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“Ready to go, dear?”
This is probably the fanciest Phoenix had ever looked. Since it was his first time at a black tie event, Miles commissioned a navy blue tuxedo with beautiful silk lapels and gold cufflinks. Phoenix tried to ask for a red tie to match his usual attire, but Miles firmly refused. It’s a black tie event, after all.
Miles donned an elegant velvet dinner jacket that matched the color of his favorite wine. His dress pants and lapels were a rich black, bringing the whole outfit together. Instead of his usual ruffles, he wore a black bowtie, matching Phoenix’s.
“I think so. You sure I look okay?”
“You look wonderful.” Miles said as he stepped closer to Phoenix to straighten his collar. “Shall we?”
Miles opened the door for Phoenix, like a true gentleman. They exited the apartment and got into the car.
The occasion was the Prosecutor’s Ball. Since the Dark Age of the Law ended, it had become a tradition to celebrate the prosecutors who fought for the truth. It was an extravagant event, held at the most luxurious venue in the city. Again, this was Phoenix’s first time attending such an affair, so he wasn’t sure if he’d fit in. He had always felt a bit insecure about the fact that he wasn’t as refined as his boyfriend, even though he always insisted it wasn’t a problem.
After a short drive, they arrived at the venue. There were pillars with golden details lining the facade of the building. The area in front of the entrance had an impressive fountain, the water framing the marble statue of Themis, the goddess of the law.
Phoenix was overwhelmed by the opulence in front of him. Never did he imagine that he would be invited to such a place. Well, technically he wasn’t. He was just Miles’ plus-one. But even that was inconceivable to him.
Upon entering the foyer, they were greeted by a doorman. A young guy, probably in his mid-20s, but way more classy than Phoenix could ever be. He greeted the couple with a polite smile.
“Good evening, gentlemen. May I have your names?”
“Good evening. Edgeworth and Wright.” Phoenix let Miles do the talking for both of them, as he was too nervous to say the wrong thing.
“Hm, let me see… Ah yes, Edgeworth. I don’t see a Wright, though.”
“That’s possible. He is my plus-one.”
“Ah, of course. Please enter. Have a nice evening.”
Miles gave the doorman a small nod as a thanks. Phoenix nervously imitated him. It made sense that he wasn’t on the list, but it solidified the feeling that he didn’t belong. He was only there because for some reason the rich, handsome prosecutor chose to love a previously disgraced defense attorney who was barely scraping by. Even though he got his badge back and had his name cleared, his past still made him feel tarnished.
Then they entered the main hall.
Jesus, it was intimidating.
It was filled with the most revered prosecutors dressed in expensive attire. From designer dresses to cashmere suits. (At least Phoenix assumed they were cashmere, he just knew that was an expensive fabric.) The ceiling was adorned with lavish chandeliers, almost blinding him.
One of the prosecutors approached the two men, striking up a conversation with Miles.
“Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth. I’m delighted to see you.”
“Please, it’s my pleasure. You have my thanks for inviting me once more to this event. May I introduce you to my partner? This is Phoenix Wright.”
“Ah, the infamous Phoenix Wright. I’ve heard lots about you.” The stranger said with a chuckle, indicating he was joking. “Pleasure to meet you.” He extended his hand to Phoenix.
“Likewise.” Phoenix reached out to shake his hand, trying his best to stay composed despite that comment.
The man looked over their shoulder, giving a nod to someone on the other side of the room. “Gentlemen, please excuse me.” He said before taking off.
“Uh, who was that?”
“Ah, that’s Supreme Court Justice Ramiro. He’s the one who organized all this.”
“Ah, I see. He seems… friendly.”
“I have a good professional relationship with him. But other than that, I don’t know him very well.”
Their conversation was interrupted by one of the waiters butting in.
“May I offer you some gazpacho?” He held out a tray with tiny glasses, filled with a thick, reddish-orange liquid. Miles took one, elegantly taking a sip, while Phoenix hesitantly followed suit.
“I must say, this gazpacho is impeccable. Probably the best I’ve ever had. What do you think, Phoenix?”
