Okay, chapter 3 is the longest one and it was supposed to be even longer but I decided to put the things I left out at the last chapter. Again, I'd like to thank all who left a review and read the story!
Chapter 3
Longing
Miles Edgeworth woke up the next morning to find Franziska still sleeping next to him. Smiling, he propped himself on his elbow and started stroking the woman's light blue hair. That move, though, made her wake up with a soft moan as her eyelids fluttered open.
"Good morning." He whispered without stopping caressing her hair.
A small smile appeared on her lips before it quickly turned into a smirk. She fixed her eyes on his pajamas and spoke. "Miles… These are pink." And after a moment, she made sure to add: "And so is your face. Maybe we should trade clothes? You see, mine are blue. More proper of a color for a man, no?"
With a very bright red blush, Edgeworth climbed off the bed and left the room flustered, Franziska's laughter and "Where are you going?"s following him on his way out.
That was it. He wouldn't bring her breakfast in bed as he was planning to. Sorry, but not even Franziska was allowed to poke fun on the color pink unpunished.
Later that day, the two were found strolling in a quiet park in the city, a place in which they hoped they could enjoy their walk without being recognized. After all, both of them were quite famous in Germany and they'd rather avoid having people gossip about them.
It was quite cold that day yet there were plenty of people who had gone for a walk; probably because of the thin layer of snow that had covered everything. Mostly families with children who played with the snow and young couples like them who had decided to take advantage of the romantic atmosphere the beautiful white powder created could be seen in the park.
The two walked in silence, the only indications of their feelings being their linked hands, the light blush on their cheeks and their faint smiles. There really was no reason for them to talk. They had nothing worthwhile to say and they were pretty sure words would fail them if they were to share their thoughts. But they both knew the sense of peace and completeness they felt was mutual and no words would be able to express that better than their own body language.
Miles noticed a cotton candy stand and paused. He was reminded of a little girl with a blue ribbon on her hair who excitedly and repeatedly asked her mildly annoyed father to buy her some; the same girl who soon after had declared it her favorite sweet and, a few years later, mysteriously stopped asking for it.
Franziska followed his gaze and spoke, already knowing what the prosecutor was about to say. "Don't even think about it, Miles Edgeworth." However, something in her tone and the way she stared at the stand made it clear that she didn't really mean it. She used to love cotton candy. For all she knew, she still did. One day, though, she had decided she was too mature for a children's treat. That had happened when she was six.
"Why not?" the man asked slightly tugging her arm to make her move toward the stand.
"Because we're not kids anymore." She stated, though quite weakly. "Besides, what will people who see us eating think?"
"They might think that we're acting rather childishly or they might think nothing at all. In any case, why should we care?"
Not being able to give an answer, she reluctantly let Miles guide her to the stand where the owner smiled sweetly at them and gladly handed them the candy. They sat on a secluded bench and Miles, in his usual gentlemanly fashion, let her take the first bite for he was planning to eat some of the candy too.
Franziska shyly nibbled on the puffy pink substance, a small smile lighting her face up as she tasted the treat she hadn't eaten for the last thirteen years. Miles mimicked her but brought his face a little too close to hers for her comfort. She felt the urge to capture his lips with hers as he helped himself to the cotton candy, not seeming the least bit reluctant to enjoy what was considered a childish treat even though he would normally never do something like that. However, he sincerely felt like a little kid when Franziska was around and had no problem acting like one.
"Are you going to eat or will you let me devour it myself?" he teased her when he noticed she was staring at him.
With a "humph", she continued taking bites only to have Mile's face get even closer to hers as he calmly ate his own share. Was he doing it on purpose? She needn't wait long to get her answer. He gently pulled her a little closer and passed a hand around her waist as if encouraging her to lean on him.
"Miles…" she grumbled. "What are you doing? I thought we didn't want anyone to see us."
"Our bench is hidden rather well by those bushes and hardly anyone passes us by. I highly doubt we would get noticed." He countered her, in a fashion much similar to how he would if he was in court. "Oh come on, Franziska! I've started to get a bit jealous of the other couples we saw. I'd like to show you just a little bit of affection."
Franziska couldn't help but stare deadpanned. She could hardly recognize Miles since yesterday night. That was not his usual oblivious to love self. That was not the man who would care much more about a fly than any mention to romance or relationships. 'He is almost acting childishly…' she thought and the last half of the sentence popped up in her mind before she could realize it: '…like a fool in love.'
