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Children ran all around them; parents yelled in an attempt to rein them in. Tinsel, in varying colors, bordered the store entrances. Multicolored string lights twisted around the guard rails and surrounded the kiosks. All I Want for Christmas Is You blared over the speakers, while carolers sang off to the side. Workers stood outside some stores, holding bells and greeting customers with a wide range of enthusiasm. Some of them liked to ring the bell a little too much and a little too forcefully. He briefly considered whether it would be worth it to steal one of those headache inducers, but knew the prosecutor standing next to him wouldn't appreciate that very much.
The Lordly Tailor Shopping Mall was the last place he wanted to be on Christmas Eve. And, if Edgeworth’s horrified expression as they were shoved into for the umpteenth time was anything to go by, he felt the same. While he may not have wanted to be there with the horde of last-minute shoppers, he wasn’t left with much of a choice. He didn’t bring as much in these days, and last night’s paycheck gave him enough to buy some presents. Thankfully, Edgeworth agreed to bring him when he called. Phoenix didn’t know how he would get his shopping done otherwise.
Trucy was staying with Maya and Pearls in Kurain Village, as she wanted to have a sleepover and spend Christmas there. That was fine. It gave him the perfect opportunity to bring the presents home and wrap them without her seeing. He could bring all their presents when he took the bus up there on Christmas morning.
Navigating through the mall was slow going. Besides the place being packed with people, there was an obnoxiously lengthy line that went through much of the middle, making travel to the stores on either side more difficult. From what Phoenix could tell, the line was for an audience with the mall Santa.
Edgeworth stuck close to him as they went from store to store, squeezing through people to look at the merchandise up close. Phoenix bought whatever gifts he could afford and thought his friends would enjoy. It surprised him when Edgeworth bought a couple of gifts as well. Edgeworth told him who they were for when asked: Franziska and Trucy. He couldn’t help but smile at the latter.
Though she had only met him a handful of times, Trucy enjoyed Edgeworth’s company, always asking when he’d be able to visit again—something Phoenix always wanted to know as well. He was glad Edgeworth liked Trucy too, especially enough to think of her while they were out shopping.
Eventually, they passed by the center of the mall—a food court filled with people. It was good they weren’t hungry, as there wasn’t any space there anyway.
Over the sea of people, at the far end of the food court, a tall structure caught his eye. It was an indoor wooden gazebo, its railings and roof painted white. The handrails were wrapped in string lights. Red tinsel decorated the circular top.
After a moment, he pulled his attention back away, and they continued to the stores on the other side of the mall.
He had already found gifts for most of the people on his list: Trucy, Maya, Pearls, Larry, Gumshoe, and Ema. There was one person he had left to buy for, but he hadn’t found the perfect gift yet.
They passed by a store that used a sunflower as its logo. It drew him in, but by the merchandise displayed, Phoenix could tell right away that anything in there was out of his price range. He continued down a few feet before sensing Edgeworth was no longer walking beside him. He turned back, finding the other man staring at the shop window.
Phoenix walked up to his side. "Did you want to go in?"
"Hm?" Edgeworth’s response was delayed: as if he were lost in thought. "No, that won’t be necessary; I was just looking."
Without another word, Edgeworth resumed walking further down the mall.
It had already been a few hours since they had arrived; the crowd was thinning out, and he wasn’t done shopping. There were still a handful of stores they hadn’t gone into yet, but Phoenix grew concerned he wouldn’t find the perfect gift for him.
They peeked into a few more stores until finally; they reached a small collectibles store. This had to be where he could get Edgeworth the perfect gift, but he couldn’t do it with the man standing right there with him. There was no way he could get him to leave without being obvious, but he had to at least try.
"Hey, uh, Edgeworth? Do you mind if I check this store out by myself really quick, and we can meet back up after?"
"Sure, Wright. I have something I want to see myself as well. Does meeting at the gazebo in thirty minutes sound all right with you?"
"Yeah, that’s fine! See you then."
If there was one thing Edgeworth’s friends knew about him, it was that he was a massive fan of the Steel Samurai. He may be the biggest denier of that fact, but that didn’t make it any less true. If he could find something in this store that was Steel Samurai themed, he would be sure to love it, especially because Phoenix suspected Edgeworth was too embarrassed to buy any merch himself.
He searched through the shelves until he came across a small section that had action figures from various video games and TV shows. The boxes were completely disorganized and strewn around haphazardly, like they didn’t care about their stock, or maybe didn’t see it as valuable.
He dug through the pile until the image of the Steel Samurai’s face on the side of a box caught his eye. Phoenix pulled it out of the stack. It appeared to be the only item they had there for the series.
When he examined it closer, he doubted it was even official. Surely he would have heard about a figure with this design. And the price… a hundred dollars wasn’t cheap, especially in his circumstances.
Left with few options, Phoenix called to consult with the other Steel Samurai expert he knew.
"Hi, Nick!"
"Hey Maya, just checking if you’re still the person to go to for anything and everything Steel Samurai?" he asked, his tone playful.
"Of course! Was there any doubt?" She laughed. "What do you wanna know?"
"Have you ever heard of a Steel Samurai figure based on flowers? Specifically, chrysanthemums?"
