Work Text:
When you walk away
You don't hear me say,
"Please, oh baby, don't go."
Simple and clean is the way
That you're making me feel tonight
-- Simple and Clean by Utada Hikaru
from the Kingdom Hearts soundtrack
-
The memory of a boy with grey bangs and a sharp tongue had faded away long ago, so when Phoenix Wright discovers some strands of grey in his hair when he turns eighteen and then promptly ignores it, can anyone really blame him?
He goes to his art and theatre classes like it's a normal day. On all accounts, it feels like a pretty normal day. Larry makes a comment like, "Dude, were you kissed by a troll or something?" and Phoenix has to respond with, "Stop making Frozen references," because he hasn't stopped referencing the movie ever since he started dating his newest girlfriend (who seems to have a soft spot for that Disney movie in particular).
Really, Phoenix goes through his simple day thinking about nothing in particular.
-
(On the other side of the world, when Miles turns eighteen, he doesn't have time to think about childhood memories. All he can think about is how to appease his heavily anti-soulmate adopted father/mentor figure while trying not to cry over bleach, hair dye, and the baffling instructions that came with the box of hair dye. It's not simple at all.)
-
It occurs later to Phoenix that his strand of grey hair might have been a soulmate highlight. But by that time, he's grown in quite a few grey hairs of his own from the stress of law school, the bar exam, and actually, well, being a lawyer.
He frowns, looking at the mirror, looking at his greying hair.
Maya had called him an old man today.
He frowns.
Maybe he should pick up a box of hair dye the next time he goes shopping.
-
The look on Maya's face when he walks into work with no grey hair is priceless.
-
He doesn't have the time to think too much about soulmates much at all, because he meets Edgeworth, loses him, then finds him again. Maya comes and goes, and so does Edgeworth, then he falls through a bridge and Edgeworth comes back.
Then he loses his badge and everything goes to hell.
-
He takes in Trucy, because of course, he has to.
Phoenix Wright loses his badge but gains a daughter.
-
He can't afford hair dye anymore.
The beanie covers up most of his hair anyway.
-
"Wait, have you been dying your hair grey this entire time?"
Miles immediately moves to brush his hand through his hair. "Grey?"
Phoenix sets down the paperwork on the coffee table in front of them. He squints at Miles' hair, frowning. They've been friends for a while, haven't they? But he hasn't noticed this development at all. He's over for a work-visit, technically, helping out his old friend with some cases. Across the world in Europe, he can almost pretend that what happened in the States never occurred. He can pretend that he managed to be Miles' childhood friend through thick and thin, his friend through the ages. DL-6, von Karma, Kristoph, he can pretend that none of it exists when he's sitting here in Miles' apartment, leaving the world and all of its woes outside.
Phoenix frowns, moving to brush Miles' hand away and look at the roots of Miles' hair. "Well, right here, see," he pokes at the spot where he sees the faintest spot of black from his hair. "You have black roots, Edgeworth. Has your hair been naturally black this whole time?"
Miles rolls his eyes, pushing him off.
"No, idiot. Do you think I've been dying my hair grey since I was a child?"
"Well," Phoenix says, frowning. "I suppose not."
"One strand of my hair is black," he states plainly. "So it is only that particular section of my hair that I continue to dye."
Phoenix's eyes widen. "You have a soulmate?"
Miles flinches. "Y-yes? Why is that so surprising?"
"You've been hiding it this entire time. I don't see why I wouldn't have such a revelation." Phoenix frowns. "Are you ashamed of it or something?"
"Hrnk..." Miles looks away. "Well, no. Not really. I..."
"What?"
"I was, when it first grew in."
"You were, huh?"
"... Nothing against my soulmate, of course. But at that time in my life, I was heavily ashamed of... well, everything."
Phoenix gives him a small smile. "I see. And I understand."
Miles nods.
"Do you think your soulmate is out there?"
Miles snorts. "A ridiculous question. This enough is proof of that," he gestures up towards his hair.
"No, I mean, do you think they're waiting for you?"
Miles blinks. "Waiting?"
"They must have been wondering for a long time. Who you were, I mean. Who their highlight of grey hair belongs to."
Miles shifts slightly. "... I haven't given it much thought."
"You mean you haven't, or you didn't want to?" Phoenix prods slightly.
Miles gives him a frown. "Must you put it that way?"
Phoenix gives him a sheepish grin. "Sorry."
"Hrnk..." Miles looks down at his own hands. "... I suppose so. I suppose I owe them a long story."
"As far as I'm concerned, I don't think you do. Soulmate things are weird, you know. Did you know that there are people that get together that aren't soulmates? And that there are people that get together but only realize they're soulmates until years later? And that there are some people that are soulmates but don't get together for whatever reason?"
Miles snorts. "Really?"
"Really, really! So I don't think it's that big of a deal."
"Hm." Miles picks up the file that Phoenix had discarded onto the table earlier in the conversation. "Well, I'm not going out of my way to find a soulmate. If this person falls into my lap, then, well, we'll see. But for now, it's not the biggest of my priorities."
"Seems fair enough." Phoenix yawns, getting up. "When's dinner?"
"It's five pm. What are you, an old man?"
Phoenix sticks out his tongue.
"Real mature, Wright."
"So what am I? An old man? Or immature?"
"An immature old man."
Phoenix shakes his head. "Edgeworth, you're so mean."