And she suddenly found herself extremely elated at that small sentence she had formed inside her head. It was as if she had discovered some truth that was escaping her, as if his actions had finally convinced her of something. However, she quickly chastised herself for that foolish reaction. Was she really doubting he was in love with her? Last night should have been more than enough proof for her and yet, it somehow seemed that it wasn't. Just where were these insecurities coming from? She shouldn't be worried about his feelings and she shouldn't celebrate like that at the smallest signs of affection. But she did and she had to wonder why she wouldn't let him act as intimate as he wanted when she herself wished nothing more than to pull him into a fierce kiss and never let him go.
Reluctantly, she laid her head on his shoulder as she cuddled closer to him. She felt a bit awkward as she did so but, soon, she started to relax. Especially since it felt like the snow-covered park belonged all to themselves since almost nobody passed them by. And the cold too appeared to become much more bearable as their bodies pressed together.
Miles allowed himself a small, cocky grin. He loved how he was slowly taming this wild mare. He might have gotten a whipping for his behavior at another time but now Franziska's weapon was lying in her bag and she didn't seem willing to take it out. He was wondering if he should play a game with himself. Could he anger her enough to make her use it or not? He was really starting to wonder what he found so amusing and cute in her irritable and pretty much violent nature.
Miles heard a familiar melody being played at some other place of the park, probably by one of the wandering musicians. The sound was faint but clear and Miles, despite not knowing the song's lyrics, could feel that it probably was some sort of love song with an easy-to-follow rhythm which the prosecutor found to his taste. He considered both a good chance to irritate Franziska and show her that more romantic part of him which had been in slumber until the woman had awoken it. He lowered his head a bit and brought his mouth close to her ear, humming the song softly and preparing himself for Franziska's reaction.
Franziska froze at the sound of his voice which, although merely a hum, wasn't halfway bad. Hearing him made her heart melt. Who would have guessed Miles had such a warm and soft voice which could somehow move her without him even saying a word? Judging he had made a good move, Franziska decided to reward him.
Miles Edgeworth was prepared for anything but what followed. He would gladly get whipped for his singing and he wouldn't mind a flustered or angered Franziska if that were to be his punishment for his insolence but, he had definitely not expected to hear her own, soft hums meld with his as she nudged herself closer to him, closing her eyes contentedly, enjoying how his neck rumbled slightly in order to produce his voice.
Everything had been taken care of by the next morning. The mansion would not be put up for sale as Franziska now had a reason to feel emotionaly attached to it. She made several arrangements in order to restore the house to its previous, impressive state and then the pair chose to return to their homes in America. The two prosecutors had decided to go back to Los Angeles even though there was no particular reason for their decision. They had no cases to take care of there and staying abroad offered them an opportunity to study and take on challenging cases. And maybe that's why they wanted to go back to America. In Germany, they certainly would be assigned some big, time consuming case and, right now, the only thing they wanted to spend time on was each other. And for the first time in their lives, prosecutor Edgeworth and prosecutor von Karma felt the need to shirk work.
The pair had travelled from Germany to America and back again countless times. They had also always boarded on first class and enjoyed all the comforts it offered. And still, the trip had always seemed way too long and boring to them. It was so much different when they were together, though.
It appeared that talking helped time pass by more efficiently than reading magazines or watching movies just for the sake of doing something. They realized they could talk about pretty much anything from the quality of the food to law and truly enjoy it. Even the most boring subjects could become interesting, just because they relished at merely listening to each other's voice. It was a thousand times better when they could have a fascinating conversation about things they both liked.
And they found cuddling with one another while watching some old movie strangely pleasurable despite how very uncomfortable they were. You see, the first class seats were designed so that only one person could sit on them and they seemed determined to fit together in just one seat, no matter how weird that looked or how sore their muscles would be afterwards.
Of course, that was meant to bother someone at some point. Especially since Miles had insisted on feeding Franziska a box of chocolates only to hear her violently protest until she decided she actually liked that and started feeding him as well. But it was probably the fact they ended up using their mouths to place the chocolates into the other's own mouth and then gave up on the box completely and started making out. Yes, that was when the passenger opposite to them cleared his throat loudly, making them remember where they were and how they should behave as he informed them the movie he was watching was full of such scenes and he didn't really need to watch them in live action, thank you.
