Chapter Text
The wailing grew louder as he dodged more branches and stepped on more leaves, the small cuts forming on his legs being reason to begin to regret his decision.
What was he even doing? What could he do for this kid? Perhaps he should have waited until his father introduced them instead of going out of his way like this. Maybe next time he’ll take that into consideration, because by now he finally caught an unnaturally blue color poking out from behind a bush.
The sun was hidden low on the horizon by leaves and trees, but the forest was washed in dark oranges and reds; it was even getting late.
Edgeworth emerged from behind the bush, but the boy next door didn’t seem to really notice him yet. His eyes were sealed shut with tears and boy was he loud. Miles decided to take advantage of the few unnoticed seconds to silently observe him—he’d fallen, most likely, because his knee was bleeding and it was not just his legs that were littered with small scratches from the environment. His hair was a mess and his face was dirty, and for a long few moments he just cried out in pain.
Then, with one step closer to him, the boy’s eyes eventually opened to a squint to peer out at Edgeworth from. Both of them were still, and the other boy’s crying had begun its eventual descent into silence. He sniffled occasionally, and strained his eyes to look past the blobs of tears that obstructed his view of Miles. Now it seemed appropriate to initiate.
“Hello,” Miles said, but as soon as he did tears began to well up again in the boy’s eyes and now Edgeworth moved closer yet again, his own gaze glued to the large and bleeding gash on his knee.
His lip quivered and when he opened his mouth his voice cracked, “I--I tripped, and, and I hurt my knee!” As if to attempt to make Miles understand, he hugged his knee to his chest and leaned back against the tree stump he was settled on with a wince.
Father would know what to do in this situation...in fact…
He lifted his head to scan the area, locking on the nearby bush to pluck thick leaves from their stems and gather a small pile of them in his hands. Then he knelt on the dirt beside the boy, disregarding the ruin he knew it would bring to his pants, and instead worrying about covering the wound with the cluster he gathered. He pressed on it to keep them altogether with one hand while the crying must’ve died down again, and he cleared his mind to recite the spell his father taught him in case he ever received a gash like this one himself.
In the span of a few seconds, the edges of the leaves merged and glowed a soft golden color that matched the sunlight, which seemed to sooth the boy’s painful looking cut. When it was over, the light faded and the color of the leaves seemed to merge seamlessly with his skin.
Now the expression the boy had changed completely. His eyes were wide, his eyebrows pushed way up his forehead and his palms pressed down in the dirt on the ground beneath them.
“Wha—how did you—?!”
And just like that, he was beaming again. How did he do that?
“You’re—Are you like your dad!? That’s so cool!” He leaned forward, clenching his fists excitedly.
Miles himself reeled back, slightly surprised. He thought that Miles was like his dad.
He felt a warmth rush to his cheeks and a small smile grow on his face without even thinking about it. He rubbed the back of his head with a hand idly, “I—No, he just taught me that in case I got hurt. I want to be like him though, he says he’s going to teach me soon.”
Why did he explain so much?
The boy pressed him further, and now there were stars in his eyes. “Woah! That is so cool! You’re going to be a witch doctor too?! Will you know more magic tricks like this one?!”
At the word ‘tricks’ he felt himself feign a grimace, though he was still giddy from the compliment before. “They’re not tricks, they’re skills. Tricks are a type of skill.”
The boy’s face was blank for a moment, likely processing, and Miles thought for a second that maybe he was too harsh. But then he smiled again. “You’re so smart! Your dad is Mommy’s doctor, right? Mr. Edgeworth?”
“Yeah. You’re Mrs. Wright’s son.” He said it more than asked it, because he actually already knew. The boy didn’t seem to care.
“Yep!” He sprung off the ground pressing his hands proudly into his sides like he wasn’t just bawling miserably a minute ago. The thought made Miles chuckle quietly to himself. “I’m Phoenix! What’s your name?”
For some reason, he felt himself hesitate. “Miles.”
“Are you going to be a witch doctor someday?”
Phoenix offered him a hand; Miles took it to stand.
“Yes,” He smiled, looking down at his feet when he answered. “My father is going to teach me how.”
“That’s really cool! I think magic is so awesome--I’m gonna be an artist!”
