madimpossibledreamer

Probably going to have to go through and actually figure out the ratings system eventually.

Main Points:
Ace Attorney AU
Chapter VIII
Summary: The group eats breakfast, and Edgeworth has a proposition for Phoenix...
Word Count: 2,331
Rating: K+

Phoenix happened to notice the suspicious look in Maya's eyes this time. Well, it wasn't as if they hadn't taken forever to actually catch up (and his silliness had also put her behind on her food schedule...) He felt his cheeks flare and couldn't meet her eyes. (Humiliation, something I am very familiar with. I'm pretty sure it lives across the hall or something. ...Nah, that's that obsessive actor fangirl. Or was. Right, I should get used to the fact I don’t have an apartment anymore…) At least leaning on Edgeworth made it easier to hide his mortification from the world. Edgeworth probably noticed, but it wasn't as if they weren't partners in slight humiliation this time, so Edgey probably wouldn't risk further drawing attention to it by teasing him about it.

But seriously, why did he have to twist his ankle running? As far as he could tell, he hadn't really tripped over anything either. He had the strangest turns of luck sometimes...

"My apologies, Maya-chan. But you could have entered and ordered anyway. It's not as if we're not regulars." Edgeworth's voice was uncomfortably close, and suddenly more formal again.

Pearly was staring at the two of them with an uncomfortably contemplative stare, and Maya puffed out her cheeks, angry again. "As if I would be that rude!"

Nick couldn't help the grin, even though he knew it might get him even more wounded than he currently was. "No, no, it's not rudeness, Maya. We're being the rude ones, keeping you from your food. I know how important it is to you!"

Maya's face twisted into a very strange expression, as she tried to decide whether to be amused or insulted. Edgeworth gestured at the door with his free hand, eager to stave off any more uncomfortable moments. "Please, I'm sure we're all starving by this point."

She practically tore through the doors, Pearly hot on her heels, and he heard an unfamiliar woman's laugh.

He glanced up. "The EyeSpy Cafe?" he wondered out loud, and was rewarded by a barely-there yet genuine smile on Miles' face.

"It's amusing, and has good food. It's not that much further, so please try to cooperate."

"...I knew that...and I am!" Phoenix ended up grumbling, wanting to cross his arms except for the fact that trying would cause them both to stumble. The slight chuckle told him that at least someone was more amused by this than he was.

"You're certainly more cooperative than Prosecutor Wright, that's for sure," Edgeworth mumbled under his breath. He probably didn't mean for Nick to hear it, but it still made Phoenix cringe a little inside. (Oh, yeah, right...or should I say Wright? Ha...haha...)

(Okay, yeah, it's not actually all that funny. All this and he's still putting up with me? Poor Edgey.)

He opened his mouth, only to be cuffed lightly on the shoulder. "Wright, I told you not to worry about it." (H-how does he do that?) "Never mind that, let's sit with the others, shall we?" (Am I just saying my thoughts out loud all this time and never noticed? It would explain so much....I can't believe the whole 'I have an easily readable face' thing. That just doesn't work.) Apparently Maya and Pearls had taken a booth and were now enjoying the cushions.

"Mystic Maya, I'm a spy!" she exclaimed loudly.

"Shh," Maya said, pulling out a pair of mustache glasses and placing them on her nose. "You'll ruin our cover."

They both smiled—Phoenix more obviously, of course—at the antics of the Feys.

He noticed how gently Edgeworth sat him down on the opposite side, before glancing at the menu.

"Wright." The glare had returned. "Would you mind moving so I can sit as well?"

"O-oh, right. Sorry." He shuffled over as far as he could go. (Huh, these booths are a little...small...) He tried to surreptitiously glance at the prosec-defense attorney. Oddly enough, the man didn't seem to be bothered at all by the fact that he was practically squished in next to Phoenix. (Odd. Out of everyone, I'd think he'd be the most worried about personal space. Then again, Maya did mention how torn up he was about my death, so maybe that has something to do with it...)