While Phoenix never knew much about flowers, chrysanthemums were one of the ones he purposefully learned about. The design of the prosecutor’s badge features white chrysanthemum petals; therefore, that flower reminded him of Edgeworth.
To him, this figure looked like the normal Steel Samurai, except he was dressed in a navy-blue yukata with an alternating red and white chrysanthemum floral print. His paper fan matched that shade of blue and featured one chrysanthemum in the center with both red and white petals.
"How did you know about that!?" Maya asked, incredulous.
"I’m guessing that’s a yes?"
"Yeah, like they made a whole line with each main character in the Samurai Expanded Universe getting a unique design represented by different flowers. A lot of people don’t know about them, since they were mainly made as gifts for the cast, with one of each going out to the public through a giveaway years ago."
He gripped the figure box in his hand a little bit tighter. "So, you’re telling me that there is only one of each of these in the wild?" His voice was a whisper.
"Um… yes? Unless someone in their crew sold theirs, but then I guess it would just be in someone else’s collection rather than in the ‘wild’."
The one-hundred-dollar price tag no longer appeared overpriced; it was a steal.
"What’s with the highly specific, yet unusual questions, Nick?"
He lowered his voice. "I just might have the Chrysanthemum Edition Steel Samurai in my hands right now—sealed box and everything."
"You what!?" she shouted into the phone, causing Phoenix to wince and pull it away from his ear.
He moved the phone back, and Maya continued speaking (at a normal volume, thankfully), "You have to buy it, Nick! You can’t let a treasure like that go!"
"I don’t plan on it."
Phoenix hung up and approached the store employee, who was entirely absorbed with whatever was on her phone. After clearing his throat to get her attention, he placed the figure on the counter, utilizing his years of poker practice to hide the near thievery he was getting away with.
No questions asked; no eyebrows raised. He couldn’t tell whether it was ignorance or apathy, but he successfully left the store with the Steel Samurai figure safely packed away in a branded paper bag. All he cared about now was meeting back up with Edgeworth.
Phoenix headed back to their meeting place to find Edgeworth already there, waiting patiently. Edgeworth’s shopping bags rested by his feet. He had three in total: his two from earlier and one new—a light blue bag with a sunflower printed in the center. Phoenix placed his bags down next to Edgeworth’s.
Though all his shopping was now complete, Phoenix was reluctant to leave. Today was his first time seeing Edgeworth in months—the prosecutor spending most of his time working abroad in Germany—and he had no idea when he planned to leave again. He wasn’t eager to say goodbye, especially so soon.
He rocked on his heels, looking at their surroundings. That was when he noticed a particular decoration hanging from the gazebo ceiling: mistletoe. He quickly turned away, his face warming up. Hopefully, Edgeworth hadn’t noticed. The implications as he stood there with him under the mistletoe… it didn't matter: no matter how badly he wanted it, it would never happen.
Struggling to think of what to say, he stood awkwardly next to Edgeworth, waiting for the other man to bring up their departure. Instead, he started a conversation with Phoenix, checking on how he’d been these last few months. He perked up, glad to spend more time with Edgeworth.
They talked about how their lives had been while they were separated. Edgeworth had been assisting Interpol with cases and was still studying legal systems while working as an international prosecutor. Edgeworth told him what he could about his cases, while Phoenix listened attentively. He was truly happy for him now that he was content with his choice to be a prosecutor and was progressing in his career.
Despite his comfort with Edgeworth and his belief that his friend would never look down on him, he found it difficult to give a straight answer when Edgeworth asked more about his life. Instead, he would steer the conversation back to Edgeworth or focus on talking all about Trucy instead.
Phoenix was a disbarred lawyer working as a pianist who couldn’t play. His income came from playing poker in the underbelly of a seedy restaurant, a result of being extraordinarily good at bluffing. Sometimes, he would bring his twelve-year-old daughter into an environment she had no place to be in, so he could use her ability to help him cheat and allow him to keep earning his limited income. Otherwise, their money came from that same twelve-year-old, who brought in more than him through her magic shows. His daughter was the breadwinner. He knew it was necessary, but that didn’t make him feel any better about it.
The current state of his life was his least favorite conversation topic.
Eventually, the conversation turned to their friends and how they were all doing. Edgeworth asked him about Maya and Gumshoe; Phoenix asked about Franziska in return. They both wondered about Larry; neither of them had seen him in quite some time. They joked that he was off with a girl somewhere.
Their conversation continued to flow. They gazed out at the people in the food court as they talked, occasionally glancing at each other. The sea of people gradually shrank to a lake, a pond, and a puddle. Soon, the few who remained trickled out, and it was only them.
They thought nothing of it, absorbed in their conversation, and all the catching up they had to do.
Too soon, yet too late—the conversation led to where it had to go, eventually.
"So," Phoenix started, taking a deep breath before continuing, "how long will it be this time?"
"Pardon?"
"When do you have to leave again?"
Edgeworth leaving was his next least favorite conversation topic, only bested four years ago.
His friend glanced to the side, knitting his eyebrows. "Wright… I—"
The mall went dark. The only illumination was from the many string lights.
"W-What? Why did they shut the lights off?" Phoenix asked.
