Chapter Text
The reason that Miles Edgeworth didn’t want to marry, he had thought, was quite simple initially:
He was a demon.
Demonic marriages are usually permanent, with extremely few avenues for divorce.
They are often times deadly for mortals.
And they are perhaps one of the most extreme examples of magical bond forging that he knows of.
So yes. Quite simple, really. Like the few demons living amongst a swarm of rather mortal humans, few of which ever catching his attention much less his outright interest, he had sworn off the idea entirely.
And for much of his life he’d been content with living in such a manner.
If someone had told him one day he’d forge a demonic bond with someone back then, he’d have laughed them right off.
But along came the inevitable exception to his rule.
Phoenix Wright. Beautiful, warm, idealistic, and stubborn Phoenix Wright. His childhood friend. The sunshine on his skin after a rainfall. His symphony of a voice. The dappling of freckles on his cheeks. The raven of his hair, the bashful brightness of his smile and nervous laughter, and the heavy set of muscle on his broad chest and well endowed thighs and behind-
And oh, dear ladies retribution and justice, for the first time Miles Edgeworth felt himself burn with his want. He hungered for that man like a starving dog begs for scraps at a family’s dining table. The first time he saw Phoenix Wright, all grown up as this breathtaking hunk of a being, his desire flared so harshly, the surprise of it had him nearly dropping the glamour spell hiding his demonic features in broad daylight. The want to envenomate the man and have him right there had his mouth aching, fangs stirring alive with their potent aphrodisiac, and dearest goddesses, did he long to break that sun kissed skin and simply indulge himself in the man.
The realization of wanting no other soul than that of Phoenix Wright- a man he thought to be mortal at the time- sent him spiraling into despair. Phoenix, if he ever offered, was the type to hold on and not let go. And while the dedication was… endearing, in truth, it would actually likely kill him in the process. Yes, Miles would also be with his child, but could he do that to a hypothetical unborn babe? Their unborn, no less? To take the life of Phoenix, if he would be allowed to have him? All in the name of officiating a demonic bond? To risk making himself a widow only months into a marriage?
To take away the light that Phoenix Wright was upon the world for something so unbelievably base and utterly selfish?
The thought drove him to near madness. It wasn’t as though human marriage was an option, it was considered a holy rite, he couldn’t exactly wed the man in a normal fashion as a result. And if he couldn’t wed him, what was even the point of courting him? Phoenix had always wanted a family and a married life, he’d said so when they were young- That, coupled with the truth of his upbringing and the death of his father- Demons are near impossible to kill, the realization that Von Karma knew what he and his father were, that the man came with a bullet plated in sterling sliver, and soaked in holy water with the intention to kill, that he’d been so stupid as a teen to believe the accursed bailiff was simply a hyper-religious, paranoid madman instead of realizing that he hadn’t actually been the one to take his father’s immortal life-
It drove Miles to the edge. How terrible, he must be, as this thing he never asked to be born as, to have caused this much harm already? To have sent the innocent to the blade, to let the guilty he was designed to punish walk freely from their sins?
How truly horrible does a being have to be to hurt this terribly? To want an end, before they’ve barely lived much of a beginning?
He had thought himself truly despicable. He had thought himself unworthy of life. Unworthy of love and happiness.
Unworthy of Phoenix.
In the end, it was the grief his demise would cause the man of his desires that pulled him away from the fatal edge. He could see so clearly, the tears, the grief, the despair- and the idea of hurting Phoenix by his own selfishness in such a way— it made his blackened heart twist like a holy blade had been stuck in his chest; it would be no different that killing the man by letting his desire to claim and bond with him run rampant. The reality would be the same. One of them would hurt.
For the first time, Miles Edgeworth realized that he would actually cause more harm than good to if he were to die.
It was unfortunate that he ran for a flight to Germany to try a year of therapy at Franziska’s insistence before he remembered to destroy that damnable note.
And then after that utter shit-show of a year, there was the incident with the bridge, and in a better headspace, Miles Edgeworth’s rationality started to return to him.
Something was off about Phoenix Wright. The man- he should’ve-
By his count, the man should’ve died at least four times over. And when he visited in the hospital, he could’ve sworn the cool rag on the man’s head had been literally steaming, even after he refreshed it.
No mortal ever has a fever that burns hot enough to instantly vaporize fucking cold water. That would also kill them. His suit- it would’ve melted into his skin being that it was polyester in the bridge fire- and yet Phoenix only had a fever to show for it- not a single open wound or burn to be seen- weren’t there jagged rocks at the bottom of that river? How had his spine not been snapped like a twig—?
His investigations in Europe had called him back to arms before he could question further. And then the unthinkable happened. Suddenly their budding closeness at an arms length became strained and tenuous. Suddenly Phoenix had a wonderful little girl, his daughter in everything but blood. For seven years, this curious friendship of sorts had to be kept under thick wraps of half-truths, and an ocean’s worth of distance.
Perhaps all those factors were why it took them more than a decade of their immortal lives to actually sit down and have a conversation.
Dear goddess of justice, the memory of that day burns in the back of his mind like the sweetest brand of a hot iron.
“Look,” Phoenix had said with a sigh that was heavier than lead, after clapping another ancient text book annotated top to bottom in his own scrawl shut. The man in question had invited him to review for the bar exam, the test date only days away, and today the office was suspiciously empty. He had noticed the quiet in the chaotic space immediately after being invited in. “We… We can’t do.. whatever this is anymore.”
He studied Phoenix, closely, alarm bidding bile to rise in his throat. Miles hid it with a scowl, haughtily crossing his arms impatiently over his chest. It was true, this lack of distance after so long… they’d been getting closer. Dangerously close. Too close for Miles to ensure he would not do something entirely hare-brained.
The mortal looked world weary. A weary that he’d seen during the course of this unjust exile from law, and yet now even more intensely than before. Like it.. pained him to do this.
He looked the same way Miles himself had felt- realizing he could never satisfy his innate desire to have Phoenix Wright. Almost as if.. as if he was about to make a decision that would hurt either way.
“I’m not quite sure I understand what you mean. And I understand why even less, I fear.” Miles sniffed tersely, tapping an impatient finger on his bicep, and checking for imaginary dirt under his nails. Maybe if I appear unbothered…
“Cut the indifferent shit out, Miles!” The man had growled indignantly. “I’m sure you know what I mean.”
“I don’t, actually.”
“Are you seriously going to make me spell it out for you?”
“I believe I might have to.”