"Are you going to look at the menu, Wright?" The voice wasn't actually angry. Maybe a bit arrogant, but unless he was very much mistaken, it was accompanied by a hint of concern.

“It’s just…everything’s weird and I might have a breakdown if I’m not careful. I mean, the world was falling apart last night, when I thought the only thing I had to deal with was a crazy killer for hire and Maya—” His voice cracked, without his consent. Maya was just fine. The whole kidnapping thing wasn’t a problem anymore. But his eyesight kept threatening to pixelate, to grey out. With the way his hands were shaking and the fact that, embarrassingly enough, those were probably tears gathering in his eyes and he hadn’t been this much of a baby since college…

He caught a brief glimpse of Maya’s horrified face, Pearls jumping up in her seat, attempting to give him some sort of reassurance, and then his world narrowed to a string of words that had no meaning and pressure on his arms. When awareness started to come back, his cheeks were practically soaked and hands were on his shoulders as he hid his head in his hands. “It’s all right, Phoenix. Engarde is in jail. I had Maya call the jail to make sure he was still there, and contact Shelley deKiller to make sure that that particular case is not going to repeat itself. Can you hear me, Phoenix? It’s all going to be all right.”

Edgeworth of all people was offering him comfort? What kind of crazy world was this, anyway? He finally lifted his head from his hands to see Maya, who for the first time in a long while looked sympathetic, and Pearls, who might start crying again. If nothing else, he had to be strong for Pearls.
“Yeah, it is. Sorry. It’s been a crazy…whatever. I’m not even sure how long it’s been anymore.” He tried a feeble attempt at a smile, and it was apparently just good enough.

“Are you okay, Mr. Nick?” Pearls asked quietly, subdued for once, and he tried even harder.

“Yeah, I just…had to get that out of my system. I was really worried about Maya.” With the way she looked at him, for once she wasn’t missing the obvious. She knew exactly how much he was hurting, and she even had a bit of an apology in her eyes. “With that out of the way, I should be better.” How, he wasn’t sure. He didn’t have a job, he didn’t have a place to stay, he didn’t even have an identity here. The only version of him that had existed was a monster who’d hurt Edgeworth and Maya and pretty much anyone else who had cared, and was now dead. But at least his friends were alive, and safe. He’d figure out some way to turn it around, he always did, and in the meanwhile he had to smile, because it most certainly was not the end, and in the meantime, if he plastered on a smile for long enough, he could bluff his way through. “Please, I’ve kept everyone from food long enough!”

“You’ve got that right, mister!” Maya poked, grinning. The shows she was capable of putting on…everyone, even him, was always underestimating Maya.

The woman from the back finally came out, nodding at him especially, and he found his cheeks warming. Again. She had an eyepatch, and looked lean. If he had to guess anyone was a spy, he’d pick her. But she wasn’t one of those hardened spies who didn’t care about anyone. “Cases of shell shock mean that the food is on the house.”

“But…” he began, and simultaneously found Maya and Pearls glaring at him. “Uh-yeah, okay!”

She laughed again, lower pitched than he’d expected, and continued, “I’m also fairly certain that both you and Miles here need to eat more.”

Edgeworth actually rolled his eyes, handing her the menu. “MI5 special with bag and burn, my usual.”

“C-could I have the honey trap?” Pearls asked, wide-eyed.

“Sure. And what would you like to drink, agent?” the woman, Anna according to her nametag, asked respectfully.

“Ummm….orange juice?” the small Fey answered, a little shyly. Anna nodded.

“Two honey traps for myself, and Agent Smoothie!” Maya really, really wanted food.

“The usual then. What about you, rookie agent?” She knew he wasn’t ready, and had a twinkle in her eye.

“….What’s chicken feed?” he asked, staring at the menu with a feeling he’d pretty much previously only reserved for Larry—mixed confusion and a touch of awe.

She leaned in and lowered her voice, as if they’d be overheard. “That would be my own special oatmeal, slow-cooked. Strawberries, a touch of white chocolate, brown sugar. If you’re looking for a mission, it’s a great decision.”