It was then that Franziska and Miles parted and went to sit at their respective seats, self-consciously. They were expecting that irritable passenger to fall asleep at some point, though.
The first thing the two prosecutors did when they finally arrived at America was to get back to work immediately. Despite not really being in the mood to spend hours upon hours of doing paperwork, it was as if they were programmed to automatically move toward their offices for as long as they were needed there and nothing on that world seemed capable of taking that sense of duty away from them, regardless of their wants.
Miles was sitting on his black leather chair behind his desk, head leaning on his hand. He heaved a deep sigh as his mind wondered to Franziska, only two offices away from his. So close yet so far…
It had been less than a day since he had last seen her and he felt like he'd rather die than endure this torturing feeling of longing any more. He had never thought it was possible to miss someone you were away from for just a few hours so much. He wanted nothing more than to have her by his side and stroke her smooth hair or attempt to make her smile or, even better, be granted by the rare and heavenly sound of her laughter. The mere thought of her made his heart ache as if it was Franziska who provided it with the strength to beat and, every time she was away, it couldn't function properly.
Miles had to wonder just where these feelings had came from. He had known the female prosecutor since he was nine. Why had the way he viewed her changed now? He had never quite considered her his sister since Manfred wanted to make sure he didn't belong to the von Karma family. He was merely a student of his who happened to enjoy the same luxuries as they.
Still, though, never before had he thought of her as something more than… whatever he had considered her to be. He couldn't call her his sister, he couldn't call her his best friend, he couldn't call her his rival… and yet now he rejoiced in calling her his lover. Maybe that was the reason they ended up together. Their previous relationship was far too complicated. It had to become something more definable and also something which would allow them to stay just as close. It became that.
This explanation didn't satisfy him enough, though. He still couldn't understand why he realized he had romantic feelings for her now. Sure, it would be a little hard for him to develop such feelings when he was still a kid but he could have done so when he had grown old enough for that sort of thing. But then again, even if he was old enough, Franziska would still be a kid so, it wouldn't work either. In the end, he decided that it had happened now because, at last, Franziska was no longer a little girl and they had both changed considerably. He was certain they wouldn't have time for relationships if they still aimed at attaining perfect guilty records. Since they didn't pursue absolute perfection anymore, they could find some place in their heart for silly, peculiar emotions such as the ones they were experiencing.
"Hows" and "Whys" didn't really matter, though. He had heard that, so far as matters of the heart where concerned, one shouldn't try to apply logic –something hard for both of the prosecutors who had been taught to always use their heads to explain everything. In the end, maybe it was fate that had brought them together, despite the fact that Miles didn't believe in destiny. He, though, doubted there were many other people who were connected by such an incredible series of events. Hadn't Franziska's father killed Gregory Edgeworth, he would never have met her. Hadn't Manfred made sure they only saw each other as rivals, he wasn't sure he would have ever developed romantic feelings for her. And hadn't he written that suicide note, he might have never crossed paths with her again...
It was a series of events which were rather unpleasant and, yet, had led to something so wonderful. In the end, all it had taken for their chemistry to work was some time during which they could be alone with each other and show what they kept hidden under their hard shells.
He heaved another sigh and caught himself spacing out momentarily. He shook his head, trying to concentrate but to no avail. He was really starting to worry about his condition. Where had the so famous for his level-headedness and calmness prosecutor gone? No, he was pretty sure he was still there. After all, he had spoken in his normal, polite but a tad cold manner to his colleagues earlier that day. He would still smile slightly at the sight of the Steel Samurai figurine, proof of a silly childish side he had tried to keep secret. He had only rearranged his precious tea collection an hour ago so he knew he still found that activity pleasurable. And, when he would stare at the enormous bouquet of flowers, he would still shudder at the thought of who had sent them and he would still be reminded of how much he disliked flowers, poems about love and all sorts of romantic things. And yet, why did he find himself wondering what her favorite type of flowers might be and whether he should send her a card alongside the bouquet, lines from some sentimental work of literature scribed on it?
Miles decided there was no way he could fight those bizarre, nonsensical reactions. He had heard people say this sentiment wears off not too long after it appears but, did he really want it to be gone?
He heaved yet another sigh and stared intently at the wall on his right as if he wanted to penetrate the hard material with his trademark glare in order to peer at the room two offices away from his; the room in which he knew Franziska von Karma worked in.