Edgeworth flicked his wrist to check his watch. "It’s just after eight."
"What!? Already? I didn’t realize we were here this long, but… they wouldn’t close with us still inside, would they?"
"Hello?" Edgeworth called out, not receiving a response. "Let’s try to find someone."
They walked the length of the mall, calling and searching for anyone else, but they were alone. The doors to the outside couldn’t be opened. There wasn’t even an alarmed door that would open from the inside. They were completely locked in the mall. Alone.
Edgeworth pulled out his phone to call someone for help. "Great," he sighed, "I don’t have any service here." He shoved his phone back in his pocket before looking at Phoenix. "What about you?"
Phoenix reached into his pocket to grab his. He pressed the call button, but nothing happened. The screen didn’t even light up. He proceeded to mash the keypad, but none of the buttons responded to his touch. His battery must have died; he should’ve charged it last night.
His body language told Edgeworth everything, and he sighed before retreating to the food court. He sauntered back to the gazebo, dropping himself down on the steps. Phoenix walked up past him, leaning over the rails and out the side.
"I can’t believe this, Wright; we’re stuck here. No one else knows we’re in here. What kind of security does this place have? Completely unprofessional." Edgeworth placed his head in his hands.
"Well, the mall is opening tomorrow morning at eleven, so I guess it’s a good thing they don’t give their employees Christmas off, huh?" Phoenix said, partly sarcastic, partly relieved.
They were there in silence for a few moments until, finally, Phoenix broke it.
"Now that I think of it, I’ve never spent Christmas with you since we became friends again. I think this is even the first time you’ve been in the country for it."
"Is that so surprising? My favorite way to celebrate Christmas is by working, after all."
"But being around your friends and everyone who loves you, wouldn’t that make it—"
"Easier? What makes it easier is the month passing." He looked at his hands, squeezing them together. "Then it’s a little farther back in my mind, until almost a year, at least. I have nothing to celebrate."
Phoenix sat down on the step next to Edgeworth. "When Mia died, the holidays right after were… tough. For me, but especially for Maya. While we were preoccupied that year," Edgeworth looked away, his hand gripping his elbow, "she crossed our thoughts often. Years passed, and while we gradually felt the loss less and less, it was still impossible not to feel her absence, especially during a time so focused on family."
He placed his hand over Edgeworth’s, causing him to look back at Phoenix. "Having people around me during that time helped heal the hurt her absence caused. She wasn’t replaced—you can never replace the ones you’ve lost—but you can spend time with others you love. I know losing Mia isn’t the same as losing your dad, especially with everything else you went through after, but I think it would be good for you to spend time with others instead of drowning yourself in your work."
"I don’t know, Wright. I don’t see how spending time with others during this time of year would do anything more than serve as a constant reminder of what I’ve lost."
"Have you ever tried?"
"To celebrate? No. The last time was when you and Larry slept over on Christmas Eve and we all spent Christmas together."
"That was the last time? What about all the years with Von Karma?"
"Considering Von Karma’s idea of Christmas was throwing a new law book on our desks and tasking us to finish it before winter break was over, I think it’s safe to say Franziska and I didn’t celebrate."
"I see… well, that means you have no frame of reference to know if celebrating will help you or not."
"I suppose you are correct, but I have no interest in many Christmas traditions, anyway."
"I mean, I don’t really care for many of them either. I’m fine doing whatever, as long as it’s with one of my friends. We can start celebrating now."
"Now?"
"Yes, now."
"Have you forgotten we’re currently locked inside a mall?"
"That’s what makes it perfect. We’re going to be stuck here until Christmas morning anyway, so we’ll be spending Christmas together, doing whatever. Don’t think about it like you’re celebrating Christmas: think of it like you’re spending time with a friend, and it happens to be Christmas."
Edgeworth laughed softly. "Alright, what should we do first?"
"Well, you noticed how they forgot to bring down any of the gates to block access to the stores?"
"Another show of incompetency from the security here."
"Yes, well, let’s go around and see what we can do!"
They walked the length of the mall again until neon lights caught Phoenix’s eye. At the corner of the mall was a large store. As they got closer, he noticed all the flashing lights and equipment inside.
"Oh, look, Edgeworth! They have an arcade in here! Have you ever been in one?"
"No, I haven’t. I’ve never had much time for games."
"I haven’t been in one in years. I think the last time was with Larry in college."
They entered the arcade and wandered around, looking at all the games and arcade cabinets. He allowed Edgeworth to choose the first game they would play. As they moved around the arcade, eyeing the various games, memories came back to him.
He and Larry would regularly go to the local arcade together after school. The arcade was small, and the machines were frequently out of order, but they still had a lot of fun. They often spent their whole allowances there, trying to beat each other’s high scores. It was hard that day they showed up, when it was dark and empty, aside from sorry we’re closed, hanging on the entrance. People didn’t spend time at arcades like they used to.
Phoenix always wanted to go with Edgeworth. They had planned to go during Christmas break, but then…
He didn’t get to go to one again until college. There was a small arcade close to Ivy University. Larry and he would go every weekend instead of partying. After Larry got a girlfriend, he lost interest in going. It was fun while it lasted.
