Title: Dinner Date
Rating: G
Pairings/Characters: Wrightworth
Disclaimer: I don't own anything Ace Attorney, characters, etc., all belong to their respective creators.
Warnings: fluff
Summary: Edgeworth treats Phoenix to the theater and dinner. During the course of the evening, Phoenix learns he's not the only one who's a bit nervous.

A/N: I started this last year and after an intense chapter I just wrote for my Phoenix torture fic, I decided this would be a good time to finish something light-hearted and cute. :)

Taking one last look in the mirror, Phoenix smoothed his hands down the sleeves of his navy dress shirt and black slacks to get out any lingering wrinkles, straightened his silver tie, ran his fingers through his hair, and smiled.

"You can do this," he coached himself positively. "No big deal. It's not like you're going out with a complete stranger. It's the same old Miles Edgeworth. Just like any other time….Except it's an actual date tonight."

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, hoping to clear the nervousness from his system. While he'd wanted to officially ask his friend out for quite some time, he was shocked when Edgeworth beat him to it. He was rather grateful for it, considering if it'd been the other way around, he'd be the one paying for whatever they ended up doing, and with how slow the cases had been the last month, he wasn't sure if he'd even have enough money to cover rent.

He glanced at his watch to find it was almost five-thirty, prompting him to quickly grab his keys and walk out the door, locking it behind him. The excitement was unbearable, and with it being such a nice evening, he figured there was no harm in waiting outside on the sidewalk by his apartment building. Not a minute later, he spotted Edgeworth's car turning the corner down the street and headed his way.

This doesn't change anything, he assured in order to keep his anxiety tolerable. We're still just friends….and just happen to be going on a date.

To his surprise, Edgeworth got out of the car and stepped onto the sidewalk beside him. He wore a dark burgundy dress shirt with a cream color cravat, a black suit jacket and vest, and black slacks. They each assessed one another's choice of wardrobe and smiled awkwardly.

"You're looking sharp as ever," Phoenix said admiringly.

"As are you. I hope you weren't waiting too long."

"Oh no, not at all. I thought I'd save you a trip upstairs. So, uh….what do you want to do tonight?"

"Well, I had planned to take you to the theater to see a play at six and then dinner. Does that sound acceptable?"

"Sounds great! I haven't been to a show in ages. I really miss being in them myself sometimes."

"Yes, you'll have to tell me all about the productions you were involved in one of these days."

Phoenix grinned. "Sure, I'd love to."

Edgeworth returned the gesture and nodded. "Well, um….shall we?"

They got in the car, and Phoenix discreetly wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. The fact that Edgeworth remembered he'd studied theater before law impressed him immensely and made him feel special.

Tonight is going to be amazing.

The venue was decently crowded by the time they arrived, though they were able to get to their seats at the back of the house without a problem. Phoenix didn't recognize the name of the piece to be performed, to which Edgeworth explained it was done by a local playwright who had the chance to showcase it over the weekend.

The moment the lights went down, Edgeworth felt rather pleased with himself by the almost childish delight Phoenix had. Regardless if the production was terrible, he knew the other man would still find something to enjoy about it, even if it was nothing more than being in a familiar setting again that brought about memories.

As the show got underway, he found himself drawn more to watching Phoenix's reactions and observing how intently focused he was on the actors than he was with what was actually taking place on stage. There were several times where he lost track of how long he'd been staring at him for, until Phoenix would glance at him and flash a cheerful, yet somewhat bashful grin from catching him. His heart fluttered whenever Phoenix laughed along with the rest of the audience at a joke, witnessing how his entire face lit up happily.

When the main character professed her love to the man that had been her friend since childhood as she lay on her deathbed, Edgeworth saw the defense attorney's eyes become glassy before the tears started to fall. Phoenix had always been the one out of the three of them most open to expressing emotion, and part of Edgeworth envied him for it since he struggled with the instances when he'd slip up and display his own. Since reuniting with his friend, he was learning to be more accepting of whatever he was feeling. Right now, he felt the foreign need to comfort, prompting him to hesitantly reach over and take Phoenix's hand in his own. There was no response other than Phoenix squeezing it tightly, his attention still wholly invested in the story.

Same old Phoenix Wright, he mused with a fond smile.

After the show, and during the car ride to the restaurant, Phoenix continued to critique and praise every aspect of it – from the actors' performances to the stage sets, lighting, costumes, and the play itself. Edgeworth simply nodded his acknowledgment, not really knowing what he could contribute to the conversation; he hadn't expected the other man to be such an apparent expert on the subject, despite knowing it had been his original degree path.

Since he hadn't been paying much attention to where they were going, it wasn't until Phoenix was inside the French-style bistro that he suddenly felt oddly out of place. The restaurant was lavish and extremely upscale compared to the ones he was accustomed to, reminding him of how much more extravagant Edgeworth's lifestyle must be compared to his meager one.