The German prosecutor laid a small pillar of case files on her desk with a huff. She glowered at them as if they had committed an unforgivable sin. Franziska had been avoiding to hand all these files to their original owner during the course of the day but, now it was time for the inevitable.
She stared out of her window to see the city of Los Angeles lit up and the moon having risen to the sky. Most -if not all- of the other prosecutors should have left by that time but she was certain he would still be in his office. On one hand, she was glad nobody would see her walk past the door numbered 1202 even though she had done so multiple times before. Why she expected rumors to start spreading just because she would return some case files was beyond her understanding. On the other hand, she wasn't sure it was a good idea to see him when no one would be around. She honestly couldn't predict how she would react since thoughts of him interrupted her attempts to work all the time.
No wonder Papa had always spoken with contempt about love. It really was an awfully distracting feeling which would certainly get in the way of perfection. However, she remembered being skeptical when her father would say these things. Love seemed not bad at all to Franziska but, of course, she had kept that opinion to herself. Wait. Did she just say love?
She groaned. Franziska really needed to compose herself before going into Miles' office or she might assault him the second she saw him. As much as she hated to admit it, she had missed him greatly and wanted to see him ASAP. However, they were in their workplace and she had to control her behavior. One, she didn't want to have to listen to their fools of colleagues gossip about them behind their backs and two, public displays of affection in one's work were simply unprofessional.
Taking a few breaths to make sure her mind had full control over her body, she lifted the files and headed to his office.
When she opened the door, she found him turning the lights off and preparing to leave. The two of them froze in surprise for a moment as they locked sights and then Franziska spoke.
"I didn't know you were leaving. I came to return these case files but, I can do it tomorrow if you're in a hurry and have no time to place them back." She turned to go but Miles voice stopped her.
"No, it's okay. You can just place them on my desk and I'll take care of them when I can."
Franziska did as he told her, her muscles tensing as she approached him. They had never felt uncomfortable when they were together but, all these hours of avoiding each other and the feelings they had to keep bottled up for as long as they were in their offices had created a peculiar atmosphere between them.
The woman was ready to walk away right when she had laid the files on the clear-as-a-mirror desk of the older prosecutor but, once again, he prevented her from doing so.
"Wait!" he called out and grabbed her wrist.
Franziska froze. Oh, how she loved even this small connection of their bodies. His touch was so very gentle and yet it was firm enough to make her understand how much he wished she would stay. And his hand was so warm…
"What is it?" she questioned and she was greatly surprised her voice sounded so steady and cool compared to how her heart was fluttering.
"Nothing, really." He said, removing his hand to Franziska's dismay. "It's just that we didn't see each other for an entire day… Please, take a seat."
Although she had no idea what he was driving at, she sat at one of the comfy armchairs that stood in front of his desk and watched him reach for something hidden inside some drawer of his office.
She raised an eyebrow as she saw him brandishing a bottle of chardonnay and two wine glasses.
"It's just something I keep in my office to treat special clients." He replied at her unspoken question, a tiny smile upon his lips.
"I highly doubt I can be defined as a special client." Franziska pointed out, not fully satisfied from his reply.
"No, but you are… special…" he said, his voice fading at the end of his sentence. He cleared his throat to break the silence that followed and continued talking. "Anyway, I'm sure one glass of wine couldn't hurt, now, could it?" God! Why were things so very awkward? They had gone so far as to make out inside an airplane so, why were they acting like that? Was it just because the mere thought they were in their offices automatically forced them to act all formal?
"I suppose not." She said as he handed her one of the glasses, already filled with the white liquid. She gently stirred the wine and took a sip, her eyes closing momentarily. It tasted great, not that she would expect anything else from a wine picked by Miles Edgeworth.
As her eyes opened once more, she found the young man follow her every movement with his gaze, as if he was enchanted. Their eyes met and they quickly averted their gazes, and time seemed to start moving once more.
They emptied their glasses in silence and Franziska stood up ready to leave only to be stopped for one more time. Only now, Miles had rushed from behind his office and stood in front of her, tenderly grabbing her by the arms.
"Stay some more." He said to her and his tone was nearly pleading.
The blue-haired woman couldn't help but look into his eyes which immediately captured hers. That pair of grey orbs were staring at her with the same intensity they would glare daggers at a lying witness but there was no trace of contempt inside them. Instead, there was something else… Something that immobilized her as effectively as a glare of his would but it wasn't fear that kept her pinned there. It was something that made her knees feel just a little bit wobbly.
