo. He momentarily thought about how foolish it all was but decided he didn't care. He was happy.
Phoenix allowed Trucy to pick something on tv and offered to walk Miles out. Excitement pulsed through him as he remembered the previous night and agreed. Unlike then, the door had barely shut when Phoenix pulled Miles into a fervent kiss. His hand went to the back of Phoenix's head and he tangled his fingers into his spiky hair. Phoenix mimicked the gesture but tugged gently on the roots pulling their faces away, allowing him to nip and suck on Miles's neck. Miles bit his bottom lip trying to stifle the moan that was escaping from his throat.
"Phoenix…" Miles gasped. "If you keep going at this rate, I'm going to march you back inside and straight into the bedroom. That would likely require an explanation to your daughter that I suspect you aren't willing to have."
Phoenix stopped his assault on Miles's neck and laughed lightly. "Fair enough."
Phoenix gave him another quick kiss and grabbed his hand as they began walking to the car. Once there, Miles turned to Phoenix and pulled him back into an erotic kiss. In a moment of boldness, he reached past Phoenix's side and cupped his ass. Phoenix made a surprised yelp, but pulled Miles in closer. Miles's senses were exploding as they pressed their bodies against each other.
Miles deftly unfastened another two buttons at the top of Phoenix's shirt with one hand. He started kissing and sucking his neck and along his collarbones. Phoenix gently placed his hand on Miles's head while making light noises that fueled him to continue his efforts.
Miles returned to Phoenix's lips as his hands explored his chest, shoulders, and arms, feeling the smooth definition of his lean muscles. He continued to graze along his sides and across his stomach. Continuing his exploration, He lowered his hands to Phoenix's waist, thumbs feeling hip bones as he lingered there. He really wanted to see what those hips could do. He used his own to hesitantly grind into Phoenix causing them to both grunt with pleasure. Miles grabbed Phoenix's ass, reveling in the feeling of the firm flesh and keeping him close.
Miles recaptured Phoenix in a sensual kiss. Phoenix nipped at his bottom lip and Miles responded by plunging his tongue into Phoenix's hot mouth. Phoenix rubbed his hand down Miles's chest and rested it around his belt buckle. Miles's head started to swim. There were so many sensations, so many emotions.
Phoenix's hand started to migrate lower, this time brushing against the obvious bulge in Miles's pants. A deep throaty hum escaped from his chest as he thrust his hips towards Phoenix's hand. Pleasure consumed him as Phoenix continued to palm him through his slacks.
"As good as this feels… and trust me... it really does… you are beginning… to overestimate... the abilities of… my willpower…" Miles forced out between gasps and moans. "Not to mention… anyone could pass by."
Phoenix moved his hand to Miles's hip. Despite his request, he gave a slight whimper at the loss of contact. They looked deeply into each other's eyes, neither wanting him to leave.
"You could stay." Phoenix offered.
"How would you explain it to Trucy?" Miles thought about how thoughtless Phoenix could be. Living in the moment, recklessly giving of himself and not considering consequences. He admired that about him but it also irritated him. Miles always considered the consequences, but it had also caused him to miss out on many things in his life. He liked that Phoenix helped him be a little more spontaneous but that was no excuse to be careless.
"I suppose that's still an issue, but we could figure it out." Phoenix almost seemed to be pleading with him. Miles suddenly realized that this was not just about being physical. Was Phoenix being insecure? How did he not see it before?
"Phoenix," he began gently, "I'm not going to run away. I'm happy. I want to be with you." He caressed his cheek before continuing, "I'm not going anywhere. We have time."
Miles pulled him into an embrace, hoping to quell any other anxieties Phoenix could have. Phoenix held him tightly in return. Miles knew Phoenix felt things very deeply, always had, even as children. He cared and loved easily, which is exactly why people often tried to take advantage of him. They shared a tender kiss.
"I'm sorry. You're right," Phoenix admitted.
"There is no need for you to apologize. If anything, I should apologize to you. I was the one who ran away before. I made you afraid that I would leave again. That's my fault." Miles felt the ache of regret in his chest.
"Miles, I forgive you. Now, you need to learn to forgive yourself."
He wanted to make a snide remark or dismiss the suggestion. He didn't want to acknowledge the struggle of shame he carried throughout his life. Instead he shrugged.