I bet a meal here costs as much as a month's rent, he deduced both in amazement and embarrassment. Glancing around at the patrons all so fancily dressed, he felt like his own outfit was horribly inadequate.

He obviously didn't conceal the uncomfortableness he had well, for Edgeworth gazed at him with concern and asked, "Is everything alright? Do you not like French cuisine?"

"No no! I mean…." He smiled and rubbed the back of his neck, thinking, I don't even know what French cuisine is! I can't afford it on my budget! He sighed and lied, "Yeah, I like it."

"Would you rather we go somewhere else?"

"No, it's okay. I, uh….I'm just not used to being at a place as nice as this," he ended self-consciously.

"I figured with it being such a special occasion, I should take you to one of the best places in the city."

Realizing his own insecurities were causing Edgeworth to second-guess his choice and rattle his confidence, Phoenix lightly touched his arm and said, "It's perfect. I know I'll love it." He smiled and was glad when the prosecutor returned the gesture.

"Ah! Monsieur Edgeworth!" the maître d' greeted as he approached them. "It is a pleasure to see you again."

"Au contraire, the pleasure is all mine, Monsieur Penner."

"Suivez-moi, s'il vous plaît."

They were seated at a table near the far corner and somewhat secluded from the other people, and with the already dim lighting in the restaurant accompanied by the glow of each table's trio of electric candles, it made the atmosphere quite intimate. Phoenix could feel the steady rise of his nerves surfacing again, making him grateful when he heard Edgeworth tell the man to bring a bottle of their finest wine to the table. He knew a little bit of alcohol could go a long way in calming him down.

"So!" he began as he looked over the menu. "What would you recommend?"

"All of it. You won't find a single dish that is anything less than exquisite."

"Right….What about this chicken pal-lard?"

Edgeworth stifled a laugh.

"What?" Phoenix asked earnestly, his expression genuinely confused.

"It's pronounced 'pie-yar'."

Immediately, Phoenix could feel his face turning crimson. "Oh." He lifted the menu to conceal his embarrassment.

"No need to hide. You're rather cute when you blush."

The comment intensified the red tint to his cheeks. "Please don't say that."

"It's the truth. You and I both know how important that is."

Phoenix glanced at him and caught the pleased smirk on the other man's face. Damn it, where is that wine?! he thought desperately, needing something to distract himself from the mild arousal he was experiencing at the moment.

It came soon enough, and the defense attorney took a large gulp the instant the waiter was done pouring it in his glass.

How is he so calm? he wondered. I can feel myself shaking! I just hope I don't make myself look like a total idiot again….

"Bonsoir, messieurs," the waiter began, and as he continued in French, Phoenix found himself staring blankly at him, while Edgeworth appeared to understand everything without a problem. "Je m'appelle Robert et je serai vos serveur. Qu'est-ce que vous voudriez?"

"Merci, Robert. Je voudrais le saumon, s'il vous plaît."

"Bon choix. Et pour vous, monsieur? Qu'est-ce que vous voudriez pour votre repas ce soir?"

Absolutely dumbfounded, Phoenix couldn't focus on anything other than Edgeworth's elegant display of another language.

In a desire to protect his date from any discomfiture, as well as getting another chance to impress him, Edgeworth decided to order for him.

"Il voudrait le paillard de poulet."

"Ah, d'accord. C'est un choix excellent. Merci, messieurs."

Once the waiter was gone, Edgeworth met Phoenix's stunned gaze and saw the not-so-hidden attraction lingering in his eyes, causing him to chuckle.

"I see I've left you speechless, for once."

Phoenix made a small noise as if in protest but remained silent and took another drink of wine instead. I wish he'd whisper in my ear something dirty in French….

"If you keep downing it like that, we'll require another bottle in mere minutes."

Setting his glass back onto the table, Phoenix confessed, "I certainly wasn't expecting that. I didn't know you could speak French."

"Consider it one of the more pleasant gifts von Karma provided me with. When it came to education, he ensured I had the best there was to offer. That is one thing I can admit to being in his debt for."

"Do you know any others?"

"Of course."

When there wasn't an elaboration, Phoenix prodded, "What are they?"

Waving a taunting finger, Edgeworth snickered and stated, "You'll have to wait."

"What?! Do I have to take you around to all the other foreign restaurants in town just to see which ones you can order at?!"

Granting himself a sip of wine, the prosecutor then clasped his hands together on the table and observed, "You're adorable when you're flustered."

There was another sound of objection from the defense attorney, followed by a fierce blush brightening his face. I can't tell if he's being honest or just teasing me for fun….I know if I wasn't so damn nervous, I could think of something to get back at him with….

"I'm not being entirely fair, am I?"

Phoenix raised an eyebrow, a look of puzzlement clouding his features. "What do you mean?"