Phoenix threw his hands up in defeat. “Fine! We can’t-“ he seemed to choke on the words for a moment, as they stumbled over themselves trying to escape from his lips. “-this-“ Phoenix gestured between them, his mismatched eyes looking stricken as the drifted down to study the threadbare blue couch they were seated upon. “-we can’t do this. We can’t be more than this. And I’m …sorry.” Phoenix was shaking. Why was Phoenix shaking? Miles knew why he was, this was a very explicit rejection and it hurt, but why would Phoenix of all people, the turnabout king himself, feel this was impossible?
“I’m sorry- and this hurts so bad - Because I want to be more. I want to be with you more than anything, Miles. And I… I’m pretty sure that you want that too.” It had been years since he’d seen Phoenix cry. What on earth would make such a stoic man feel this… defeated? And had he really been that obvious about his attraction? Perhaps he wasn’t as subtle as he thought. Miles shuffled toward him, brushing a stray tear off his cheek with a wayward hand, like touching the man’s face was in his nature, even though his hands only shook harder at the contact.
“If I may ask, and if you’ll tell me honestly, why- and-“ he stopped the man as he made to open his mouth and speak with a finger to the lips. “-Don’t you dare give me that ‘we’re prosecutor and attorney’ drivel, you and I both know there are avenues we can take around that. And you know I would readily accept Trucy as my own daughter too-“ Miles scoffed at the eye roll that got him. “-for fucks sake Phoenix, the girl already calls me ‘Papa’. She has since she was twelve! I’ve well since gotten over the fear that I would become like Von Karma.”
Phoenix studied the floor guiltily, like he’d been caught in some long-held mess of a lie. “Only if you promise you won’t say a thing. This can’t leave this room.”
He studied Phoenix for a moment. A traitorous flicker of hope sparked in his chest. “Okay. Out with it, then.”
Phoenix glanced away then. “I’m… not exactly human. And…. Trucy isn’t either, for that matter.”
Oh.
Oh. My beating blackened heart, be still.
He felt like a kid on his birthday- er, at least the good birthdays he remembers with his father. He wanted to kiss the man stupid, bite him and give him that sweet aphrodisiac in his venom, fuck his brains out, and then kiss him like the world was ending and they’d be stardust by tomorrow morning all over again. His heart felt like it was going to seize in his chest with this much elation. For the first time in a long, long while, he felt happy tears well up in his eyes.
“Oh darling.” He whispered, taking Phoenix’s hand in his like it was made of crystallized starlight, relishing how Phoenix pupils momentarily became saucers at the pet name. “That is perhaps the best- and impossibly stupid- reason you could’ve given me.” And the smile he flashed was wide and genuine.
“What do you- Miles what do you- wait- hold on a second-“ Phoenix was pulling away scrabbling to his feet, rushing in front of Miles and cupping his face, as though looking for something. His eyes lit up like he found it. Miles watched gleefully as his oldest and most beloved friend go slack faced with joy and shock. “Oh my god. Oh my god I’m so fucking stupid. This whole time? This whole time?!” Phoenix’s shock transitioned into a grin, then manic laughter, as he thumbed a spot where the glamour spell Miles had cast upon himself wavered faintly at the edges.
“Miles.” Phoenix had giggled (and oh, that sound is musical!). “What exactly are you?”
“I think it’d be easier if I just showed you.” He tried for a smug smirk and felt himself get stuck on that overjoyed grin, before letting out a shaking exhale, and with it, dropping the veil upon his form.
Miles knew what it looked like. He’d practiced and practiced the glamour spell in the mirror till he couldn’t keep casting it as a child. He had to, in order to go to public school. That was his father’s one rule. And he had to keep casting it at all times while living at the Von Karma estate, pointlessly hiding his nature.
He knew his scalera always pooled black first, his pupils turning into slits a moment after. His fangs lengthening next, his ears lengthened with the tips pointed, his nails and fingertips turning to blackened claws. Then his inky, spade-tipped tail emerging long and graceful from the small of his back, and his twin ibex-like horns, emerging just below his hairline on his temples and behind his bangs, and finally- the most revealing of it all- his black, leathery wings shot from the discrete slits in the back of his clothes and he sagged slightly with relief. He had to keep them still while out and about with the glamour on. It was the easier option than keeping his tail from moving, but still, letting them stretch and splay out, even if that mean taking up the entire couch and draping them over some of Trucy’s discarded props, was a relief.
Phoenix looked like he was going to burst with joy at this point, though his gaze was strangely fixated on his wings for a few beats, until he blinked and stepped back, seeming to drink in the sight of him in his true form. Miles just let out a strangled little embarrassed cough.
“So you’re literally a demon prosecutor…” Phoenix was grinning like a fool, and Miles had the distinct urge to kiss along the curve of his lips.
“That I am, though I’m almost certain that particular nomenclature might’ve been circulated by Manfred himself first, likely to keep me in line and on my toes, especially since he threatened to out my true nature to the public more than once.” Miles huffed a little sardonic laugh, and bowed his head. He didn’t miss how Phoenix’s entire body stiffened at the admission, and he quickly shook his head, tenderly studying his beloved. Anything Phoenix had felt about Manfred’s manipulation evaporated as Phoenix gave him a goofy, borderline drunk-looking smile in return.
“And? What about you, my heart? What kind of creature has had my affections in a chokehold since the days of State V. Fey?”
“Oh man.” Phoenix smiled sheepishly. “Do I have a story for you about that.”
And suddenly there were two massive wings springing from the man’s back, radiating heat like a furnace at full blast. Decorated in cerulean feathers, each one like the lick of flame from a butane burner; cerulean bleeding into a red magenta, tipped with a bright lavender- overlayed with a shimmering play of color that flashed teal in the shifting light. They were- they were gorgeous. Phoenix was gorgeous- his wings, are like two perfect arcs of blue flames-
Wait a fucking minute.
Flames. Wings. Heat. Run-ins with death that he shouldn’t have been able to walk away from. A lack of scars. A lack of self-preservation.
Miles reeled back, like he’d been slapped. “You’re a fucking phoenix. And your mother named you… Phoenix? Are you serious right now?” Suddenly they were both standing, and he cradled Phoenix’s face in his hands. He realized then, that his eyes were slightly different too. The brown and blue heterochromia he marveled Phoenix for was now actually an uncanny cerulean blue and a deep magenta. Such a dark, rich red, that it could easily be passed off as brown. Phoenix’s fingers were claw-like now, too, he noticed belatedly as Phoenix’s hand covered his own.
