This one is based on a little headcanon I hold dear to my heart. It's set somewhere in the original trilogy.

The first time Gumshoe found a small pile of money on his desk, he thought someone must have left it there by accident. He asked almost everyone in Criminal Affairs and they all denied owning the money. He was about to hand it into the Chief and claim that someone had clearly lost it when he saw a slip of paper on the desk where the money had been when he first saw it. Written on the paper was a single word- Gumshoe. For a few moments, he stared at his name in confusion until he realised that the note had been put on his desk with the money, meaning that the money really was for him. But who could it have been from? He didn't recall losing any money recently and it certainly wasn't going to be part of a pay rise.

"Maybe you've got a secret admirer" one of his co-workers joked and for a moment Gumshoe's mind thought of a certain someone who seemed to have rather bad luck a lot of the time, but he quickly dismissed the idea. Without knowing what else to do, Gumshoe took the money home with him that night.

Everything continued as normal for a while until a major slip up in an investigation (which wasn't entirely his fault) caused Gumshoe's salary to suffer at the hands of Miles Edgeworth. The detective braced himself for a diet of pot noodles for the next month but the next day when he arrived at work he found an envelope next to his computer addressed to him. Instead of finding a letter like he had expected, he pulled out a check. The sum of money wasn't particularly grand but it would certainly lend a helping hand over the next couple of months. The signature at the bottom was indecipherable but Gumshoe was sure he recognised it from somewhere. So, he gratefully tucked the envelope into his pocket without question.

But after this, things started getting a little stranger both inside and outside Criminal Affairs. Money started appearing on his desk more regularly. The amount rarely changed from one time to the next and it had never been a particularly large sum to start with, but it was enough to help him with his rent and food. Also, Edgeworth seemed to be acting less harshly towards him. Maybe it was because Gumshoe's salary had suffered a lot at the hands of the prosecutor and he had decided to give him a breather. But Gumshoe had a feeling it was something deeper than that. For a few more days, the detective didn't think on the matter much further. But then he (quite literally) bumped into Edgeworth while going into work.

"Watch where you're going" Edgeworth huffed, brushing off his jacket.

"Sorry, sir" Gumshoe instantly apologised.

"Oh, it's you" Edgeworth looked almost surprised as he realised exactly who had walked into him.

"Pardon me asking, but what exactly are you doing here, sir?" Gumshoe asked curiously.

"Oh, nothing" Edgeworth replied quietly, looking anywhere but at the detective. Before Gumshoe could question him further, he turned and walked away. Gumshoe stared after him in confusion for a few seconds before shrugging to himself and going inside. At first, he didn't see anything wrong but once he got closer to his desk, he saw a few of his colleges gathered around it.

"What's going on?" Gumshoe called out to the group. They all turned around and, as soon as they saw him, quickly shuffled off to their own desks. Curious as to what they were all looking at, Gumshoe approached his desk. That was when he finally noticed the brightly coloured balloons attached to the side of his desk and haphazard patches of confetti spread across the surface. In the middle of it all was an envelope addressed to the detective. Seeing no other option, Gumshoe picked up the envelope and turned it over a few times in his hands before opening it up and reading its contents.

Dear Detective Gumshoe,

I know I am not the best when it comes to appreciating you and the work you do. Often, I expect only perfection and I forget that both you and I are only human- mistakes are bound to be made. Please accept this, and everything before this, as a kind of apology.

~Miles Edgeworth

Gumshoe stared down at the letter, completely speechless. Noticing something was still inside the envelope, he reached in and pulled out a check for almost double his usual salary and a more official looking letter that stated he was receiving a pay rise. For the rest of that day, nothing could take away Gumshoe's smile. Not even when he was called out to investigate a murder scene. When he arrived at the scene, he saw Edgeworth already stood next to the body.

"Hello, sir" Gumshoe called, walking over to him.

"Oh, hello Gumshoe" Edgeworth replied, seeming a little more on edge than usual. But Gumshoe knew there was no way Edgeworth was going to want to talk about what he had done in front of everyone- he couldn't even do it in front of Gumshoe himself, he had to tell him via letter. So, Gumshoe went straight to the investigation at hand. After realising he wasn't going to reveal anything in front of the crowd around them, Edgeworth appeared to relax a little. The 'thank you' was never spoken, but any time they caught each other's eye they both knew it was most definitely there.