They started back towards their houses--Miles in charge of directions of course--and when Miles looked at him as they walked, his misplaced smile, he thought he preferred if he’d just stay this way. It made Miles want to smile too somehow. It was like the feeling was contagious.
He let out what was meant to be a small chuckle, and then he felt he couldn’t stop. Even when Phoenix’s eyebrow rose and his head tilted while they avoided branches and roots, he still fought to catch his breath. Through his laughter, he paused and gather enough air for a single comment--
“Wh--why would you run out into the forest before dark? How did you even manage to get out here?!” Then he laughed a little more, and he saw confusion drain from Phoenix’s expression, replaced with a crooked grin and cheesy shrug.
By the time they got home they were both laughing hysterically.
-----
“He said, ‘and he was my savior~!’” The girl clasped her hands together and batted her eyelashes dramatically to deliver the point, then she settled again. “That’s how I remember your name, and this was back before even Trucy was here! Back when my sis was in charge!”
With his face collected in his hands, burning in utter embarrassment, Miles sighed. “In the case of anyone else, I would struggle to believe such a story,”
“But,” Maya egged him on with a smirk.
“He over exaggerated. I barely even remember the encounter, how could he--?”
“It’s Nick.” She said flatly.
He sighed again, revealing his now semi-normal-colored face, “It is Phoenix,” he agreed.
Upon arrival, Miles held a firm belief that he would simply be in the way, or at least unable to integrate with the other members of the household. That being said though, not even one night in and he was already sat down speaking with Maya Fey, and about his favorite subject of all things. And he was enjoying himself, perhaps more than he thought he could.
In reality, the home felt easy, seamless, and there were no expectations. He knew this already after having visited nearly everyday for the past few months, but it still felt different now. The kids all liked him more than he deserved. Being…home… had already made him forget some of his worries, sitting at the kitchen table, now mostly in the dark, talking together about the man who was currently out trying to buy them ingredients for dinner because he forgot that they were out of everything since last night. It was almost therapeutic.
“Hey, I have a question for you Edgeworth,” she pressed her elbows down on the table and leaned into the palms of her hands, and what he hoped to be a genuine inquiry led the girl to lean in closer and raise a cocky eyebrow. He’d be right to assume he already knew where this was going.
“What is it, Miss Fey?”
She smirked at herself before she answered. “Are you two… you know..?”
He made an attempt to glare at her for being nosy, but in reality it kind of was her business. They’d be living together now, so didn’t she deserve to know?
His face flushed thinking about it, though, and he could see her raise both eyebrows waiting for confirmation of something she clearly already knew.
“I...well, yes, I suppose we are. I…er, hope that doesn’t make you…uncomfortable.”
Through embarrassment, he hoped it hid an anxiety he forced himself to continue pushing down, but Maya sprung backwards as if his mere suggestion had physically hurt her like touching a hot stove.
“No! Absolutely not! No, it doesn’t, I was actually hoping you guys were. I’ve seen Nick talk about you on multiple occasions and it was always just so painfully obvious, and--”
“Hey,” A hand came down flat on the table, attached to a looming, spiky haired figure wearing a threateningly forced smile. “I see you two are already best friends.”
He paid no mind to Miles, but he could still feel the heat behind the glare Maya seemed disproportionally pleased to receive.
In the man’s other hand, groceries hung from his arm, and while Maya smiled innocently at Phoenix while he mumbled some useless objections, Miles pushed himself from his seat and stood to collect the bags from Phoenix’s arm. He placed them down on the kitchen counter and began sorting through things, though he didn’t actually know where anything went yet, but he gave it his best guess anyway. After just a few moments, Maya had clearly won whatever mental battle she’d put Phoenix through, grinning mischievously from ear to ear next to a slumped and defeated Phoenix. The man only sighed and acknowledged his loss by saying nothing and opting to submit himself to lending Miles a hand with some of the groceries that were misplaced or not put away yet, and Maya came to stand before both of them with her hands on her hips and a proud smile.
“Besides,” she said with her chin lifted and her smile turning back into the smirk she wore before, one eyebrow raised. “Edgeworth’s staying in your room anyway, right? You seriously didn’t think we missed that, did you?”