They stood like that for a moment and then he kissed her, his arms surrounding her waist. Not thinking twice, she kissed back and wrapped her own arms around his neck, both of them rejoicing at the touch they had longed for so much during that day.
Miles lost himself in that kiss, enjoying every moment of it and hoping it would never end. However, the taste of her lips seemed to have a far stronger effect on him than the previous times. Maybe it was the fact that he had forgotten to turn the lights back on or maybe it was because he knew they were all alone in the building, but his hands slid from the small of her back on her hips and slowly followed the curves of her body to the turquoise button that kept her vest on place. Unhurriedly, he unbuttoned it but stopped there, waiting for her approval anxiously and with his stomach tied in knots.
Franziska had to wonder why he had stopped. Had he really not felt her give a violent shiver as his hands traced her body? Could he have not realized she had taken a sharp breath of air at the way his hands had softly brushed by a few more sensitive parts of her torso? And was he really oblivious to the deafening sound of her heart beating twice as fast and fluttering crazily inside her chest?
Sure, there was a small part of her that felt a bit scared of the unknown but, the rest of her body, mind and heart were screaming 'yes' repeatedly and demandingly.
In order to show her agreement, she deepened the kiss making the both of them give out an almost simultaneous moan and she moved her elegant fingers at his cravat, which she tried to free him off.
So happy Miles felt, it seemed to him he was about to faint. Forgetting all about where they were and disregarding every unwritten rule of do's and don'ts, he lovingly pulled her closer and started leading her to the couch that stood at one side of the room.
A few rays of sunlight were what woke Miles up. The man's eyes slowly fluttered open and, before his mind could register his surroundings, it first informed him that he had never slept better in his entire life and he had never woken up to feel so fresh and peaceful and in a state of absolute bliss.
The sun coming through the wide window of his office was bright and warm making everything in the room look shiny and beautiful but, the most beautiful thing there was the one lying in his embrace.
He looked at her as the rays of light made her unusual blue hair glow and her long eyelashes glisten as she slept serenely, a faint smile resting upon her lips. The sight made his heart swell so much it hurt. He thought there was nothing else he desired in this world as he examined her.
Franziska was lying on top of him with her head resting on his chest and her lean, long limbs still intermingled with his. She was wearing her blouse and her skirt while he was wearing his shirt and pants. It had been a cool night and they had needed some articles of clothing for protection but, none of them had the strength to put on their full attires. They hardly had the strength or the will to move, hence why they stayed in his office, not caring what the consequences would be in the morning.
He started to gently stroke her back with the arm that stood around her waist, securing her in his warm embrace. His other hand was lying on his chest where his fingers entwined with hers and he slowly brought it to his mouth in order to place small kisses upon the back of her hand. He could now tell with all certainty that he loved this woman. He had known he did since long ago and, last night, he was sure beyond the shadow of a doubt. And he had wanted to tell her, he really did, but these three words were ones he had hardly ever used in his life so it wasn't easy for him to utter them. He understood, though, that both him and her had tried to say them yesterday but failed. All they could do to replace the lack of the phrase was to repeatedly mumble each other's name in a state of ecstatic half-consciousness.
The feel of his lips on her skin seemed to wake Franziska up. Once her eyes were open, her sight met with Miles' and he smiled as lovingly as he could, trying to channel all of his feelings through that simple but meaningful facial expression.
"Good morning." He whispered at her softly.
The woman smiled tenderly and released her hand from his only to place it on his cheek which she caressed with her thumb. In the same barely audible and soft voice she replied: "Guten morgen, meine liebe."
Miles' heart leaped in his chest. Had she really called him that? If she had called him her love –and in her mother tongue!- then that was her way of indirectly telling him she loved him. Feeling drunk from happiness and unable once more to speak these three words, he lifted her up slightly and kissed her with all his might, something that made her chuckle.
They broke the kiss and he could tell she had understood all of these things which had been left unspoken. He knew because he saw her eyes gleaming and, inside them, the reflection of his own eyes, sparkly like those of a kid.
They stood like that for what seemed like an eternity before they heard sounds coming from behind the door.
"People started to arrive." Miles told her, whispering still. "You'll have to go if we don't want to get in trouble." He then added sadly.