Phoenix grinned bashfully. “So about that story. My mom’s a Phoenix. My dad is too, but we don’t know where he went. Sometimes phoenixes can be… super solitary? And some take seasonal mates while others decide to mate for life. It’s a whole messy thing.-“ Phoenix shook his head, and Miles squished his cheeks to stop him from moving, grumbling a quiet, “let me gaze at you, I’ve wanted to for over a decade and I’m doing it now” which made Phoenix snort with unabashedly gleeful laughter. “Alright, you. Anyways, my mom had me. The problem was that she was born in Japan a long ass time ago. Don’t ask me her age, I keep forgetting when her birthday was and I can barely remember mine half the time as it stands. but she’s been living under an Asian-American pseudonym, as someone who historically couldn’t speak a lick of Japanese to better fit in over here. And when they asked her what she wanted to name me, she first said ‘Ryuichi’. THAT was supposed to be my name! But she panicked because the maternity ward nurse gave her a funny look, and she couldn’t think of a good English equivalent to my actual name, so she just blurted out the first thing she could think of instead. And that was ‘Phoenix’. She still regrets it, but I’m not changing it now- I think it’s too funny.”
“That is astoundingly ridiculous. And somehow it’s the only possible explanation I would whole heartedly believe.” He giggled, the childish relief that flowed out of his chest making him feel light and airy, like he could float away on a breeze despite his wings being limp against the ground. “It’s long overdue for me to say this, and it feels rather redundant to-“ he sucked in a breath. “I’ve loved you for a very long time, Phoenix Wright. Would you-“
“Yes.” Phoenix blurted out.
“I- you don’t even know what I was going to say-“
“Don’t need to. Yes. Yes to all of it, Miles. Trucy and I’s immortality and inhumanity were my only hang-ups about this. It felt wrong starting a relationship, and to let her to get close to a mortal we would both love and end up outliving.” He felt Phoenix breathe the words as though still in disbelief that this inevitable end point was finally upon them. “Miles, I want you. In every possible way I can have you. I want you as my boyfriend, as my mate, my life partner, my rival, my husband, my childhood best friend and sweetheart, and the father to any current and maybe future children we have between us. I. Want. You. Forever and always. I love you. I’d spend my entire immortal life chasing you around the globe till the heat death of the universe, and then I’d willingly chase your spirit around too. So. Shut up and kiss me already.”
And he did. He kissed Phoenix Wright for the first time in that office. He had kissed him till their wings tangled with each other gracelessly, till they were both drunk on the glide of tongue against tongue, and the delicious rasp of teeth on sucked-raw lips, swallowing up every long-since overdue noise the other made like it was the answer to achieving eternal happiness given voice, and maybe for them it was. He kissed Phoenix Wright like he thought he would die without his tongue in his mouth, like he’d implode if he never felt the scorching billow of the man’s exhale against his face when they briefly parted for air, Miles kissed Phoenix that day like he was made for it. They probably would’ve had sex on that couch or against the wall if it weren’t for the loud set of voices that were suspiciously Trucy Wright and Apollo Justice sounding from outside the agency. They were able to recast their glamour spells with just enough time for them to scrabble at fixing appearances before the door slammed open.
Miles Edgeworth would always remember the day Phoenix declared he would take him as his one and only mate, forever and always.
But, the conversation Miles was mentally preparing to have with his beloved today had the potential to be… a doozy, to say the least.
After the conclusion of the Sprocket case, Miles had some time to mull things over. He had already informed Phoenix they wouldn’t be able to have an entirely traditional wedding long ago. It being considered a holy rite, Christian or not, barred his participation in the ceremonial aspect. But Phoenix is a clever man- er, creature. And Miles can tell he must’ve puzzled out that demons might have another way to officiate bonds. And he looked… a little hurt, by Miles’ insistence to defend those who choose not to marry. And in the days following the closure of the case, he’d been a little distant too.
Something tells me he thought I was talking about officiating a proper demonic bond with him, and not a traditional marriage…
It’s not as though they didn’t have a marriage license. The state, if you asked, saw them officially as husbands. They had a reception, though not the ceremony- not ideal, perhaps, but it was the best they could do with what they were given. They wear matching bands with the other’s iconic colors in gemstones. He has a mate bond with Phoenix, the magical symbol on the small of his back above where his tail emerges depicting Phoenix’s unique insignia shouts it loudly enough at any other phoenixes in the area to keep away from him like a giant neon sign. Even more so, with how often they renew the bond during Phoenix’s heats and ruts respectively.
(Like he’d ever miss out on any one of those ever, his beloved was as insatiable as himself during those periods of his combustion cycles. It was as maddening as it was invigorating. And he’d never get over pounding Phoenix into the mattress one week out of the year, and then getting utterly railed the during the following week. Thank you lady retribution, for making it so immortal beings of supernatural natures have amorphous genders and sexes. Far more entertaining than whatever he had fantasized about never having in their early twenties.)
But he had yet to indulge the details of demonic bond creation to him. Partially, out of an irrational fear of rejection, and partially out of the residual fear that somehow, it would all go terribly wrong.
And another part of it was shear embarrassment. He shouldn’t be embarrassed by the topic! He’s a literal demon! A supposed being of 'sin incarnate'! Of course the ceremonious creation of a bond would be downright filthy, that would only make logical sense from an outsider’s perspective.
Miles clutched the steering wheel of his car a little tighter as he felt himself flush bright red at the thought, and sped out of the prosecutor’s parking garage.
Oh but some of that was also hogwash too- demons, unlike what some believe- are not corrupted souls, and they do not only exist in a solely evil fashion. Miles knows damn well that demons of his kind have their free will and morality intact. That was by design. Demons- they are the chosen of the Lady retribution and prosecution, one of the faithful servants of the sisters of justice. They are beings of energy, taking form as they see fit, designed only to punish the guilty for their sins and ensuring karma reaches a balanced point, however they can. Enacting the will of the Ladies Just does not make someone evil, or ‘sin incarnate’, regardless of what modern media spewed about his kind. It would almost be more apt to call him an angel of justice, akin to the angel of death. He is terrible, in his purpose, but his purpose doesn’t make him evil.
The problem was that, demons without connection or support, are prone to going mad. The hunting and culling of his species means that demons hardly meet other demons anymore, much less forge demonic bonds- and their hunting and culling only resulted from superstitious Christians and Catholics, mistaking them for an entirely different being Miles was half-convinced didn't fucking exist. Hell, the only reason holy items harm demons of his kind and nature is that to touch something or participate in a ritual that appeals to another god, real or not, is considered treason and heresy to his patron goddess-the literal creator of his species-, and her retaliation for such a grievous betrayal is death or being smited by her own hand. And aside from that, most mortals don’t survive having a wealth of energy being shot into a body that has no idea how to handle it. For these reasons, rarely is a human born to a demon parent. For these reasons, the life of a demon is usually one of eternal solitude. And few tolerate such a lifestyle ‘well’. A demon that falls from their values is one that grows excessively cruel, driven to the brink of insanity by loneliness. Hence, the pop-culture portrayal of a non-Christian subservient entity being labeled as 'sinful' and 'unholy' creatures, even if those words aren't applicable because they do not exist in the eyes of justice.