Phoenix took a sip, not expecting gazpacho to literally be cold soup. He liked tomato soup, but something about it not being hot was off-putting to him. He tried his best to hide the gag that was about to spill from his throat, luckily succeeding to do so. “Hm. Yeah. Tastes great.”
Phoenix was startled when a woman suddenly approached them. “Edgeworth! How are you, darling? Mwah! Mwah!” She gave Miles some exaggerated air kisses.
“Prosecutor Bailey. I am well, thank you. How are you?”
“Absolutely wonderful. I was finally able to close that case I’d been working on for months. Turns out, the defendant did do it, but he was in an altered state of mind. That definitely made things difficult for us, since he was reluctant to plead insanity.”
“That’s quite the situation indeed. How did the trial end?”
“Oh, for that, I need prosecutor Lamont. Marshall? Would you be a dear and come here? We’re talking about the Briar case.”
Prosecutor Lamont joined the conversation. Soon after, more people came over to hear about the trial. Phoenix listened, trying to make sense of what they were saying. He was pretty sure some of it wasn’t even English.
“So the judge said, I’d expect you to understand the gravitas of the situation. To which the defendant seriously answered And I’d expect you to know the meaning of bonitas! I swear, the sass on this guy!”
The group erupted in laughter at the woman’s anecdote. Even though Phoenix knew some Latin from his time in law school, the joke went so far over his head, it was probably in outer space at this point.
He was getting more and more uncomfortable by the minute. He had nothing to contribute to the conversation, feeling like a damn child with those who are supposed to be his fellow lawyers, his peers. Normally, he’d find some comfort in Miles, but he was so engaged with the other prosecutors that he wasn’t paying attention to Phoenix at all. He thought about excusing himself to go to the bathroom, but decided that interrupting the conversation to do so would be too awkward, or rude, even. Instead, he opted to just sneak away from the group.
Right when he turned around, he collided with one of the waiters, spilling the appetizers on the poor worker’s chest and making the silver tray fall to the ground with a clatter. The sound was loud enough to cut through any conversation, silencing the room and pointing all eyes at Phoenix. He wanted to help the waiter, apologize, but he panicked and ran out of the building as fast as he could.
Once outside, he found a secluded place on the side of the building to sit that wasn’t the ground. After ruining the party, the last thing he wanted to do was ruin his expensive suit too.
He started sobbing the moment he sat down. It was stupid of him to join Miles to the Prosecutor’s Ball. He didn’t know what was worse, the fact that he ruined the event, or the fact that he ruined Miles’ image. His boyfriend trusted him. And in return, Phoenix gave him the reputation of “the Chief Prosecutor with the absolute dolt of a partner”.
Phoenix could already predict the comments that would come Miles’ way.
What do you see in him?
Is he manipulative? Is that why you can’t leave him?
It’s an arranged marriage or something, right? There’s no way you would actually choose to be with him.
The worst part is, all of them would make sense. There is no way someone like him would actually choose to be with someone like Phoenix.
“Phoenix, are you alright?”
He looked up, his teary eyes meeting grey ones full of concern.
“Just go back to the ball. You don’t need to worry about me.”
“Are you kidding? Of course I worry about you. I love you.”
“Why though? It’s obvious that we’re from two completely different classes. You’re sophisticated, laughing at jokes with fancy Latin words. I’m a bumbling idiot who almost threw up that cold tomato gas-patch or something and bumped into a waiter, making a mess. I made a fool out of you in front of the entire hall.”
“Of course you didn’t. Accidents happen. Just last year, prosecutor Bailey tripped over her own feet and bumped into the champagne tower. I’d argue that that’s more embarrassing than bumping into a waiter.”
“But she’s a respected prosecutor. The Supreme Court Justice called me the infamous Phoenix Wright.”
“Oh, I- I’m sorry. I didn’t hear that comment. I’m sure he didn’t mean it, though.”
“I know he didn’t actually mean it. But that comment still hurt. Even though they know I was innocent, they still only see my past. It’s a stain on my reputation that I will never be able to wash off.”
“That’s not true, Phoenix. You’d be surprised at how highly they talk of you and your accomplishments at the office.”
“You’re just saying that.”
“I’m not. Did you seriously forget that your reinstatement was one of the things that marked the end of the Dark Age of the Law?”