A sharp inhale came from Miles’ side, then another sigh. When he glanced over at the man, his face was colored pink and his eyes were shut for a brief moment before he stood up straighter. He didn’t look back at her, and he didn’t look back at Miles either.
“Okay, right, I get it, Maya. Yes, Miles and I…we’re, er, together. I wasn’t sure how to tell you all yet though, and he hasn’t even been here for a night so I wanted to wait…”
“Oh, well, I already knew that! He just told me! Right before you came in, actually!”
Again, the girl just smiled sweetly at her innocent disaster. Miles felt himself flush immediately.
“Wh--Hey! You already told her?!” His head spun on his shoulders to look at him, and the pink had spread further to his ears.
“She asked me a question, Wright, I wasn’t going to lie to her.” He answered as calmly as he could, though now he looked away.
“I--ugh,” He let out what was meant to be seen as a dramatic sigh that honestly must’ve been a wave of relief. “You’re lucky I want to keep you around, Miles.”
“That I am,” he agreed, feeling the tug of a smile in the corner of his lips.
Maya just laughed, as she had been for the past few minutes. When she calmed down and most of the groceries had been handled, she came up to Phoenix and reached to place her hand on his shoulder, giddy as ever now.
“We love you both, Nick, you don’t have to worry!”
When he looked down at her, he spared a passing glance at Miles and eased into a smile. “I know. It was a lapse in judgement, and I was gonna tell you guys anyway. There’d be no point in hiding it.”
She pulled away and waved her hand dismissively at them both before turning on her heel to head back to her room. “Especially when the two of you look like a pair of tomatoes whenever you talk,” she added conclusively. Phoenix clapped a hand to his face like he could hide in this situation, and Miles just looked away. She made a good point. “Let me know when dinner’s ready!”
“R-right.” He managed, then his hand fell to his side and his eyes met Miles’. After a short moment of silence, his expression softened and a shy smile graced his lips.
“You’re practically already family.” He said, his eyes making it painfully obvious how right Maya was about him being so honest and easy to read. He stepped closer, and with him Miles felt the warmth Phoenix brought wherever he went too.
“I…I admit that I am more well-liked than I thought I was.” He spoke quietly, and Phoenix exhaled with soft brows and knowing eyes. Perhaps he could tell why Miles has struggled to think well of himself. If anyone knew, it was most definitely Phoenix. He was always good at understanding.
“I love when they prove it for me.”
Miles smiled now too, and even though the individual rooms of the office were busy and bustling, the kitchen was quiet except for the sounds of their shared breaths.
When Phoenix kissed him then, it was soothing, and not in any way hungry or desperate. When his hand rose up and held the side of his face it was warm and comforting. When they pulled away, and exchanged gentle smiles, he recognized the taste of home and silently vowed to come back to it again and again.
“Alright,” the man started, grinning back at Miles. “Will you lend me a hand in the kitchen here?”
Miles felt his own expression mirror Phoenix’s and he replied with only a nod.
——-
A short while after dinner, Phoenix disappeared into Apollo’s room where Trucy was now moved to indefinitely, while Miles had awkwardly announced his retreat for the day into Phoenix’s. Maya and Pearl both said goodnight to him, though with a warning attached (“If you hear any kind of explosion, sorry! I’m a little rusty, but everyone else is used to it by now!” [though “rusty” doesn’t quite sound like the right descriptor there]), and Apollo had nodded in his direction and followed Phoenix into his room as well.
When he closed the door behind him, he found himself quietly lingering in the doorway, eyeing his bags and then found the bathroom door Phoenix had briefly shown him earlier. For now, he supposed, he would get ready. Honestly, he wasn’t too thrilled to do this to himself again--or maybe he was?--even though this time there would be… different circumstances… Or, perhaps he was only overthinking the situation…again. Whatever the case, he had to remind himself that this wasn’t just the second time he would get to rest by Phoenix for the night, it was the first of many more--hopefully the rest of his days--to come. He should hope to get rid of these nerves early on though.
By the time he’d moved from the bedroom doorway and emerged from the bathroom after having changed into his nighttime attire, Phoenix appeared at some point and his back was to Miles while he stood over a dark oak dresser. From behind him, Miles could see his hands moving, but it wasn’t until his white button up slid off his shoulders that he realized what he was doing.