Edgeworth circled back to the entrance, where there was a coin dispenser. He pulled out his wallet from his back pocket and folded it open, flipping through until he pulled out a ten. Phoenix tried not to look, but he couldn’t help but notice how much cash was in his thick wallet. Edgeworth ran the bill between his fingers twice, straightening it out, before feeding it to the machine. After the barrage of clanging, Edgeworth reached his hand in and slipped the quarters into his pocket, visibly causing his pants to sag.
They took turns choosing which game to play. First, Edgeworth picked darts. Phoenix won, and it wasn’t even close. Edgeworth’s aim was terrible; he almost got a dart stuck in the wall near the board. He tried to hide his laughter when it happened, but it only irritated Edgeworth more.
Next, Phoenix chose Skee-Ball. This one wasn’t in his favor. He lost terribly. One ball bounced and rolled to the other side of the arcade. He jogged to grab it and bring it back, just in time to catch Edgeworth smirking at him. It was well deserved.
They passed by the air hockey table, and both decided to play it next. Their game was viciously competitive; neither wanted to let the other get a strong lead. They took turns scoring on each other until they were tied 6-6. The battle for the last point was fierce. There was a close call where Phoenix protected his goal in time as the puck ricocheted off the edge of his mallet. The puck pinged across the table, back and forth, without losing speed. Edgeworth jerked his bent arm forward to hit it back toward Phoenix. He missed; his error left the goal defenseless long enough that the puck slid right past and slotted itself in. With that, Phoenix won the game. It felt like one of his many court victories over Edgeworth—a stroke of luck in the final period giving him the upper hand.
Edgeworth accepted his loss, and Phoenix didn’t gloat.
They continued to play various arcade games: Pac-Man, Dig Dug, and Galaga. They took turns if they needed to and tried to help each other progress as far as they could. After playing, they moved on to find something else.
Edgeworth stared at a black arcade cabinet with a familiar design: the Steel Samurai.
"Huh, I didn’t know they made a Steel Samurai game. I’ll have to tell Maya." On second thought, that might be a bad idea: he didn't have much money to give her to play. "You want to check it out? It looks like it can be two-player."
"W-Well, only if you want to, Wright. The Steel Samurai isn’t my cup of tea, but I’m fine playing if that’s what you want to do."
"Right." Phoenix gave him a sidelong glance, smiling.
He pushed two quarters in, getting their game started. There were two modes: story and versus. They started with story mode, and each picked a character to play. Edgeworth chose the Steel Samurai, while Phoenix played the Nickel Samurai.
Edgeworth grinned next to him, despite his attempts to mask it. However, as the game progressed, Edgeworth’s smile dwindled until completely inverting. It wasn’t even forty minutes in before Edgeworth stepped away from the controls and threw up his hands.
"Oh, this is ridiculous!"
"What is?"
"This game is all wrong! Did the developers even consult with anyone involved in the Steel Samurai? Did Sal Manella or Will Powers have any say at all? The canon inaccuracies on display here are truly astounding."
Phoenix stared at him through his outburst. Partly amused, partly concerned—completely surprised.
"I've been trying to ignore it, but I cannot any longer. Wright, I can only go from screen to screen, visiting out-of-place locations and fighting generic enemies for so long—and that's just part of the issue here."
Miles moved back up to the cabinet. "I mean look," he pressed the yellow button, making the Steel Samurai do his special move, "see how the Steel Samurai throws shuriken? He's never done that in the series!"
"Never?"
"Not once!"
"It could be forgiven if they gave us a believable plot reason for why he changed his fighting style, but no, we got nothing of the sort! In fact, the ‘plot’ we get in this game—if you can even call it that—amounts to going on a quest to save the Pink Princess! The Pink Princess! The Warrior of Little Olde Tokyo, who has never been a damsel in distress and has only fought alongside the Steel Samurai! Not only that, but according to the intro, where we learn this ‘plot’, the game takes place after season two in the timeline. At the end of season one, the Evil Magistrate had his redemption arc; he would never kidnap the Pink Princess."
All worked up now, he paced back and forth, pausing at various points of his rant.
"Frankly, I have doubts this was meant to be a Steel Samurai game at all. The main character designs are accurate, the music is present, and the art on the cabinet is official," he counted off his fingers as he made his argument, "but everything else feels like a completely different game! It's like they just replaced some assets so they could use the Steel Samurai brand recognition. This truly is a slap in the face. They should be ashamed."
Phoenix stared at him, mouth agape, before switching to a toothy grin. "Wow, if I knew a shitty Steel Samurai arcade game would offend you enough to get you to admit you’re a fanboy, I would have taken you to one years ago."
Edgeworth recoiled. "Wright! I-I—"
"Hey! You can’t take it back now." He laughed to himself. "Let’s switch to versus."
Before battling, they change characters: Phoenix, the Steel Samurai; and Edgeworth, the Evil Magistrate. They mashed buttons as their characters attacked each other. It was intense—their full focus was on trying to beat each other. However, despite Phoenix’s best attempt, he was losing. Badly.
Edgeworth didn’t hesitate to rub it in. "Not doing so well now, are you, Wright?" The grin he wore assured Phoenix there wasn’t any malice in his words.