Franziska returned the sentiment with a disappointed look. None of them wanted to endure another day away from each other, that horrible sense of longing tearing their hearts apart. But they had to because of the stupid laws of professionalism.
"Fine…" she finally mumbled, clearly upset. She prepared to give him a goodbye kiss but the door swung open just before her lips could connect with his.
"Good morning, sir! I have a new case…" Gumshoe's ridiculously loud and cheery voice trailed off at the sight of the prosecutors being so intimate with one another. At first, his jaw dropped slightly but, soon after, his shocked expression turned into a grin and his gigantic shoulders started to shake as he attempted to contain his laughter. "Keep doing what you were doing you two!" he said in between giggles. "I never passed."
Still trying not to burst into uncontrollable laughter, the detective left the room and closed the door behind him with a loud bang which, though, failed to cover the sound of his chuckles.
"I swear I'll whip him dead next time I see him." Franziska mumbled as she stared at her whip which she had carelessly discarded at the floor, out of her reach. Miles believed her every word. "Do you think he might have misunderstood?" she asked but she already knew the answer.
Sure, Gumshoe was definitely not renowned for his powers of deduction but, even someone as thick as him would never mistake the meaning of clothes scattered all over the room and two people whose lips where parted and only a few inches away from each other.
"No, probably not. Gumshoe's an imbecile but he can figure out as much." Miles told her with a sigh.
"I'd better go back to my office then." Franziska muttered as she unwillingly left his embrace. "I'm certain the entire building will have heard of our relationship in less than ten minutes and I'd rather not be here when they rush to confirm the rumor. Let's not give them the right to gossip about us."
Miles knew what she said was true. Gumshoe had the extremely troublesome tendency to never keep his mouth shut. The prosecutor was willing to bet his entire fortune –and that's quite an impressive sum of money- that all of his and the detective's common acquaintances would have called him by midday to congratulate, tease him and blabber endlessly.
Miles watched as his lover would get dressed up, now able to better appreciate how beautiful her body was. After all, she had wanted it to be perfect like everything else was and the various sporting activities a von Karma had to excel in had helped greatly. He himself used to participate in them -despite him not being much of a sports person- and he had to admit they had kept him fit and in good health. Thanks to them, he was now able to walk the stairs up to the twelfth floor of a skyscraper without feeling faint. He had no idea how he would be able to do that if he had avoided exercising during his childhood.
Franziska examined her clothes. She noticed a few creases here and there, something unacceptable for her usually perfectly ironed suit. She wished she hadn't discarded them so carelessly yesterday but, then again, she wasn't really thinking about things like that the previous night.
"How do I look?" she asked Miles, wishing to know whether the creases were visible to the casual observer.
"Gorgeous as always." He replied with a smile and one of his intense gazes.
"Shut it, fool. You know what I mean." She replied but his flattery had worked since a tinge of red appeared on her cheeks.
Miles snickered. "Trust me, they're in much better shape than the clothes of most of the other prosecutors out there."
"And my hair?" she questioned him, moving her hand to fix some stray strands.
"In a lovely mess." He said truthfully but the smile never left his face. He actually liked this disheveled state. It brought him nice memories from the night and gave her a wild look; like her personality.
She grunted and grumpily tried to fix them, cursing the lack of a mirror in the office. In the meantime, Miles stood up and put on the rest of his clothes. Once Franziska decided there was nothing more she could do with her hair, she turned to the man.
"You're in a fine mess." She commented, slightly paraphrasing his own comment for her hair. What she said was not entirely true, though. Most people probably wouldn't notice his clothes hadn't come out of his closet that morning clean and ironed. It was a good thing they had a particular set of work clothes they always wore so that, if they put on the same articles two days in a row, no one would notice. Not that they would ever do something like that. This particular case was an unpredictable event so it didn't count. His hair looked bad like hers, though. There had been a lot of tugging on them by a certain female…
"It's okay. I would gladly walk around with mud on my clothes in exchange for a night like the previous one." he told her as she approached him, trying to fix him up as much as she could.
Franziska rolled her eyes but Miles would swear the edge of her mouth slightly twitched upwards. He silently stood there, enjoying how she took care of him and the gentle touch of her hands. He attempted to return the favor but he couldn't find much to improve. To him, she would look great no matter how messy her clothes or hair would be.
Once she was done, she rested her hands on his chest and stared into his eyes as if she wanted to take a nice mental picture to keep her going through the day. She then placed a small peck on his lips and spoke. "I have to go now."