…That sounded amazing. He thought he’d whisper too. Honestly it sounded kind of hokey, but it actually was kind of fun. “Okay. And, uh…what’s the difference between black bag joe, dead drop coffee, and burned coffee?”

“Burned coffee is pretty much what it sounds like-on purpose,” she added as she saw his expression, still whispering. “The black bag joe is in-house ground, tends to have more flavor. Dead drop coffee is from a ground mix, and it’s faster.”

“Dead drop, I think.” He hadn’t really had coffee that was previously whole beans before. He handed her a menu and was just in time to see Edgeworth make a face. “Sorry, Agent Edgeworth, but I’m not used to the fancy stuff, okay?” She grinned again and headed to the back.

Miles let out a gust of air. “I’ll have to make sure you become used to it. The ground stuff is…repulsive.” Maya made a strange face across the table, and he wondered what that was about.

“Says the guy who only ever has tea. I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t even know the difference.” Nick was grinning. He was allowed to tease Edgeworth again, and the closeness…he’d missed it.

“I don’t always have just tea, thank you very much. And I’ve had to occasionally sample the ground coffee on the grounds that I’d rather do that than fall asleep in court.” He wasn’t as mad as usual. In fact, he was a little worried. Not that someone who didn’t know him would’ve noticed, but…Hopefully it wasn’t because of his show earlier.

“That’s understandable. I mean…sometimes I’d like some of the fancier stuff, but it’s not like I can really afford it.” He didn’t allow himself to feel or care when something was out of reach. Better than sitting moping around because he didn’t and couldn’t have something.

“Wright.” A hand was on his arm again, and he felt a touch of panic. What was going on, really? It wasn’t like earlier, where he’d been completely out of it in his breakdown… “I will make sure you are fed better food than Maya’s usual fare sometimes, even if I have to kidnap you on occasion. And you know I keep my promises.”

Nick wasn’t sure whether he should thank Edgeworth or break out into a sweat. That had sounded vaguely threatening, even if it had only been meant as a joke. The thankful and scared smile he managed probably told the story, as now Edgeworth just looked amused. Maya and Pearls didn’t notice—their meals had arrived, pancakes apparently, and they were now eating like they had been starving for days. Of course, a few hours without eating kind of counted as that for Maya. Possibly the Fey clan. He didn’t know.

“Wright…it is no shame to react to the world strongly. I much prefer this to the one who didn’t care about anyone or anything.” Edgeworth continued just barely biting his lip. “I…occasionally get overwhelmed as well. Though I will deny I said such a thing should you repeat it elsewhere.” Phoenix nodded, feeling touched. That this Edgeworth, more open than the prosecutor version but still very much private, would choose to share something so personal was a huge gesture, he knew. The fact that he knew not to make a big fuss about it, just a few quiet words when not everyone was staring…how had Edgeworth become the one who was good with people? The pressure on Edgeworth’s lip intensified as he worried at it. Whatever he was going to say next was even bigger. “I know you have no place to live, job, anything of the sort. I…I would like to formally extend the invitation for you to work at Edgeworth & Co. Law Offices. For one thing, it’s high time another lawyer worked there to justify the ‘and company’ part of the sign. I would be honored to work alongside you, Wright.”

Phoenix wanted to answer immediately, that he’d like nothing better, but the food arrived and Miles pinned him with a warning look before turning to his own plate, with bacon, pancakes, sausage, eggs, and…mushrooms and a tomato? Apparently he was supposed to actually consider the offer, not answer immediately. Nick thought about it as he dug into the oatmeal enthusiastically, making approving noises. He’d love to work alongside Edgeworth, get to know the guy after so long. And it wasn’t as if he really had anywhere else to go. But…was this a good future?

After he finished his oatmeal, he turned to Miles, reaching one hand out for his friend to shake. “I’d love to, Edgeworth.” Edgey didn't react immediately, and he rolled his eyes. "Stop second guessing yourself, Miles. Or me. I know what I'm doing."

"Objection. I have plenty of evidence to the contrary," Miles stated quietly, remembering not to yell for once, but shook his hand anyway.