Phoenix chuckled. "Don’t forget who almost always defeats you in court." Immediately after he spoke, he was hit by a pang of sorrow.
"Oh, I don’t mind that so much," he said as he delivered the killing blow. "As long as we find the truth, we’re both winners."
Phoenix stepped away from the controls, hanging his head. "Well, it’s not like that can happen anymore," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
He had tried to bury these feelings, but sometimes he loses the struggle. His regret, his insecurity with the direction his life had gone, and his fear over losing what little he had left: Maya, Trucy, Edgeworth. Was it a when instead of an if?
He meandered to the other end of the arcade and sat on the backless bench next to the bathrooms.
Edgeworth followed him there, standing in front. "Wright?"
"When are you leaving again, Edgeworth? You didn’t get the chance to answer the last time I asked."
"Wright, right now I-I don’t know. I’m waiting for my next assignment to be set up. It could be weeks; it could be months. I’m planning to work here in LA in the interim."
"I know it’s selfish. I’m being unreasonable. It’s not like you’re—just never mind. I’m not owed any of it. A part of me is just worried that maybe you won’t want to come back one of these times. Maybe it’s better for you there. For your career, your well-being… your reputation."
"I hope you’re not seriously concerned about all that."
"I can tell what the stares are saying when I’m out in public. What they must all think of me."
"Wright, those people are wrong. You know that."
"It doesn’t matter whether they’re right or wrong. Once enough people believe something to be the case, that becomes the new truth. I think the ‘Demon Prosecutor’ should know that best."
Edgeworth stared at him, frowning. "What happened to always fighting for the truth to come to light? Is that something only reserved for the people you defended in court? Do you not deserve the same courtesy yourself?"
"I’m sorry, Edgeworth… these thoughts, I-I try to not let them take over—to win—but it becomes too difficult sometimes… especially late at night."
Edgeworth sat on the bench next to him. "Don’t give up on yourself, Phoenix Wright. Don’t give up on the truth. We’ll figure it out. I don’t know how long it’ll take, but justice will be served. I promise you that."
Phoenix worked up a smile and met Edgeworth’s eyes. "I believe you."
"I’m glad." Edgeworth stood up and extended a hand to him. "Now, let’s find something to eat."
There wasn’t anywhere in the mall where they could purchase prepared food, leaving the food court—and cooking—as their only option.
They decided to eat at a pasta shop in the food court. They needed to prepare everything themselves, but it was simple enough. After the water began bubbling, Edgeworth dumped in a box of spaghetti. Next to him, Phoenix added the frozen meatballs to a pot and dumped sauce over them. The shop’s special sauce had already been mixed and portioned, which took a lot of the guesswork out of it.
Edgeworth moved across the small kitchen to lay out several pieces of sliced baguette. He brushed on the pre-made garlic mixture, while Phoenix watched the pots, occasionally stirring and adjusting the temperature. After popping the bread in the oven, all they had left to do was wait.
When all the food was done, they made their plates and topped them with parmesan cheese. They grabbed some bottled water from the cooler outside the shop and headed to a food court table, plate in hand.
They ate their dinner together in the dark, aside from the string of lights surrounding the food court. The dimly lit setting made it difficult to make out Edgeworth’s features. It reminded him of candlelight, which, along with sharing a meal completely alone with Edgeworth, felt romantic. His face warmed, and he tried to push away the thought. Edgeworth staring at him made him heat up further.
After they finished eating, they cleaned up as best they could, and Edgeworth left more than enough money on the restaurant’s counter. Phoenix didn’t know if they’d have a problem with them using the equipment and eating the food, paid for or not, but he was sure there would be a negligence case against them if they did. Someone else would handle it, of course; he wasn’t a lawyer anymore.
They returned to their seats, and Edgeworth sat down while Phoenix kept walking.
"Where are you going?"
"Buying wrapping paper. Since we’re stuck here all night, I won’t have time to wrap the gifts before heading to Kurain. I need to do it now."
Phoenix stopped at the dollar store next to the food court. He grabbed two rolls of wrapping paper (barely any paper on these cheap ones), a pair of scissors, Scotch tape, a Sharpie, and a pack of stick-on bows. He left seven dollars on the counter near the register; enough to cover all the items and tax. Before leaving, Phoenix reached over and grabbed a plastic bag to throw all the supplies in, sans the wrapping paper.
Edgeworth was still sitting at the table where they ate dinner. Phoenix waited for Edgeworth to look at him before tossing him one of the wrapping paper rolls. Surprised, he fumbled with it, only getting a grip right before it hit the ground. His actions earned him a glare, as Edgeworth waited for him to explain himself. "You wanna help me wrap?"
"Alright, I might as well wrap mine while we’re at it. Though you could have asked without needlessly ambushing me with wrapping paper."
"Sure could’ve, but that wouldn’t have been nearly as fun." Phoenix grinned while Edgeworth scowled in response.
They grabbed their shopping bags that were still at the gazebo and laid their purchases and wrapping supplies down on one table. They took everything out of the bags, aside from two: Edgeworth’s, with the sunflower logo, and Phoenix’s, with the Steel Samurai figure inside.
They each moved to an adjacent table and, after checking that the surface was clean, rolled out their wrapping paper.