"I can see how nervous you are."

"But I'm not!" he lied.

"We may have had fifteen years apart, but I can still tell when you're uneasy."

"Well, I…." He glanced down, apprehensive of what, exactly, the other man was getting at.

"It's alright, Phoenix. In all honesty, I'm incredibly anxious myself."

The statement caused the defense attorney's eyes to widen considerably in shock. "You are?"

"Yes. I wanted the evening to be perfect. It's been many years since I've gone on a date and truthfully….I feel I'm a bit out of my league on this one."

Just like when he'd listened to Edgeworth speak French, Phoenix stared at him dumbly, mouth agape. There was no way he was hearing things right. No way that Miles Edgeworth, the Miles Edgeworth, admitted to feeling anything less than being in control and confident, let alone implying that he, Phoenix Wright, was actually someone who Edgeworth considered to be so special.

"Phoenix?"

The sound of his name and concerned expression on his date's face made Phoenix grin sheepishly. He hadn't realized he was still staring at Edgeworth and saying nothing for a solid minute.

"Sorry, I just….I wasn't expecting those words to come from someone like you."

"And why is that?"

"Because….You know what you want and do whatever it takes to get it. You're the best at everything you do. You're completely put together and amazing and….well….I'm not." He turned his focus to his fidgeting hands in his lap and went on quietly, "You have everything you could ever want, could have anyone you want, and….I chased after you for so long….I always hoped I'd get a chance like this, but I don't know if I really meet your standards. I think I'm the one who's way out of their league here."

There was a heavy pause that settled between them, during which their meals were delivered. They each refused to meet one another's gaze, but neither made a move to begin eating.

At last, Phoenix gave a sigh and stared at his company across the table. "I'm sorry," he muttered softly. "I didn't mean to ruin the mood or upset you. I….It's been a long time since I've seen someone too. I guess I'm lacking proper etiquette," he concluded with a chuckle.

"Phoenix."

"Hm?"

"You said I know what I want, yes?"

Speaking the word slowly, Phoenix replied, "Yeah…." Where's he going with this?

"And that I could have anyone I want, correct?"

"Yeah."

"Then are you implying I somehow made a mistake by asking you out tonight?"

"Well no-"

"Good, because I didn't. If I didn't desire you, then I wouldn't be pursuing you. It's just as you said. I go after what I want, and I know you do as well. Perhaps it's better that we both recognize this, accept it, agree that we're equals here, and see what happens. Does that sound reasonable to you?"

Phoenix gulped and felt himself blushing yet again. "Yeah," he replied after a few seconds and smiled. "That sounds great."

With the initial ice broken, they slipped into casual conversation, the familiarity that comes from being old friends rising to the surface. They kept it simple, nothing too in-depth, ranging from discussing work, previous cases, Edgeworth's favorite vacation spots, Phoenix's dream-list of vacation spots, and reminiscing how good children's television programming was when they were growing up compared to what was airing now. They were each dipping their toes in the cold water, unsure of whether or not it was safe to jump in completely, yet both of them silently inching towards letting go of the ledge all the same.

It was almost ten o'clock when they returned to Phoenix's apartment. Insisting on fulfilling his gentlemanly role, Edgeworth escorted him up the stairs to his door where they stood awkwardly for a couple of minutes. They were incredibly out of practice on what was proper protocol for ending a date, leaving them to glance around aimlessly from the stars, to the parked cars, and eventually, each other.

"Thank you for tonight," Phoenix finally offered. "I had a great time."

Edgeworth noticeably relaxed a bit and said, "My pleasure."

"I'd love it if you went to another play with me. Watching a live performance made me realize how much I really enjoyed that part of college."

"Sure, I would gladly welcome another evening with you."

Oh wow, that was easier than I thought it'd be! I hope he's not just indulging me….Do I ask him to come in?...Would it be rude if I don't? And if I did, would we-

"Phoenix?"

The defense attorney shook his head to clear his mind and rambling thoughts. "Sorry, I….Would you like to come in?" I can't believe I just asked that….

The grin that crept onto Edgeworth's face was quite mischievous, and it instantly sent stimulating tremors throughout Phoenix's entire body. "Maybe next time."

Before he had a chance to respond, Edgeworth was leaning in and kissing his lips gently. The touch was electrifying and caught Phoenix completely off guard. Just as his brain registered what was happening, the prosecutor was already pulling back and staring at him fondly.

"Good night, Phoenix."

With eyes wide and heart pounding, Phoenix managed to whisper, "Good night, Miles."

He watched the man return to his car and remained where he was, rooted to the spot, even long after Edgeworth was out of sight.

Beaming elatedly, he sighed and murmured, "Fifteen years and well worth the wait."

A/N: I tried phonetically typing out how to pronounce "paillard" as best as I could think of