As such, his kind were doomed by humanity to live their immortality in solitude.
Unless you manage to snag yourself another immortal being to share it with, that is. And Miles was damn thankful he did just that.
The other problem is that to officiate a bond, another life must be born from it. And to dissolve the bond…. If that was ever necessary… would mean the death of anything and everything produced from the participants shared energy to sever the tie. Demonic bonds are rare because of that consequence. It is, without a doubt, an eternally permanent affair.
‘Till death do us part’ is extremely literal in a demonic bond.
Miles knows this. He trusts Phoenix with his life and with everything he is. He doesn’t really believe there is anything in existence that would make him want to destroy a bond with Phoenix. Not even somehow dying.
But…. If the impossible somehow became their reality…. The children they would produce in the bonding process… they would be…
Could he stomach ever having to go through that?
It won’t happen, his hind brain screams. You’ve loved him for decades at this point! If your feelings were to change about him, they would’ve waned during his disbarment, not gotten stronger despite the distance, you imbecile!
Though inclined as he was to believe that sentiment, the possibility is one he needed to explain to Phoenix, loathe as he was for this talk already.
His head hit the rim of the steering wheel with a groan. As if this whole debacle wasn’t headache inducing enough, he just got himself stuck at a notoriously long red light while in his inattentive state.
Regardless. The embarrassment. Right. That.
What would his therapist tell him right now? She would probably suggest tracing that feeling to its roots.
Is the fact that he’s essentially going to be asking Phoenix to knock him up, and then for permission to knock Phoenix up in the span of roughly two-ish week? That is the easiest way to fuse their essences. He chewed on that idea for a moment. Mulled it over about a hundred different ways while he was stuck at this gods-forsaken red light.
No. Not really. If anything he’s almost purely nervous in regard to that. Phoenix had already raised Trucy, and he’d spent time around enough children to figure out interacting with them by now. Surely, they’d be fine parents.
Is it perhaps that, it’s extremely perverse to do this?
Hm. No, not really. It’s only a small step above Phoenix’s cycles anyways. There are mortals wading waist deep through much more harmful ‘attractions’ than his biological nature, and I'm pretty sure the Buttz is one of them.
Is it the fact that he already had… ahem, certain items commissioned before he even spoke to Phoenix about this, in a fit of idiotic romanticism months prior?
Bingo.
“Blast.” He whispered to no one in particular, rubbing at the space between his brows, sending his glasses askew. He had admittedly been thinking about asking since well before the Sprocket case even appeared on the horizons. He had no inclination to explain that he had commissioned a matching set of obsidian plugs inlaid with a sapphire and ruby respectively, even though it was a traditional part of this rite from his research! He’d look like an absolute pervert, even though the only perversion here is the design of the good goddesses of justice and retribution!
And who was Miles Edgeworth to question the inclinations of goddesses older than himself and risk their wrath?
Phoenix would never let him live this down. He had a hard enough time trying to get the bank off his tail when they asked him if the commission charge was a fraudulent one… and finding a craftsman to work with volcanic obsidian so Phoenix didn’t fucking melt the things immediately upon use- he shuddered as he remembered the incident with the glass ones a year ago- took a telling amount of time and (expensive) effort alone. Not to even mention the matching enchantments he put on them… And Phoenix would know almost instantly that it had been him, the man knows his energy signature by heart at this point…
It shouldn’t matter, he resolves. This whole process was designed to be a massive release of energies, it’s no one’s fault in particular that lust and sex were the easiest ways to create a new life to further serve the ladies of justice.. it’s literally the same reason demons have an aphrodisiac venom: ideally to court among themselves and make more faithful distributors of the wrath of justice via reproduction— to make more demons. To perpetuate the will of the goddesses they serve.
Miles couldn’t change that. He couldn’t change what he was either. But he could change his approach towards it. He could try to make this a delightful experience as best he could. He would romance and seduce his partner sweetly, just like Phoenix deserves. He could make passionate love to him, could fill him up so slowly with seed, just like he did to Phoenix during his yearly heat, and this time it would be with the all the virility needed in creating a wondrous child because he would pour part of his life energy into the act, and in the same insatiable way Phoenix would pin him down and take him till they were both one with the other, till they would both inevitably be round with child that sat heavy on their hips together-
Okay. That’s enough of those thoughts, you are still operating a car! He mentally chided himself as he adjusted his quickly-growing-uncomfortable slacks and shifted his hips. He was getting way too ahead of himself. Phoenix could still very well say no to his offer.
Fuck, we haven’t even asked Trucy how she would feel about a sibling, let alone possibly two!
He nearly buried his face in his hands. This was going to be perhaps the most awkward conversation of his immortal life.
Maybe. But think of all the good that could come of this too.
And he did. Miles couldn’t help but feel himself a little giddy at the idea of picking out tiny socks and onesies with Phoenix, of renovating the guest bedrooms for their children as they grew into their own spaces. Of first days of pre-k and kindergarten, and first grade, and all the little milestones they had missed out on with Trucy, even if he’d never change their first beloved daughter for anything. Of even the terrible things, like the teenage rebellion and- and- the angst that came with growing up, and figuring themselves out- of the messes, the arguments at holidays, of the never ending math homework, and the curfews-
Gods above, he was on the verge of tears thinking about it all, even as he pulled into the driveway and put his car in park.
He wanted to share all of that with Phoenix. With their odd-ball found family, even if they didn’t totally understand or know how those hypothetical children came to be. In truth that wouldn’t matter in the grand scheme of things either, just that they were real, and present in the world.
He took a moment to steady himself, and school his undoubtedly sappy expression into something less pathetic as he wiped away his tears and left the car. Gods only know that their Fae daughter would notice immediately that he looked like he’d been crying when he walked through that door, even if his eyes weren’t human looking in the slightest.
Fae intuition was terrifying like that.
As he walked through the door, briefcase in hand, he nudged the door closed behind himself and was, predictably, bombarded.
“PAPA!”
“MILES!”
“Ompf!” His attackers had apparently been lying in wait. Before he could do much more than set down his briefcase and look their way, he was nearly sent crashing into the door with sheer force of the arms thrown around him. Trucy’s little blue wings fluttered excitedly as she squeezed into his midsection with the unexpected force that accompanied a ‘Wright Special’ hug. Phoenix was hardly any better, throwing his arms around Miles’ neck and pulling his face to against his to nuzzle him like a cat, trilling and chittering happily despite knocking his partner’s glasses nearly off his face.
Despite the dramatics, and being cocooned in Phoenix’s massive wings which were putting out a stifling amount of heat, Miles couldn’t find it in himself to be too disgruntled by the affection. “Ah. Yes. Verily. Happy to see you both. May I breathe?” He wheezed with a delighted smile.