One by one, they wrapped the presents and put them aside in separate piles, marking the recipient’s name in black first. Edgeworth bought fewer gifts, so he finished first and moved on to helping Phoenix wrap his.
Now all that remained were the gifts in the two bags. They reached for theirs and began wrapping, using their bodies as a wall to not let the other see.
There were two piles: each designated which ones they wrapped and had roughly the same number of presents. Phoenix was surprised by how neat Edgeworth’s pile was. Phoenix was a fairly good present wrapper if he said so himself, but his didn’t look nearly as good as Edgeworth’s.
"H-How?"
"What?"
"How are you so good at wrapping presents?"
"Is it really that surprising?"
Phoenix shrugged. "I just thought since you haven’t really celebrated Christmas and because you were terrible at origami, you wouldn’t be very good at wrapping presents."
"Really, the origami thing, Wright? I told this to Larry, and now I’ll tell it to you too: I can now make a perfect quarter-inch crane without a single flaw! Anyway, you don’t have to celebrate Christmas to wrap presents."
"I know, but usually you have to do something often enough to get any good at it." Not like that was guaranteed, if his piano-playing abilities told him anything.
"Von Karma didn’t provide us with much of a Christmas, so Franziska and I would attempt to give our own. We used our allowances to buy each other gifts when we could. Everything is a competition with her, so that meant we competed against who could wrap gifts the best."
"And you won?"
"No, not even close. Hers were perfect; they still are."
"I mean, I can’t see a flaw with yours."
"Don’t say that around Franziska, unless you want to get whipped."
Edgeworth was right. She’d probably do it while saying something like, that’s because you don’t have an eye for perfection, Phoenix Wright. He quaked at the thought.
Phoenix stretched. He was getting tired, and his back and legs were sore from all of today’s activities. He was also getting sick of the constant Christmas music playing over the mall aisles and food court. They decided they would find somewhere to relax. The best option they had was a department store in the mall.
Inside the store, they headed to the furniture department. The only furniture they had in stock (and could relax on) were beds. Which, fine, that wouldn’t be a problem. They could each lay on a separate bed.
They only had one bed.
They hesitated a few moments, glancing at each other and then back away, before approaching the bed on opposite sides.
Phoenix sunk into the bed first. Edgeworth sat on the other side, facing away from him. Bending over, he fiddled with something on the ground.
"What are you doing?"
"Taking off my shoes. You’re not so unhygienic you would place your filthy shoes on a bed—especially one you don’t own, would you?"
"O-Of course not!" He swung his legs back off the bed, slipping out of his shoes before getting back into a comfortable position. "I-I’m offended you would think so little of me."
Edgeworth glanced back at him, still facing away. "Ah, so the bed shaking just now wasn’t you trying to remove them before I noticed?"
"…Fine, you got me. Sue me for wanting to be comfortable, jeez," Phoenix said, tone playful.
Edgeworth pushed himself back, lying down on the bed. "I haven’t any interest in pursuing cases that aren’t criminal, I’m afraid; as much as I think your terrible etiquette should be a crime." He gave Phoenix a smirk.
"I’m not sure I’ll be able to fall asleep."
"I have no intentions of sleeping, Wright."
"An all-nighter, then?" He hummed. "We haven’t been successful with that yet."
"What are you talking about?"
"All of our sleepovers as kids, you remember? We tried to make it through the night, but we would fail. Every single time."
Edgeworth laughs, quietly. "Ah, right. It was Larry who insisted we all stay up. He’d say sleeping was ‘boring’ and ‘only losers slept on a sleepover’, but who was the first to fall asleep each time?"
"Larry," they said synchronously.
"You know what was one of my favorite parts? The morning after. Your dad’s breakfast was the best."
Edgeworth chuckled. "He would just make us omelets and hash browns, but he always made them a little different each time. They truly were ‘the best’. You know, looking back at it now," he paused, sighing, "I think cooking for us was something he quite enjoyed as well."
"He liked to cook?"
"Sort of, but it wasn’t really about that. I think he just enjoyed cooking for others. I don’t remember my mother very well, but I know he used to love to make her meals. Then he was so busy with cases that he rarely had time to make home-cooked meals for us. The morning after one of our sleepovers, when he had the day off, was one of the few opportunities he had to do it. I think it encouraged him even more with how enthusiastic you and Larry were about the food."
"I had no idea," Phoenix said, his voice soft.
"I didn’t either at the time. It’s only with years passing and enough distance from the situation that I’m able to see things I haven’t been able to before."
They were quiet together for a moment before the conversation returned to their sleepovers.
"You know another thing I liked that your dad did for us on sleepovers?" Edgeworth looked at him, waiting. "We always got hot chocolate the night before."
"You hated the marshmallows."
"And you loved them; you couldn’t get enough, so I would give you all of mine. You always had a sweet tooth." Phoenix smiled, big and warm. Edgeworth mirrored his in response.
They continued talking. Mainly, it was Edgeworth recalling moments of his father and their childhood together. Phoenix listened intently, adding to the stories wherever he could. They smiled and laughed. Phoenix couldn’t remember the last time Edgeworth was this cheery. Maybe not since they were children.