"I don't see you denying it," Miles gets up. "But if you're really that hungry, I suppose we can see if dinner can be prepared now."
Phoenix chuckles. "You'll do anything I ask you, huh?"
"Well, it's impolite to have a guest starve to death in their house, I suppose. That's what Franziska would say, even if the guest happens to be you."
Phoenix grimaces. "Gee, thanks."
Miles just responds with a hearty chuckle as he walks into the kitchen.
-
"Do you have a soulmate, Wright?"
Phoenix looks up from his bowl of noodles, bewildered. "Huh?"
"I was asking if you had a soulmate. Do you ever listen?"
"I mean," Phoenix swallows. "I was listening. I just didn't expect that line of questioning to come out of nowhere, out of all things."
"Ah. Well, you seemed to know quite a bit about soulmates. So I figured I would ask, to quell my curiosity."
Phoenix laughs, setting down his fork. "I suppose that's a fair question."
Miles looks at him expectantly. Phoenix swallows. How should he answer this question?
"... Is, I don't know, a proper response?"
Miles frowns. "... How do you not know?"
Phoenix shifts awkwardly in his seat. The bowl of noodles is sitting in front of him, but he suddenly feels as if he's lost his appetite.
"The thing is, I don't know. I really don't know. When I turned eighteen, I remember seeing some grey hairs."
Miles blinks.
"But I brushed it off as actual grey hairs. I've had a few, ever since I was a teenager. Got it from my mom, apparently. But it was more than before... Still, I just ignored it. A while later, I thought that maybe I did have a soulmate, but I just ... didn't think about it at the moment."
"... So, do you..."
Phoenix chuckles awkwardly. "I have grey hairs everywhere now. I also ran out of hair dye after I lost my badge. I suppose I might have a soulmate with naturally grey hair, but how would you know? Where am I going to find someone with naturally grey--"
Phoenix blinks, cutting himself off.
"Wait."
Miles stares awkwardly at the table design, ignoring Phoenix.
"Edgeworth."
Miles looks up at Phoenix with a blank expression on his face.
"Do you think..."
"Does it matter what I think?"
"Yes, of course, it does, I just-- the possibility is there..."
"And that possibility means nothing to me."
"Nothing?" Phoenix's heart skips a beat. "N-nothing?"
Miles flinches. "I don't mean that, I just... I... The world could turn upside down with that possibility. That..."
"Is scary?"
Miles' jaw tightens.
"Miles, I'm right here. Whatever happens from here on out, I'm here for you, alright?"
Miles frowns. "But how can we prove that... that... there's no way we can really prove anything, right?"
Phoenix grins.
"Oh no."
His grin grows wider.
"Wright."
-
"I can't believe I let you talk me into this."
Phoenix holds up the bottles of hair dye. "Come on, don't be a spoilsport."
"We could have done literally anything else. One color, even," Miles groans. "I can't believe this."
"Your case thing is over, isn't it? And you won't have a case for a while. And you work from home. I don't see the problem."
"What if Franziska comes over?"
"Tell her it's for science."
"This is unbelievable."
"You didn't stop me from buying the hair dye."
"... Just get it over with, already."
-
Miles squeezes his eyes shut.
"Come on, Miles, you have to look at the big reveal."
"I'd rather not."
"Miles..."
He cracks an eye open. "Is this acceptable?"
"An acceptable compromise, maybe," Phoenix mutters. "And here goes!"
Phoenix takes off the cap and lets Miles look into his hand mirror.
His hair is a mess of colors, but it doesn't look too bad, actually. He thought it would be a senseless mess, but looking at the colors on his hair, it's not that bad. It still doesn't really suit him, and he would rather die than go into court like this, but... but...
"What do you think?"
Miles glances up at Phoenix. He looks hopeful and giddy as if he's absolutely dying for any sort of praise from him.
"... It's nice. Not quite my thing, but it does look nice, so I'll give you that."
Phoenix perks up. "I'm glad! I think you look nice."
"... So take off your beanie then."
Phoenix blinks.
"So we can see your hair. This was the whole point of doing this, remember? You dye my hair, then we look at your hair, to see if your hair changed. Or did you forget what we were doing here?" Miles snorts. "Not that it would surprise me."
Phoenix pouts. "Hey! I just got caught up in the glory of your hair and your compliment." He reaches up to grab at his beanie. "Warning, it looks weird. I also ran out of hair gel, so it's a mess."
Miles watches as the beanie comes off.
Indeed, his hair looks messy. It looks as if his hair is struggling to decide where it should go, so it's sticking up in all sorts of directions. Phoenix brushes a hand through his hair nervously.
And that's when Miles sees it.
A rainbow highlight poking out of Phoenix's hair.
"So? Is there anything?"
Miles swallows thickly.
"Miles? Come on, just hand me the hand mirror--"
Instead of doing that, he lets the mirror clatter to the ground as he swoops in to press his lips against Phoenix's own. Phoenix tenses up a little but then relaxes into the kiss.
They pull back after a few seconds.
"Wow. That was... incredible."
"I hope that was good enough of an answer for you, Wright," Miles says, shooting Phoenix a grin.
"Really?" Phoenix pouts slightly. "I've been waiting years for you to kiss me, and you still call me by my last name?"
"Well, maybe you should kiss me again, Phoenix," Miles retorts.
"Yeah," Phoenix breathes out. "Maybe I should, soulmate."
So their lips meet again, and suddenly, everything feels so simple.