“I don’t know, can you?” Phoenix retracted quickly, pulling his wings to his side again. Trucy held on for a few seconds longer before pulling away. “Dinner is almost ready papa, you’re just in time! We were beginning to think you’d be late again…” she pouted, and Miles couldn’t help but try and smooth down the stubborn cowlick on the back of her head, finally letting the glamour spell drop for the day. “Yes. Well. Unfortunately I was distracted and got myself stuck at an unbelievably long red light before I realized it.”
“Was it that piece of junk on the corner of fourth and fifth?” Phoenix frowned pityingly as he led them both through the living room and into the kitchen.
“I believe so.” Miles sighed, tail flicking in annoyance. Phoenix just grimaced.
“I think I know that light.” Trucy mumbled. Bounding alongside her fathers. “Wait, isn’t that the one that has a fifteen minute record?”
“Yes.” Both Phoenix and Miles grumbled in unison.
She whistled low. “Yikes. I’m surprised you aren’t an hour late then.”
“Trucy, your papa drives like a maniac in that car of his, I don’t believe for a second you’re surprised he made it home at a reasonable hour.” Phoenix called over his shoulder as he returned to post by the oven, their daughter sticking her tongue out at him, before hopping up onto a stool at the counter bar.
Miles took in the state of the house, mostly out of habit, and noticed that while everything was sparkling clean. Too clean, if he was honest, but Phoenix hated being sick because he can’t regenerate away survivable illness- but aside from a few of Phoenix’s stray feathers hiding in the nooks and crannies of their home and the magic props that never seemed to stay put away for very long, nothing seemed burned or with a new hole somewhere for the AC to escape from. Until he saw that the cheap-made kettle was sitting oddly on the stove top, next to whatever divine-smelling meal was simmering away in the pot to the left. It almost looked like..
Damnit. Phoenix had tried to speed up the boiling process and the bottom had warped again.
He knew his tea had been ready suspiciously fast this morning.
There goes another ten dollar general store kettle. Oh well. There are worse things to need replacing because Phoenix was a little too zealous about getting him his morning tea. Miles is honestly a bit surprised Phoenix hasn’t noticed that the kettle is always ‘magically’ fixed by the end of the day. The garbage men must think he runs a kettle torture rink or some such absurd nonsense with how many cheap kettles he buys and throws out. But the last thing Miles would bemoan is his husband waking him up with his favorite earl grey blend in hand and the show-stopping, gleeful smile Phoenix flashed him when he mumbled his sleepy ‘thank you’ and pecked him on the cheek. It made his morning almost as much as it made Phoenix’s.
It would make both of our days if I could figure out a good way to start this blasted conversation in way that wasn’t akin to dropping a bombshell on an unsuspecting city.
“Okay I think this is done cooking, but it looks like it’ll need some time to cool- Miles..? You with me?” Phoenix waved a hand in front of his face, and Miles blinked- stupefied for a moment.
“Er, yes. Of course.”
Phoenix crossed his arms and stuck his hip out, eyebrow cocked and frowning.
Good goddesses don’t think about anything ‘cocked’ right now!
“Really? Because earlier you mentioned zoning out and getting yourself stuck at a red light on a route you never take for that exact reason, and now you’re standing in the middle of the kitchen, staring at me like I sprouted a second pair of wings. Something has clearly got you off-put, and you’re not fooling me.”
“Phoenix-“ He pleaded.
“Nope. You know the rules. We’re honest with each other in this house. I will use the magatama if I have to, but I’d really rather not tonight.” Phoenix said it curtly, and Miles knew he’d have an easier time trying to reason with a brick wall. The truth was about to be pulled from his chest, regardless of his feelings in the matter.
“I will tell you of my own free will, after dinner if you’ll let me. I’m afraid I don’t want to have this conversation in front of our daughter..”
Phoenix glanced over at Trucy, who had seemingly popped earbuds in the moment she had noticed a budding tension and appeared to be scrolling on her phone. “Okay. Fine.” He grumbled, snatching the ladle from the utensil crock, and distributing some kind of soup between three bowls. “But I expect a complete explanation.”
Trucy must’ve overheard more than he thought she had, as she hopped down from her perch, and bounded into the kitchen with surprising quickness. She chose a bowl and a spoon within an instant, and flashed them both a grin that was just a little too innocent. “I think I’ll eat in my room today, I have a paper I need to finish for my English class.” And then she was gone in a flash of a fluttering baby-blue wings and chestnut hair.
“It’s still really hot! Be careful!” Phoenix called after her. “Well then. Looks like this a dinner conversation instead.” Phoenix sighed. “Go sit down, I’ll bring the utensils and food.” And stiffly, he did. Better to get it over with.
Gods, how do you casually tell your partner that you want to permanently bind their life to yours through the process of creating fucking children?! Miles felt the panic of his situation rise in his throat, strangling his rationale and resolve. He dug his claws into the wood of the table where he sat, scoring the thick lacquer and damaging the wood. It’s not like he could just pass Phoenix along a card, or hand him a book on demonic bonds, no such thing exists that is in English for starters, and not a couple millennia out of date.
At least the table is fixable.
Phoenix sat a bowl in front of him, and Miles flashed him a grateful, albeit weak, smile in exchange, before sitting across from him.
He shuffled his thoughts into a less chaotic mess of nonsense, sipping a spoonful of soup. He decided he should start this like any investigation- with a probing question first- a format that he’s followed plenty of times.
He took in a sharp breath, and put his spoon down, his appetite non-existent at the moment anyways. “How much do you know about demonic bonds?” He said tentatively, eyeing Phoenix for his reaction.
He heard Phoenix inhale his spoonful of soup and choke on it.
“I- what? Miles where is this coming from?” His husband rasped, staring wide eyed through his hacking fit.
Miles felt his ears twitch with nerves.
“I… I remember how you looked at me during the Sprocket case. How you pulled away a little during the days after. It’s… been bothering me for some time now. Especially with the Sprocket’s wedding coming up soon. I thought it pretty clear based on how you acted then that you had figured out demons have their own kind of bonds, seeing as we’re legally married and you’ve already marked me as your mate.”
Phoenix stared at him for a fidgeting moment, before looking away bashfully. “I don’t know much. All I know is that they exist. I figured if it was a big deal, you would’ve said something when you were ready.”
“Well. I’m saying something.” Miles hummed thoughtfully. “Though it’s terribly ironic you scolded me not five minutes earlier about honesty when I can say the same about you now.”
“Oh shut it, I wasn’t expecting it to be something like this! I thought I added too much sugar to your morning tea or something!” Phoenix huffed.