"I'll try."
Phoenix kissed him again, each of them having been the salve for the others' insecurities.
"On another note, I still want to take you out on a proper date. Is there a chance you will be able to find someone to watch Trucy soon?"
"I'm sure I can work something out. Maybe next weekend?" Phoenix offered.
"I will have to verify my workload, but I will do what I can to be available. The more notice I have, the more likely I will be able to get work done in time."
"I'll make some calls tomorrow. Hopefully we will know by the end of the day."
Miles's phone dinged. Franziska had finally responded. Miles frowned.
"She wants to meet me for tea tomorrow," He informed Phoenix.
"Is that a good response or a bad one?"
"With her, it could easily go either way."
"Well, good luck with that," Phoenix chuckled.
"Thanks," He grumbled. "I should probably head home."
Phoenix pulled him into a toe-curling kiss, and Miles melted into it. "Yeah, you probably should," Phoenix muttered before continuing to kiss him again. After parting, Miles bid him goodnight.
Miles made sure to relax the following day. He did a few sudoku puzzles, watched Steel Samurai, and exchanged many texts with Phoenix. In the afternoon, Franziska arrived for tea, and he was adamant to keep his content mood.
"Miles Edgeworth." She clearly intended it as a greeting.
"Franziska, please come in."
Miles busied himself with completing the tea as Franziska sat at his table.
"Explain yourself," Franziska commanded.
"I'm afraid you will have to be more specific." He kept his tone light and had to keep himself from laughing at her becoming flustered by the statement.
"Why did you not inform me of your relationship with Phoenix Wright when you called on Friday?"
"That's simple. We had not chosen to pursue a relationship at that point in time."
"Do you take me to be a fool? Relationships do not merely materialize. You must have been dating."
"You are making yourself the fool by jumping to conclusions."
He walked to the table, serving the tea with some traditional tea cookies. She huffed, waiting for him to explain.
"While your assumptions are true for most people, in this case, due to our past and our friendship then we decided we knew each other well enough to begin a relationship without need for casual dating."
"Why did you pursue such a foolish relationship with such a foolish man?"
"Are your qualms about the relationship, Phoenix, or because I am seeing another man?"
She softened ever so slightly. "The relationship and Phoenix Wright, although I am bothered that you never confided in me about your preferences."
Miles saw the rare vulnerability in his sister. She acted callous, but she actually cared about him a lot.
"For a long time, I, too, was unaware of my preferences, as you so succinctly phrased it. I wasn't particularly attracted to anyone. To be blunt, intimate relationships baffled me. I discovered in college that I wasn't interested in women but even men rarely caught my eye. It was because of Phoenix that I wanted a relationship. Somehow, it's different with him, perhaps because of our past. Regardless, he helped me become a better person, and I enjoy his company. I'm... happy." More emotion poured out than he had intended, but it didn't bother him as much as it once would have.
She stared at him, puzzled. He merely sipped his tea, waiting for her response.
"I wouldn't claim to be fond of the man, but I do want you to be happy." With more of her usual confidence she added, "I do hope you told me before foolishly blabbing it to others."
"Of course, even before Phoenix called Ms. Fey. I sent you the message soon after we told Trucy."
She lit up at the mention of Trucy. "Very good. How is she doing?"
"I would say very well especially considering the amount of information she's had to absorb over the last few days."
"I want to meet her. She needs to know about her new aunty."
Miles was taken aback by her assertion but had to chuckle at her enthusiasm. For the remainder of the visit they discussed work and various other small talk. When Franziska left, he was thankful that she had taken everything pretty well.
He tapped out a text to Phoenix.
Franziska was reasonably receptive. I would call it a success.
He smiled as he sent it and began clearing the table. As he was finishing up, his phone dinged.
I have good news, too. Maya has agreed to take Trucy for the weekend. Apparently, Pearl has been asking to have a sleepover. So I'm available for whatever works best for your schedule ;)
Miles was giddy at the prospect of a weekend alone with Phoenix but maybe a little anxious as well. He hadn't had much experience with relationships or sex. If he was being honest with himself, that was the part that was actually making him nervous. He decided that there was only one thing he could do to ease his concerns. Research.