In somewhat of a panic, he cleared his throat in hopes of alarming Phoenix of his presence, and at the sound, the man’s bare back did straighten up a little. Instead of briskly pulling his shirt back on though, it slid further down to his forearms and he turned to Miles with an instant grin.
“You look comfy.”
At the moment, Miles couldn’t quite find any words for him. He just blinked and quickly found the floor to look at instead of Phoenix’s chest. It seemed as though Phoenix were unbothered though, because he had already turned away again to pick out an old shirt to throw on.
“Phoenix.” He said, relief greeting him briefly before the man had latched onto and struggled with his belt for a moment.
“Yeah?”
“You’re not going to change in the bathroom?” His voice rose slightly against his will, and if he hadn’t been colored red already, he could feel that he definitely was now.
There was a short pause, a quiet, almost inaudible chuckle, and the sound of Phoenix’s buckle coming undone.
“Sorry, I’m used to just…ah, but yeah, I can do that if it makes you more comfortable.”
It was like he could see Miles’ face without looking, read his mind without knowing. In spite of himself, Miles glanced at the bed and sat down on it, now looking away from Phoenix.
“No, I…I don’t mind. It’s your home anyway, and I ought to get used to--”
Before he could finish, a new weight joined him on the bed and he felt cool hands around his torso. He felt his breath hitch at the touch, then soft, spiky hair pressed to his lower back. Neither of them said anything for a moment, so he allowed himself one deep breath.
“It’s your home too, Miles. If it makes you uncomfortable, I’ll get changed in the bathroom. I wasn’t paying attention, and I went on autopilot…” His voice gave out in a yawn.
“Phoenix…I’m not uncomfortable, you don’t have to tread carefully around me. We can tell the kids that we’re together, I was just… I wasn’t certain you would…or really anyone would want me around that much but…I was wrong. I apologize for giving you more things to worry about.”
The arms around his waist only squeezed tighter in response, and then eventually slithered away as Phoenix adjusted himself to bury himself in the blankets. Miles couldn’t help but smile to himself as he did the same, the nerves from before already having vanished.
“Phoenix,” he spoke after a minute of silence again, and with no verbal response came the arms again that said more than any words had to. Miles faced the edge of the bed and firm arms held his waist close to the other’s, Phoenix’s head now pressing into the crook of his neck.
His lover’s warmth made it easier to speak, and his eyelids fell shut as he spoke. “I have many things to work on, and many things to get used to here, but I intend to do everything I can for everyone in this house. I intend to do as much as I can to repay everything you’ve done for me, Phoenix.”
Again, Phoenix was quiet, and didn’t respond for quite a while, nor did he move very much. Miles was beginning to think he’d fallen asleep already when he’d heard one long inhale and just barely felt his lips graze up and down his neck. The feeling made him shiver, something Phoenix could absolutely feel, and then he grinned gently into Miles’ shoulder once more.
“You already do so much for me, you have no idea. Miles,” he led with his name and didn’t go on until Miles had turned over to view him face to face. When he did though, Phoenix gave him one the quietest, gentlest stares with a small smile playing on his lips. “I love you. I can’t wait to wake up next to you from now on. I don’t care about Von Karma or debts or whatever you’re worried about. We’ll figure everything out as we go. We should take a break from thinking about those things for now though, don’t you agree? Get some rest while we can.”
His words, whispered carefully with the most reassuring smile, sapped Miles’ energy from him in a matter of moments. The sheets between them became too thick and the warmth that bound them together through rough hands now grazing his cheek became so inviting. His eyelids fluttered shut and he reached for Phoenix’s side in an attempt to hold him closer. Resting never sounded so sweet and tempting before.
“You’re right,” He finally heard himself reply, though drowsy and nearly slurred. Just before dozing off though, he made sure to let him know. “I love you too, Phoenix.”
He let sleep envelop him, and the next morning felt like the continuation of a dream.
However, it seemed it was probably time to start accepting things for how they are, since that seemed to be the pattern in the Wright household, and he let the reality of waking up next to Phoenix sink in for the first moments of the quiet morning light. It’d be the first of many, he had to remind himself.