“I thought that was Blackquill’s acquittal.”
“That’s the other thing. But you getting your badge back was the beginning of the end.”
“Hm. Even so, you shouldn’t be with me. You should be dating someone within your league, not below it.”
“… How dare you.”
Phoenix looked at Miles with wide eyes. He didn’t expect his reaction to be anger.
“How dare you decide what I should and should not be doing? Who I should and should not be dating? I am perfectly capable of deciding that. And for you to suggest that I am not is quite frankly insulting. Why can’t you trust that I love you for you? I couldn’t care less about status or class. If anything, your casualness has enriched my life. I’ve never felt more like myself than I do when I’m with you, not feeling like I need to put on a mask of poise and sophistication.”
“But… your reputation.”
“Phoenix for god’s— if I really cared more about my reputation than you, you’d be the one who should not be with me. If the prosecutors look down on me because of what happened tonight, then so be it. I will never go to another Prosecutor’s Ball as I do not want to be surrounded by shallow people like that. But I can assure you that they’re not. I know you’re stubborn, but I am begging you to get it through that thick skull of yours that you are the most important person in my life and you make my life so much better. I love you. And don’t you dare say that I shouldn’t ever again.”
Phoenix took in the words. Miles’ anger and frustration actually reached him. He knows his boyfriend isn’t one to show those kinds of emotions unless he really means it.
And he really did mean it.
Phoenix was speechless. As much as he wanted to deny it, Miles’ arguments were airtight. All he could do was cry tears of happiness, relief, and love.
Miles put his arm around him, pulling him into his chest. Phoenix resisted.
“I don’t want to get tears and snot all over your suit.”
“Oh, to hell with the suit. Again, you’re more important.”
He finally gave in, resting his cheek on the soft cotton shirt, letting his tears flow into the fabric. He sniffed, multiple times, trying to contain the snot running down his nose. Miles noticed, wiping it with the velvet sleeve. It felt soft against his face, even softer than the expensive tissues Miles always insisted on buying.
Phoenix’s stomach growled. He was too nervous about the event to eat and the appetizers were too fancy for his taste.
“Ah, that’s right. You didn’t like the gazpacho.”
“Nope. It was disgusting. Sorry for having a peasant’s taste palate.”
“To be fair, it’s an acquired taste. It’s not for everyone. Do you want to get some burgers instead?”
“Burgers are messy, though.”
“Are you seriously still hung up on the suits? I don’t give a ‘shit’, as the youth say.”
Phoenix made an exaggerated gasp sound, grabbing his imaginary pearls dramatically. “Miles! Language!”
“Just wanted to show you how much I mean it. Trucy told me teens use it to emphasize a point. And besides, you didn’t say you didn’t want burgers. So I assume you do want to get some.”
“You know me too well. Yes, I would like some burgers.”
“Then we shall get some.”
“But what about the event?”
“Nothing sounds better than getting greasy burgers with my dear partner.”
“Really? Nothing? Not even some coq au vin?”
“I would eat at a gas station if it meant spending time with you.”
Phoenix felt so loved hearing that. Miles truly did love him, no matter what. He was so grateful to have a partner as amazing as him.
“Let’s head to the car. What was the name of the burger place again? Regal Burger?”
The name was actually Royal Burger, but Miles was so cute when he said it, using his fancy words, that he didn’t want to burst his bubble.
“Yep, Regal Burger.”
When they drove up the fast food restaurant, Miles realized that he got the name wrong. Phoenix pretended he didn’t know either.
Phoenix ordered a triple decker burger, while Miles opted for a simple single burger. Phoenix made sure to make a show out of laying napkins on his lap and stuffing one in his collar.
“How many times do I need to tell you not to worry about the suits?”
“I just wanted to make the experience a bit more fancy. If only I had some candles.”
Miles rolled his eyes, grabbing his burger and taking a bite. A big blob of ketchup spilled out from the other end, staining his previously perfect shirt.
“Ah, drat. Oh well.”
Phoenix gave a small chuckle at Miles making a mess like a normal person. As Phoenix was usually the one to make a mess, it was a nice change of pace. “To hell with the suit, right?”
“To hell with the suit.”