“Turnabout is fair play, my heart. Regardless. I- er.. there are a few… key details regarding the creation of a demonic bond that have made me.. inclined.. to avoid this talk until recently.”
“You’ve got my full attention, Miles.” Phoenix clasped their hands together over the table with a smile far too tender for the upcoming subject matter.
Miles felt himself blush as he cleared his throat. “Ah. R-right. The first thing you should know is that demonic bonds are permanent. They don’t fade, even in the event of the death of one of the involved parties. There are extremely few ways to nullify a demonic bond, and they’re all rather grim.”
Phoenix studied him thoughtfully. “So there would be no reversing this if we did it I’m guessing.”
Miles winced. “Not without severe repercussions, no.”
“‘Severe repercussions’- what do you mean by that?” Phoenix pressed.
“… that leads us to the other aspect you should know.” Miles took a deep breath, though the bright red blush on his face remained ever-present. “Recall when I explained that I am mostly a being of pure energy given form- it allows me to use my own brand of simple magic. Like you, I can choose when to reproduce, and how my physical form presents. Like you, I am not bound to just one sex expression, though the rules by which my form must play by are less ritualistic or animal-like than yours.” Miles could hardly stand the cheeky purr that Phoenix vocalized at that, and he blushed impossibly harder. “Yes, yes, you well know that is something I have found myself enjoying about our relationship Phoenix, you incorrigible creature. Now focus. In order for us to bond we would need both participate in something that creates a wealth of energy. There are a few ways to do this. But the easiest and most convenient is typically…” Miles made a strangled noise in the back of his throat.
“….sex. Specifically- sex that results in a successful mutual conception makes for the strongest bond, though at least one successful…” He let out yet another strangled noise, and his voice trembled. “…pregnancy, would be enough to officiate it, though it would be one-sided and unbalanced. The offspring and their creation requires us to exchange energetic pieces of ourselves, and to bond with those pieces of each other- to make ourselves not two individuals, but two beings that have intertwined themselves as one. They would also act as a promise to the goddesses I serve that they will have more faithful to see their will be done through the product of our bond.”
Phoenix was just staring at him like he’d cursed his mother’s name. His mouth opened. Closed. Brows furrowed. Mouth opened again. Nothing came from it. He closed it. And then finally his lover managed to get out a meek: “We would need to have children…? B… Both of us? At the same time?”
Miles took a deep breath and nodded. “The repercussions I previously mentioned would include… the death of our children if we were to separate, as our energies would be entangled through them. Most mortals don’t survive this entire process already, so as you can imagine not many are willing to put themselves through such a risky ritual, no matter the benefits gained by it. That is a big part of why I’ve not said anything, though it was wrong to assume you lack interest on that alone, even more so seeing as neither of us are mortals. However… I- I think…” He met Phoenix’s eyes earnestly, blushing a fierce red, he was sure. “I think I would like to start a demonic bond with you, Phoenix.”
“You.. want to have children with me.” Phoenix murmured breathlessly, his eyes wide and disbelieving. “You ….want to carry my child, too. A-and.. you want to stay with me. Forever, with no take-backsies. Is that what I’m hearing right now?” He finished the statement in a reverent whisper.
Miles shifted uncomfortably in his seat, like a child who was caught misbehaving, and he squeezed Phoenix’s hand all that much tighter. “… those are the implications of what I’m purposing, yes.”
“Oh Miles!” Phoenix cried, launching himself out of his seat so violently he tipped over what Miles finally recognized as Italian wedding soup all over the table and onto the floor with a loud clatter. Suddenly his husband was in his lap, his wings swathing them in a wonderful little privacy curtain of warmth, one hand cradling his face, and the other pulling him into a desperate kiss by his cravat. Miles was stunned. But Phoenix’s mouth was soft and pliant, and warm, and Miles was willingly swept up by spell set upon him by Phoenix’s lips.
He groaned as Phoenix mouthed small sweet sweeps of tongue against the seam of his lips, begging for access, rewarded with a filthy bite and suck on his lower lip when he finally granted entry. His hindbrain noted giddily, for the millionth time, how they slotted together so beautifully when Phoenix kissed him. He relished Phoenix’s spare hand coming around to cradle his head, the feeling of his claws grazing sensitive scalp. Reveled in the way the brush of their noses felt like jolts of electricity as they tilted to delve yet deeper, and how the wet, tender press and slide of their tongues flicked the gas burner in his belly on. Suddenly it wasn’t enough, even as he clutched Phoenix’s waist like a lifeline, he needed his burning touch everywhere, like a forest needs a wildfire-
Phoenix started to grind their growing excitements together, and the friction sent a jolt through him, and manifested as him bucking his hips, but it was enough to kick his half-melted brain into gear. He pushed Phoenix back gently but insistently, and his husband pulled his delicious mouth away with a slick sound and a weighty string of saliva. His mouth ached from the throb of pressure on his venom glands, and Miles felt his own tail beating back and forth violently against the legs of the kitchen chair. His own leathery wings trembled with barely muzzled want. His body felt like the inside of a thrumming bell; like he was vibrating with each beat of his heart. “Is that… is that a yes?” He panted.
“It’s a fuck yes, actually. Now, why did we stop? We have a bond to officiate, after all.” Phoenix grinned and gave his hips a wiggle, and Miles whimpered.
Get ahold of yourself, you animal! Child! In the house still!
“Not tonight. Trucy- Trucy is still home.” Miles rasped, feeling a little delirious with sensation.
“Son of a bitch.” Phoenix cursed with a groan. “She is, isn’t she?”
Miles let his head fall forward onto the crook of Phoenix’s shoulder and nodded into his heaving embrace. “We also should- ask her if she would be okay with having younger siblings-“
“I think she’ll be ecstatic, Miles. She was overjoyed when we found out Apollo was her brother. Imagine how she’ll react knowing she might be getting not one, but two magical baby siblings.” His smile fell momentarily, a horrified expression on his face. “Oh gods we’re going to have to make a 'no babies as magical assistants' rule.”
Miles laughed, shaking his head. “I don’t think Trucy would do such a thing. She’s less mischievous than you give her credit for.”
Phoenix shot him a look. “And you give her too much credit. You do remember when she managed to get the school bully in sixth grade to ‘give her his name’, right? The kid nearly had a crisis! The Principal nearly called your number while you were in Europe since they wanted 'both guardians' present for that particular meeting, and it was the only other one on file. I had to talk that woman down with everything I had!”
“…. Point taken. Though I still support her decision to stand up for others and herself, even if the way she did wasn’t very ethical.”
“‘Wasn’t very ethical’ is the understatement of this century.” Phoenix grumbled. “Kid’s parents tried to come after me about why their child was traumatized, even if Trucy only kept it for the day. It was a disaster.”