He nodded and she walked away, picking her whip from the floor. She threw a last look at him, gracing him with a rare smile, before the door closed behind her.
…Enamored, smitten, infatuated, all over someone, fall for somebody, have a crush on somebody…
Wait. What was he doing? Why was he suddenly listing synonyms for 'being in love'? He stared at the paper that stood on his desk. He was looking for a phrase to use instead of 'due to' and he had come up with 'in light of'. How that had become 'in love with' in his mind he failed to comprehend.
He sighed as he noticed how little progress he had made since he had started writing the paper. Firstly, It was the thoughts of Franziska that kept distracting him from his work. And how could he concentrate when it appeared that her smell had rubbed all over him? He still felt the scent of jasmine –which he realized was not coming from some shampoo she was using or some perfume she was wearing but, instead, was the scent of her body- waft to his nostrils from his own skin and clothes and he even found himself bringing his nose close to his clothes, trying to inhale as much of the aroma as possible. Or it was just his imagination playing games on him and he simply couldn't take his mind off her.
And secondly, it was the annoying phone calls from almost everyone he knew…
Edgeworth had been completely right about Gumshoe. No more than ten minutes after Franziska left, his phone started ringing. The people he had gotten to call friends despite him constantly whining about them and their behavior seemed eager to remind him exactly why he didn't speak with the best words about them.
At first it was Gumshoe and his girlfriend Maggey who made sure to congratulate him more than a thousand times over the phone and they did it in their own unique way each. Gumshoe sniggered every once in a while and constantly spoke of how he hoped Miss von Karma would treat him a bit better now that she was in love while Maggey made sure to inform him what a fitting couple they were but, unfortunately, she then started to talk about other seemingly perfect couples which were proven to be not so perfect. Miles had the creepy feeling the woman was actually speaking about her own personal experiences with love but, he wasn't completely certain.
Then called Larry who would both praise him for "hooking up with such a hot chick" and accuse him of stealing his one true love and his muse. The prosecutor wasn't sure whether the change of subject that followed was a blessing or a curse. He realized he hated the crude characterizations Larry would use when it came to romance and he hated even more the image Larry had inadvertently stuck in Miles' mind; the image of his Franziska with anyone other than him. But, were these things worse than Larry going on about his nth girlfriend dumping him?
His other childhood friend called immediately after Larry and Edgeworth had to deal with three annoyances in the price of one. All Wright did was tease him non-stop about him finally being in a relationship and him forgetting what exactly most people are supposed to do in their offices. Of course, Miles had no trouble expressing how much he disapproved of his behavior but, he couldn't do the same so easily when Maya and then Pearl took the phone.
The black-haired girl seemed absolutely delighted to hear of this pairing but, like Wright, she too enjoyed teasing him whenever she got the chance. Surprisingly, the conversation with nine year old Pearl was the most mature of all the ones he had had until then but still, it was far from pleasant. It was a discussion filled with girly enthusiasm and a few squeals as well as some innocent questions about love which made him blush even more than Wright's and Maya's teasing, mostly because he failed to find a way to counter a little child effectively and politely. In the end, he found himself forced to reply sincerely, praying with all his heart that the girl wouldn't repeat his answers to the man and woman who took care of her or they would never allow him to forget about this embarrassment.
The latest call he had gotten was from Kay. Thankfully, there was a lot less teasing from her since she actually respected both of the prosecutors enough not to go too far with it. But alas, the thief had the same bad trait as everyone else who had called up to that time: she would talk to her heart's content and was a little whacky. The conversation frequently strayed to unrelated subjects until she said something about a thief having to do her daily training and hung up.
He stared at the phone and sighed. He was glad his friends seemed to take the news of his relationship well. He knew that most people considered them to be like siblings and he was aware that the fact they were involved would appear shocking to them. He himself wasn't exactly sure if he should feel guilty for being with her but, right now, he couldn't feel anything close to shame or regret. What the two of them shared was too pure and too beautiful to be a bad thing. And, in the end, he didn't quite care about what others thought. If society was going to frown upon his choice then so be it. As long as he could be with Franziska, nothing else mattered.
He heard the dreaded ringing coming from the machine once more and he growled. To his utter terror, he recognized a number he never answered yet it always succeeded in sending chills down his spine and bring up the image of a woman he wished he had never met. He stared at the right wall with what was a plaintive face. He was sure Franziska wasn't getting any phone calls. No one was foolish enough to provoke her anger like that.
