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Maya couldn’t count the times she’d seen Phoenix sitting at his desk and looking like he’d just taken a major blow in court.
Which, technically, was ridiculous. Phoenix had been pulling off win after win lately, slowly but surely earning himself the nickname “Turnabout Terror“. He wasn’t sure whether he liked it yet, but it did things to his ego, and so he let it slide.
The worst part, though, was that Phoenix refused to tell his assistant just what in the world was the matter with him,
Maya had asked whether it was an extreme case of jetlag. Not improbable, considering it’s been merely a few weeks since they’d retured from a trip to London that neither of them would ever forget. When week four came, however, and Phoenix was sulking more and more often, Maya began to seriously doubt that theory.
“Nick,” she inquired again, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, Maya,” came the dismissive reply, “I’m fine.”
“You really aren’t,” the spirit medium insisted, “You’ve been like this for weeks now. Since we came back from England, actually. What did the British air do to you, huh?”
“Nothing,” Phoenix said again. To Maya’s dismay, he didn’t follow up with anything else.
The girl was beginning to think that desperate times called for desperate measures.
“Something’s clearly bugging you,” Maya began, “And if you won’t tell me, you better tell my sister.”
Phoenix turned around. “I told you, nothing’s bugging me. You can stop being so insistent.”
“No. I’m done watching you wallow in some kinda misery and not tell me what’s wrong. I’m your assistant, and I’m supposed to assist you. That applies to emotional stuff too.” Maya was pouting by now, arms crossed, and Phoenix felt a pang in his chest.
He hadn’t meant to hurt her.
“Maya, I swear, I trust you,” the attorney began, “It’s just...it’s dumb, really. I need to get over it.”
But Maya wasn’t going to take it. Pointing at him, she stated, “You are going to tell my sister. If you don’t wanna tell me, that’s fine, but you can’t go on like this. You’re lucky your moping hasn’t influenced your trials yet.”
“Maya…”
But the girl was just as stubborn as Phoenix himself. “I’m gonna channel her and you won’t stop me.”
Phoenix couldn’t do much else but sigh. “Just- don’t exert yourself.”
Channeling could get quite taxing on a medium in training.
Maybe I should’ve just told Maya, Phoenix began thinking, but by the time he felt ready to open his mouth and talk, Maya had vanished from the room, Mia Fey having taken her place.
“Phoenix?,” the woman asked, looking around, “Oh, we’re at the office. It’s nice to see you still take care of Charley.”
“Hey, Mia,” Phoenix greeted his late mentor, “Of course I do. I wouldn’t dare neglect him.”
“if you have such a sense of discipline, I must have done my job well,” Mia smirked, and Phoenix mirrored it, momentarily having forgotten what this was about.
Until Mia reminded him, naturally. “Any particular reason why Maya called me here? I must say, I’m surprised. She’s still training, and doesn’t usually channel someone unless it’s an emergency.”
Phoenix’s smirk vanished, and the lawyer swallowed.
“I’ve been a bit of a jerk,” he began, to which Mia raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
“Oh?”
“Yeah, I-” Phoenix ran a hand over his face, unsure how to proceed. The best way was to be honest, however, and he wouldn’t be a jerk to Mia after he’d already pissed off Maya. “Maya and I recently came back from an adventure in England. I dunno, has she told you about it?”
Mia nodded. “Yes, she’s written a brief retelling for me to read the night after you came back. Quite an interesting trip.”
“Yeah, it was definitely something,” Phoenix snickered, “Didn’t think we’d go through that.”
But Mia Fey wasn’t one to steer away from the topic so quickly. “You still haven’t elaborated on why you say you’ve been a jerk to Maya. And you better have a good excuse, Mister.”
Phoenix sighed. “I- I don’t. I’m sorry. I’ve just been an ass.”
Mia crossed her arms.
“Did Maya write about the two Brits we met?,” the attorney continued, and his mentor nodded.
“Yes. Professor Layton and Luke, was it?”
“Yeah. They’re- they’re really great. Luke is this energetic kid who’s super optimistic and brave, and he can talk to animals, which is insane. He and Maya get along really well. And Professor Layton is…”
Welp, there it was. The sensitive topic.
“Professor Layton is kind, intelligent, caring, polite, did I mention intelligent? And he’s got a British accent and curly hair and pretty eyes and a top hat that makes him look taller even though he barely reaches up to my neck, and-”
“I see how it is,” Mia interrupted him, and with the way she was eyeing him, Phoenix knew he’d been exposed.
Burying his face in his hands, Phoenix muttered, “Yeah. That’s how it is. And it’s so- it’s so goddamn dumb.”
“Why would you think that?,” Mia gently promtped, “Catching feelings is something inherently human. Not everyone is immune to the possibility. Not even you.”
“I know, but- he’s Professor Layton. Britain’s most famous, brilliant mystery solver. I felt so stupid next to him half the time when he was solving those puzzles of his, but he’s just- he’s too cool for me, Mia.”
“And am I right in the assumption that, out of this very embarrassment, you haven’t told Maya?”
“I don’t want her to- to get invested. You know how she is, she loves gossip of that sort. She’d never let me live it down if I told her, maybe even urge me to go for it. It’d break her heart if she knew that- well, nothing will ever come out of it, Mia.”
“Objection,” Mia calmly retorted, and yet Phoenix was caught off guard by the sternness in her voice.
“Huh?”
“I haven’t mentored an idiot,” Mia said, “You, Phoenix Wright, are a very capable and intelligent defense attorney. I’ve seen you make your way out of the most impossible situations and secure the best outcome for everyone involved. You have a unique way of thinking that even Professor Layton can’t frown upon, and that is something I’m sure of.”
“What, the unique way of thinking that’s also called “bluffing”?”
“Bluffing requires skill annd brainpower,” Mia retorted, “I’m certain not everyone, by far not everyone, would be able to succeed like you can.”
Phoenix swallowed, facing the floor. “Maybe.”
“I’ll tell you what,” Mia continued, “When I leave, you’re going to be honest with my sister. And don’t forget to apologize.”
“Yeah, I- I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to hurt her.”
His mentor’s gaze softened. “I know. But I promise you, she will not judge you. All she will do is wholeheartedly support you, and if you tell her how you feel, she will do everything in her power to genuinely help you – and that includes backing off.”
Phoenix contemplated Mia’s words. They did have some sort of wisdom to them.
As always.
“Yeah. Yeah, okay. Thanks- thanks a lot, Mia.”
Mia put a hand on Phoenix’s shoulder, squeezing it. “You’re very welcome. Water Charley, and then go get your gentleman.”
That caused Phoenix to snort with laughter, and by the time he opened his eyes again, Mia had given Maya back control over her own body.
The young woman was rubbing her eyes. “Hey, Nick.”
“Maya,” Phoenix immediately jumped up, helping his assistant get on the sofa before she stumbled over, “I told you not to exert yourself.”
She shrugged. “It’s fine. I just gotta train more.”
A pause.
Phoenix knew it was up to him to talk.
“Hey, uhm...Maya?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m really sorry. I acted like an idiot, and instead of trusting you, I hurt you by keeping it bottled up.”
“Mhm, yeah,” she mused, “That was kinda idiotic. But I’m not mad at you. I probably shouldn’t have pushed you so hard to tell me, either.”
Phoenix gave her a smile, sitting down next to her. “No, you were right. I do want to tell you.”
“Alright, I’m all ears. What’s the tea?”
“Promise you won’t get all excited,” Phoenix warned her.
Maya stuck out her hand. “Pinky promise.”
Phoenix grinned, and with their pinkies still linked, he took a deep breath.
“I have a huge crush on Professor Layton.”