“And perhaps the punishment was a good thing if those parents of his raised a bully. She could’ve used her fae magic for a much more severe punishment had she felt the need.” He pointed out.
“Don’t remind me. I’m well aware. It was much easier to pass it off as Trucy scaring him shitless with a convincing magic prop of some kind than it would’ve been had she tricked him into giving her his soul or free will as a gift.” Phoenix sagged against him at the memory, and Miles rubbed idle circles into his lovers back, feeling lighter than he had all day.
“I can’t lie though. I’m excited about all this, even if it’s going to be hard sometimes.” Phoenix mumbled into his shoulder, before pulling back to study him, with a confused look on his face. “Why on earth were you so worked up over this? You know I’ve wanted a large family for ages- especially since it was just me and my mom when I was a kid.”
Miles cleared his throat. “Well you remember only meeting my father during our childhood, yes?”
“Yeah?” Phoenix frowned.
“Recall how I said mortals usually don’t survive the initial energy siphoning process.” He said flatly.
He watched as Phoenix’s face made several revolutions between confusion, surprise, and shock.
“Oh Miles…”
“I am, in a literal sense, my father’s child. My… mother was lucky, she did survive the energy being siphoned from her, but her and my… sibling, I suppose.. died during labor. I am what my father had left of her. As you may recall, he was always very protective of me.... Even in death.”
“Fuck.” Phoenix whispered, clutching him closer. “I could have never imagined.. no wonder you didn’t want to even bring this up for so long. I’d be scared of repeating history too, even if things are pretty much guaranteed to go much better for us.”
Miles simply nodded against Phoenix’s white button up again.
“But… you’re sure? Not a doubt in your mind about this?”
“Phoenix,” Miles sighed irritably, rolling his eyes. “I will always have a lingering doubt about any and every decision I make. But they are usually unrealistic at best and outright irrational at worst. And we can’t exactly live our lives worrying about the doubts that shadow our every move. You should ask if I’m certain I would still love you in the next hundred years, and beyond.”
“Well? Will you love me in the next hundred years, and beyond, Miles?” Phoenix teased.
Miles knew the answer to that when they were twenty-four and naive to the world. He knew it when they shared that first kiss in the Wright Anything Agency, when Phoenix adopted that little fae girl they now call their daughter, before the disbarment, and Dusky bridge, and everything in between then and now. He’d known the answer for almost twenty years already, he’d just been holding it on the tip of his tongue.
“Fuck yes.” Miles murmured, smiling like an idiot.
And this time, when Phoenix kissed him, it felt like coming home.
***
“Hey Trucy-doll, you mind sitting down with your Papa and I?” Phoenix called to their daughter, who was depositing her bowl in the kitchen from their spot on the couch, where they were both snuggled up under a throw blanket, the HGTV channel muted for the time being.
Trucy gave them both a wary look. “Am I in trouble?”
“No.” Phoenix snorted, and Miles continued to trace the shape of his hand with his thumb. “Why would you even be in trouble? I can hardly remember the last time you misbehaved.”
Liar, Miles thought with an internal chuckle.
“I dunno. You two seemed like there was an argument brewing. About what, is beyond me.” She fixated her gaze on where their hands were clasped. “And I’m going to venture a guess and say that you aren’t separating anytime soon.”
“Definitely not.” Miles shook his head ruefully. “It was less of an argument, and more that I was simply unsure as to how to start the conversation.” He explained. “But it’s.. an important decision we didn’t want to make without you being on board with first.”
Trucy looked deeply puzzled by this, before shrugging as if to say ‘what the hell, why not?’ And taking a seat in the arm chair adjacent to them.
Once she seemed sufficiently settled, Phoenix gave her a slightly bashful smile. “So. Trucy. Uh.. how would you feel about a new additions to the family?”
Their daughter stiffened, narrowing her eyes at them. “What exactly do you mean by that daddy? I thought Polly declined your offer to adopt him.”
Phoenix coughed out an embarrassed laugh. “Well yeah, he did. But he’s always going to secretly be apart of the family in my book, just like Athena kinda is too.”
Miles cleared his throat. “What your father and I are trying, and apparently failing to gently ask you dear, is how would you feel about having younger siblings?”
That got Trucy’s full attention, and she bolted upright, studying them with wide, bright eyes, wings fluttering with what Miles could only assume- only hoped, really- to be some kind of excitement. “I thought you weren’t going to try adopting again after Polly said no?”
“We aren’t.” Phoenix said with a giddy smile. “The agencies would probably see our names and decline on the spot.“ Miles sniffed his agreement.
Their daughter’s eyes flickered between the two of them curiously. “Alright, which one of you is pregnant?”
Phoenix seemed to choke on his own tongue. Miles spoke in his stead, despite the neon flush he felt himself sporting. “Neither of us are, yet. However… we’ve been.. heavily contemplating it. But if we go through with this, you’re likely to end up with not just one, but two baby siblings.. and we didn’t want to spring that on you without at least asking first.” He gave her a doting smile. “You will always be our first and oldest daughter, and your feelings on the matter as a member of this family and a young adult living in this house are our first priorities, always- especially since we may have our hands full and may need to rely on your assistance from time to time if we go through with this.”
“..And we won’t, if this is something that would make you feel upset or unloved in any way, Truce. Like your Papa said. You will always come first to us. You.. you’re our first baby, always, y’know? Nobody can ever replace what you are to us.” Phoenix sniffled, tears welling up in his eyes. “This is a whole family decision. You have a say in this too.”
Trucy balked at them for a moment before something unreadable passed over her face. A trickle of fear, ice-cold, ran down his spine, and Miles prepared for their daughter to tell them ‘no, never’-
And then she was rushing forward, her arms around them both in a bone-crushing hug, sniffling violently and shaking like a leaf.
“… And what I have to say is that I’m gonna be the world’s best big sister to the cutest little babies ever! I’ll be such a- a good big sister that- that even Polly will be proud!” Trucy wiped her tears as she pulled back from them both, her bottom lip trembling violently despite her giant smile. “You’re- you’re serious about this right? Will I be able to help decorate the baby rooms? Can I- can I go baby clothes shopping with you?!”
“Yes, darling. Of course.” Miles wiped at his own damp eyes.
“Oh my gods. Oh my gods! I’ve always- I always wished for a baby sibling when I was with the Troupe.” Her voice dropped to a whisper, rife with a deep sadness that made him ache terribly for their little girl. “I was always so alone, being the only kid. As if you weren’t already the best dads ever, you’ve going to give me everything I’ve wanted for almost a decade and then more. I-“ She sobbed. “Just. Thank you, Papa and Daddy. Thank you for making me feel so happy and loved everyday. Even when you don’t know you are. I love you both too.”