"Mr. Edgeworth?"
Miles looked up. It was Gumshoe, midmorning on Monday.
"Yes, detective?"
"There's an urgent case for you, sir."
"Very well. You usually call. Why did you bring this one personally?"
"Well, you see, sir, there have been some rumors." Gumshoe shifted uneasily but Miles tried to ignore it while he attempted to continue paperwork.
"I see no need for frivolous office gossip."
"But! It's about you, sir."
Miles stiffened slightly but kept a cool headed tone. "Why would that make a difference? I've had to ignore rumors for years."
"Some people are saying that you've started dating someone, but no one knows who it is."
"I suggest you not engage in such meaningless chatter."
Miles motioned for the case file hoping his noncommittal attitude would dissuade the detective.
"So it's not true?" Gumshoe sounded disappointed as he handed over the file. "That's too bad."
Miles didn't expect that response. "What do you mean?"
"I was hoping you had found someone. You're successful and smart, a real catch for anyone. I don't want you to be alone forever, and any woman would be lucky to have you."
"Your concern is noted; however, I can assure you that I am not dating a woman." He had to use a lot of self-control to not add inflection to that last word.
Gumshoe didn't respond, seeming confused.
"You may go if there's nothing else."
"Yes, sir."
As Gumshoe shut the door behind him, Miles let out a relieved breath. He knew people at work would find out eventually, but he wasn't planning on volunteering information to speed up the process. He looked over the case file. It seemed simple enough. Gumshoe had said it was urgent but clearly that had been a ploy to ask about his personal life. He was certain this type of behavior would continue as coworkers and subordinates discovered he was dating. He could only imagine how people would react when they discovered who he was dating. He tried to put it out of his mind so he could actually get some work done.
Around midday, he stopped for lunch. As he walked out of his office, he addressed his secretary. "Vanessa, please hold my calls."
"Yes, sir."
He started to exit but she stopped him. "Sir?"
He didn't answer but turned toward her. "Is it true? What I've been hearing? Are you dating someone?"
Miles sighed. He could tell her everything. He wasn't sure he was ready to share everything so openly. He could dismiss her questions. He couldn't deny the allure of that possible solution. He could lie… A nasty feeling nestled into the pit of his stomach. It wouldn't be fair to Phoenix. He might think Miles was ashamed of him. He couldn't do that to him. After all he had been through, Miles didn't want to go back to his past where he lied and hid everything from everyone. How could he balance being honest without being too forthcoming? It was a thin line to walk.
"I don't know why people try to involve themselves in other people's lives when it is, frankly, none of their concern; however, this time I will indulge you. I am, indeed, in a relationship with someone." He found it rather amusing when her jaw dropped, but he quickly rushed out the door before she regained her composure and could ask him more questions.
When he arrived back after lunch, thankfully, Vanessa didn't ask him details about his relationship. The rest of his day was reasonably uneventful as he prepared for his next case. Two more cases had come through, and he found himself working well past 5.
Around 7 his phone rang. Miles smiled when he saw it was Phoenix.
"Miles Edgeworth speaking."
"Do you always answer your phone like that?" he teased.
"Yes, it's professional and I don't have to stumble over awkward hello's"
Phoenix scoffed. "You're still at the office, aren't you?"
It wasn't really a question and Miles knew that. "I have several cases that I must attend to." There was a defensive edge to his voice.
"You need to relax more. Have you even eaten anything?"
"I ate lunch," he countered. He tried sounding nonchalant, but the defensiveness was evident this time.
"So 6 or 7 hours ago?"
"I suppose you make a fair point, but I have cases…" He trailed off knowing he was about to become vulnerable again. "... and I want to be available to see you this weekend."
"I want to see you, too, but you can't sacrifice your own needs in the process."
"Please tell me you acknowledge the irony in that statement." Dry amusement seeped from his words.
"Very funny," Phoenix bit back sarcastically. In a lighter tone he added, "Just promise me you will continue to eat, and I won't pester you about working late, well, I won't pester you too much."
"You worry too much, but I agree to your terms."
"I'll let you finish up. We can talk more after you get home."
"I'll call you." Miles couldn't help but smile at his companion.
"I look forward to it," Phoenix responded silkily before hanging up.