"A-And then, I remember when Father walked in on us all asleep that Christmas morning and the state we were in. He questioned me the next day about my fee—" Edgeworth stopped himself, his face growing red.
"What, Edgeworth?"
"I-It’s nothing, forgive me. I’ve gotten so carried away with reminiscing; I’ve said too much."
Phoenix knitted his brow. "You can tell me anything, Edgeworth. Believe me."
Edgeworth sighed deeply. "…Alright, I suppose. When my father came in, h-he told me I was… laying against you, with my-my arm stretched across, almost as if—"
"You were cuddling?"
"Yes, Wright! But must you say it!?" He was nearly beet red now.
"Huh, I remember now."
"Remember what?"
"You doing that."
"How could you remember if you were asleep!?"
"Because," and now it was his turn to grow red, "I wasn’t asleep when it first happened. I-I was always last to fall asleep, so I was still awake when you rolled over and laid against me."
"You didn’t push me away or wake me up?"
"N-No, I," he couldn’t believe he was going to admit this, "I-I put my arm around you too, and eventually fell asleep." His voice grew softer as he reached the end of the sentence; a part of him hoped to go unheard.
After a few moments of silence following what had to be the most awkward and embarrassing moment of his life, the conversation moved on. Both men’s faces gradually returned to their normal hue.
"Huh…"
"What’s wrong?" Phoenix asked.
"I forgot about a lot of these moments… with my father, Larry, you… but talking about it all tonight brought so much back. I thought it would be too painful to speak about these memories from my past, but talking about them with you doesn’t hurt. It actually makes me happy. No, happy isn’t the right word. It makes me feel… comforted, in a way. Almost like he’s still here."
"I’m glad talking about him is bringing you some peace."
Edgeworth nodded, smiling to himself.
They lay there in silence, content in each other’s company. Soon after, soft snores came from Edgeworth’s side. Phoenix tried to still himself, afraid to stir and wake him up. He stared at the ceiling, his eyes growing heavy. He closed them, beginning to drift to sleep.
A weight on his chest startled him, yanking him away from the edges of slumber. Edgeworth rolled over in his sleep and pushed up against him, his arm slung across Phoenix’s chest. His heart pounded: he didn’t think they’d been this close since they were children.
He stiffened, not wanting to move an inch and wake Edgeworth up, or worse: make him shift farther away. Phoenix knew the closeness wasn’t intentional, and Edgeworth had no control over the movements he made in his sleep. Still, he wanted to savor the intimacy while he could before Edgeworth woke up and wouldn’t want to be that close to him.
He watched him as he slept, bangs curtaining his face, barely audible snores, and his chest rising and falling with each slow, rhythmic breath. Edgeworth looked so peaceful like this. Like he didn’t have any worries in the world. Phoenix wished that carried over to his waking life.
Soon, Phoenix relaxed and got comfortable under the weight. He stretched the arm closest to Edgeworth and placed it around his shoulders, holding him close and secure. He fought the temptation to kiss him on the cheek.
Phoenix’s breathing slowed, matching Miles', as he fell asleep.
He was awakened by the shifting bed and the loss of warmth. Miles sat on the edge of the bed, facing away. His head hung low in his hands. He trembled. Soft sobs escaped, despite his attempts to muffle them.
Phoenix sat up, shifting himself over to the other man. "Edgeworth?"
He held his hand up: a request to not come closer, without saying a thing.
The pain he was in was obvious, despite his fear of showing it. His fear of being vulnerable. Phoenix wanted to do whatever he could to help ease the pain, but he could only do what Edgeworth would allow him.
"Let me help you. You don’t have to suffer alone like that. It’s okay to be vulnerable around those who care about you." Around those who love you, he wanted to say.
Still quiet, Edgeworth lowered his hand, permitting him to get closer. Phoenix scooted up to his side. He rubbed circles on his back. Tense, Edgeworth soon relaxed into his touch.
"You had a nightmare?"
"Y-Yes, this is why I didn’t want to sleep! I don’t get them as often as I did before… you know, but I still get them regularly this time of year. I don’t know when it’ll stop, o-or if it’ll ever stop. It doesn’t matter if I know the truth: when I have that nightmare—I am my father’s killer once again."
Phoenix sat with him in silence, rubbing his back with one hand and grasping Edgeworth’s arm with the other. He cried softly, facing forward instead of looking at him. Phoenix watched as he slowly recovered. His tears drying, sobs reduced to the occasional sniffle. Finally, Edgeworth took a deep breath and straightened his back, turning to face Phoenix for the first time. "Th-Thank you, Phoenix. Few people have seen me like this, and out of those who have, you’re the only one who tried to provide comfort."
Phoenix smiled warmly, almost missing the fact that Miles called him by his first name. "I’m always glad to help you, Miles, but I’m sorry it’s the first time someone has."
Miles nodded, somber.
As it was now nearing opening time, they agreed to head back to the food court.
Hoping it could lift Miles’ spirits, he gave him his gift right there and then. Grabbing it from the table, he pressed the box into his hands.
"What’s this?"
"A gift for you, of course. I’m sure you’ll love it!" He beamed.
Miles carefully unwrapped his present, his face lighting up when he removed the paper covering the front. From there, he tore the rest of it off.