Suddenly, he wished very strongly he could be with her, in her probably much more silent office. And why couldn't he be? After all, it was no longer a secret they were together. Maybe, it wasn't such a bad thing that Gumshoe had caught them together. They'd no longer have to feel reserved when in public.
Feeling a sudden rush of happiness, he pretty much jumped up and darted to his office door, opening it and taking a peek at the corridor. Empty. If he was lucky, he would get some moments of privacy with Franziska and nobody would notice a thing. He quickly ran toward her office and pulled the door open.
There, he was met with a sight he had never imagined he would see in his life. Franziska was sitting at her chair, chin resting on her palm, and her eyes staring somewhere slightly upwards and to the left with what could only be described as a dreamy look and a small smile on her lips.
She immediately jumped, though, once she heard the door open, her hands quickly covering a sheet of paper standing in front of her. Miles could swear he noticed his name scribbled neatly among little hearts before her glove blocked his view. There was no way he could stop a cocky and very amused smirk from blooming at his face. He had no idea Franziska fell in love like a schoolgirl. Then again, he had to remind himself she actually was only nineteen so it was to be expected. Still, the scene had offered him a great deal of amusement and satisfaction. It was nice to know that she appeared much more distracted than he was.
"Oh, it's you, Miles." She said with a sigh of relief as well as a deep blush spreading all over her cheeks. "Don't you ever enter like that, again!" she then added, trying to sound frustrated but her tremendous relief prevented her voice from sounding angry. She was very glad it wasn't another co-worker or the embarrassment would have been too much to bear.
"Feeling a bit distracted, are we?" he teased her, smarmy smirk never leaving his face. "What were you thinking about?"
"Miles Edgeworth, you're hardly in a position to speak. Your coming here tells me everything I need to know." She told him, her expression now mirroring his own.
She stood up, whip in hand and her carnivorous smirk always at its place. Miles was afraid she was going to give him a good whipping for entering her office so abruptly and, indeed, her weapon rose to the air. However, instead of the usual sting, he felt nothing. The leather fell harmlessly on his shoulder and he felt it slowly swirl around his neck -Franziska walking in a circle around him- in a motion that made him shiver. The whip was after all, something like an extension of her hand so, it could as well had been a finger of hers softly trailing the skin of his neck.
She approached him with her eyes half-closed and her smirk becoming much more meaningful now. She wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing her mouth close to his ear and murmuring in a low voice: "Missed me?"
He smiled playfully and wrapped his own arms around her waist. "More than you know."
Her lips met with his and they prepared to lose themselves inside each other's kiss but, it was not meant to be.
They were interrupted by the sound of the door swinging open and a cry of surprise. They managed to take a glimpse of Chief Prosecutor Skye before she closed the door once more as a reflective reaction to being surprised.
"Nobody ever knocks…" Franziska muttered as the door was opened and a much more composed Lana Skye walked in.
Surprised as they were, Miles and Franziska had still their arms wrapped around one another and, only when they noticed the Chief's raised eyebrow and slightly disapproving glance did they break away from each other, clearing their throats nervously and looking like children who were caught stealing sweets from the jar.
"I had heard rumors but I wasn't sure I should believe them." The brunette started, also seeming to be in an awkward position. Office romances were not something the prosecutors of that building were used to so, none of them quite knew how they were supposed to react when faced with such a situation.
Lana proceeded to give them a small lecture about professionalism and correct behavior during work hours but, her kind and understanding nature managed to shine through at certain parts where she would offer them a small smile and she even congratulated them at the end of her speech, leaving a few papers on Franziska's desk before she left.
Once the door closed, the smirk returned to Miles' face as he approached the woman, going back to his previous position. "So, what do we deduce from all that, Miss von Karma?"
She smirked knowingly and placed only one of her arms back around his neck. "That we should always lock our doors." She used her free hand to reach over to one of her drawers in order to take out a silver key as Miles' lips returned on hers.
Note: Song hummed by the two is left to your imagination. If you wish to know what the author imagines, though, I can tell you I had a song called "Complainte de la butte" in my mind which is weird because the song's in french while they were in a park in Germany. XD I do recommend checking it out, though, and looking up the translation because it's a sweet song IMO. Slightly sad if you think about it but sweet nontheless.