"H-How!? How were you able to get something like this!? I-I’ve never been able to track any of them down, let alone the Steel Samurai version! This is amazing, Phoenix." Finally, he broke his gaze with the Steel Samurai figure to meet Phoenix’s. "I don’t know what to say."
"As long as you don’t try telling me you’re not actually a fan again," he laughed, "I’m just happy to see you so ecstatic."
"I wouldn’t dream of it." He smiled.
Miles crossed over to the table to grab one of the gifts he had wrapped and handed it to Phoenix. "I’m afraid my gift is nowhere near as good as yours."
Phoenix tore open the wrapping paper, not able to hold back in anticipation of seeing what Miles bought for him.
Inside was a dual wooden picture frame. It was a vibrant yellow, with sunflower embellishments in the alternating top and bottom corners. There were two pictures inside. The one on the left was him and Miles together as kids. Looking at that photo brought him back. His dad took it. Phoenix’s arm was wrapped around Miles’ shoulder, while his was wrapped around Phoenix’s waist. With their free arm, they posed by pointing off to the side and shouting objection! to the camera.
In the photo on the right, it was him and Edgeworth again, but this one was taken after Iris’ trial at Trés Bien. They had sat at a booth close to each other. Maya took the picture from across the table. They were looking at the camera as well as each other. They were both smiling, full of hope and cheer. That day was one of pain for many people, but it was also one of closure. He wore his badge proudly on his lapel. No idea it would only be there for two months longer.
Closing the hinges of the frame, he examined the outside. It was completely black, aside from a message engraved in that same vibrant yellow:
No matter what anyone tries to say about you
I know who you really are
Phoenix Wright
His eyes welled up, touched by the sentiment and the undying belief Miles had in him.
"I’m sorry… it’s not much, especially after what you got me. I saw the sunflower motif of that custom print store and couldn’t help but think of you. I also had photos on my phone they could print out."
"Miles, don’t think for a second that your gift was anything but perfect." He sniffled, reaching up to wipe his tears. "I think this is the best gift anyone’s ever given me. It means more than you know. Truly."
They had a little while longer to wait now, so they spent the time talking at the gazebo again. Minutes passed, and Phoenix hadn’t noticed he’d been staring at the mistletoe whilst they talked. Once he realized, he turned his gaze back to Miles. When he did, Miles snapped his sight away from him and out to the food court, as if Phoenix caught him doing something he wasn’t supposed to; only then did he notice Miles had been staring at him in much the same way.
Miles leaned against one of the gazebo columns, his arms resting on the railings. His cheeks dusted pink.
Phoenix tentatively placed a hand over Miles’ and waited a moment, testing to see his reaction. He didn’t pull away. Instead, he looked at Phoenix, watching him intensely; like he was waiting to see what he would do next. Phoenix curled his fingers, lightly brushing against the back of Miles’ hand. In response, Miles moved his thumb, using it to caress the side of Phoenix’s hand.
They shifted closer together. His heart pounding, he reached out to place a hand on Miles’ waist. Miles raised a hand to cup his cheek in turn. They looked at one another for a few moments. Miles’ eyes searched his. It was as if time stopped as they stood there with one another; until finally, it came to a crashing start as their lips connected.
Phoenix cupped Miles’ face in both hands, while Miles reached around, slipping his hands under his shirt and up his back to hold him close. Their kiss was passionate, eager and hungry. It was a long-held desire that couldn’t be suppressed any longer.
They only stopped kissing to catch their breath, returning for a few tender pecks before reluctantly separating from one another. It was almost time to leave.
Security came to open the mall and was startled to see them there, waiting by the entrance. Before the man could attempt to apprehend them or otherwise treat them like criminals, Miles immediately began throwing his weight around. He sternly told him who he was, listing off every law they broke by inadvertently locking them up in there.
Miles told him how they had stolen nothing and left money for things they needed to stay for the night. The camera footage would be proof of their innocence. He finished his admonishment by letting him know if he, or the owners of the mall, have any issue with anything they had done, they were free to bring it to court. Stunned silent, the security guard let them exit the mall without any trouble.
They walked to the deserted parking lot and back to Miles’ car.
"Wait, Miles?"
"Yes?"
"Will you come up with me to spend Christmas with us at Kurain?" He held his breath as he awaited Miles’ answer.
"…Yes, I think… I think I’d like that."
Phoenix beamed. "Remember how I mentioned earlier in the night that it didn’t matter what you did for Christmas, only that you were spending it with someone?"
"Yes, what about it?"
"W-Well, for us, it doesn’t have to have anything to do with Christmas specifically. We could wrap and exchange presents together, play at an arcade, cook spaghetti, talk and reminisce all night instead of sleeping, share a bed, or… kiss under the mistletoe. Any or all of the above. We could continue adding traditions to it each year. Th-That is… if you were planning on it being more than a one-time thing?"
"That depends," Miles smiled softly, "do we have to get locked inside a mall again?"
Phoenix chuckled. "I think it’s best to leave that one as a one-timer." He brushed his fingers against Miles’ before holding his hand. "I’m glad it happened," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
"I am as well," Miles whispered back.
Phoenix grinned. "Okay, we should head out now. We have a lot of presents to deliver."