“Oh my baby. C’mere. Just. C’mere.” Phoenix blubbered. And Miles stood with his husband at his side as they bundled up their first born in a wreath of wings and arms, till they were all out of happy tears left to shed.
Trucy pulled away first. “So.” She sniffled, her eyes puffy and red. “When should I plan my trip to spend time with Aunt Maya? I’ll need to know ahead.”
Miles was the one to choke on air this time. “Trucy-“
“The week of the summer solstice and the week after.” Phoenix responded earnestly, and without hesitation. “Same as every year. But… maybe a few extra days after too. Just in case.” He finished sheepishly rubbing at his neck.
“Okay, I’ll go tell Auntie Maya right now so I don’t forget!” And then she was off again.
They shared a look, and barked out a wet laugh.
“I feel foolish that I was so worried about this.” Miles rasped, coming up to hold Phoenix in his arms, admiring his beloved.
Those eyes and tanned skin with freckles, and a sharp nose… any children we have will be the little heartthrobs on the playground if they’re coming from him especially, he mused, a little manic with the idea that this was actually going to happen.
He’s going to look so handsome holding our children in his arms.
He can imagine it already, morning light streaming into the nursery, Phoenix looking overjoyed and harried at the same time, as he holds their little treasures in each arm close to the strong swell of his broad chest. Those deep red and cerulean eyes glowing as they catch the morning light, his wings shimmering along side them to match. Rocking them back to sleep with a sway in his step, and singing to them softly. He can imagine the sharp contrast of the pastel swaddles flowing over his strong forearms, of the soft fabric against his clawed fingers. He can see Phoenix’s radiant smile from the door frame of the nursery as the babes coo curiously at him. Watching his husband deposit them into their cribs, each with a kiss to their foreheads, tiny hands grabbing at his face, before being offered a tiny baby blanket in its place, a doting smile on Phoenix’s lips that’s practically all joy and teeth.
“Are you thinking about it too?” Phoenix whispered, slotting their foreheads together as he brought Miles close.
“About what, exactly?” Miles mumbled back.
“How they’ll look.” He hummed, his hand dipping slowly down to where the jut of his hips rested under his borrowed pajama pants, before drifting to thumb at the taut of his stomach through the shirt he had stolen from Phoenix’s wardrobe. “How we will look.”
“I’m thinking that any children of mine that you contribute to will be extremely beautiful. I’m also thinking that you’ll look so handsome, holding our babes delicately in your strong arms, my dear.” Miles murmured.
“And I’m thinking about how fucking H-O-T my husband will look with a baby belly.” Phoenix crooned with a mischievous smile.
Miles swatted at him playfully. “You only think that because it’s me.”
“Yeah. That’s what makes it so sexy. My stone cold chief prosecutor husband, with his crown of majestic black horns, and his big scary demon wings, all knocked up and resting his hands on his belly looking all soft, and cozy.” Phoenix trilled and purred, audibly pleased by the mental image. “Nurturing our baby, just as diligently as he dishes out justice to some of the most evil criminals in the state. My beautiful, wonderful, regal mate, and his commitment to us settling heavy on his hips.”
Miles flushed and scoffed. “It sounds like you just want to see me heavily pregnant.”
“No,” Phoenix retorted. “I want to make and have babies with you, and admire your handsomeness at every new stage and change it brings us. Because I don’t think you realize how much this means to me. But it means… so very much that you want to give me the big family I’ve wanted for so long by making some new additions with me. And being so caring of my feelings about our relationship at the same time.”
“Oh, Phoenix-“
They both jumped apart as a shrill eight bit Steel Samurai opening theme ring tone very rudely, Miles felt, interrupted an intimate moment with his lover.
Phoenix seemed even more so annoyed as he pulled out his cracked-to-hell phone with an aggressive grumble of “it’s almost eight at night, who the fuck calls at this time?” Groaning as he saw what Miles assumed was the caller ID, before he clicking answer, and then speakerphone.
“Maya, if you have been accused of murder right now I swear to justice-“
“NICHOLAS WRIGHT!” The other end of the line shrieked. “WHY DID MY LOVELY NIECE TEXT ME AT 7:45 IN THE AFTERNOON ON A TUESDAY THAT SHE NEEDS TO STAY EXTRA DAYS AFTER THIS SUMMER SOLSTICE BECAUSE, AND I QUOTE, ‘DADDY AND PAPA ARE TALKING ABOUT GIVING ME SIBLINGS AND I DON’T WANT TO INTERRUPT ANYTHING’- WHAT THE FUCK DOES SHE MEAN?! AND WHY AM I ONLY HEARING ABOUT THIS DEVELOPMENT NOW?!”
There was a beat of shell shocked silence. Or maybe his ears were ringing. Miles couldn’t tell.
“WELL?! I’M WAITING!”
“Maya! We literally only started talking about this TODAY. The only person we’ve told about this is Trucy, because obviously I’m not gonna traumatize my baby with walking in on her dads being feral and boinking like animals, and I have no idea how this will go, seeing as I’ve never attempted for a baby before!” Phoenix hissed into the receiver.
“Ok. But she said siblings. Plural. That was typed with intention. What the fuck did she mean by that. Explain.”
“You realize Miles is also an immortal being capable of getting pregnant and having a baby, right?” Phoenix snarked back.
“THAT DOESN’T MEAN YOU BOTH GET PREGNANT AT ONCE, THAT IS SUCH A SHITTY IDEA NICK!” Maya scolded.
“Maya Fey.” Miles said sternly, whipping out his courtroom voice. “We are aware that is not ideal. But we’re not just trying for children. I would expect a mediator between the natural and supernatural to be familiar with the concept of a demonic bond.”
There was a beat of silence.
“Oh- Oh my god. You- you’re both sure about this? This isn’t reversible like Phoenix’s mate bond is. You know that right? Please tell me you understand that.”
“Yes. And we’re quite ‘sure’, Maya.”
“Honestly more certain than I am about most things in my life.” Phoenix mumbled. Miles glared at him and mouthed ‘Seriously? We’re married’ at him. Phoenix simply gave him a sheepish grin.
“I- I thought this might be what was going on but I completely dismissed the possibility- I assumed you both were just being utter morons, but-“ Maya said apologetically, before falling into what was likely overwhelmed silence. “Holy shit I’m gonna be an auntie to two more kids if you guys succeed. Holy shit. Holy mother. You- Nick you better bring everyone up to visit once they’re here-“
“I was thinking maybe that we would actually be up in Kurain village for the delivery, or to request you come down and act as our midwife. Only if you could make time, being the village head and all.”
“I love you to pieces Nick, but I’m not sticking my hands anywhere near your junk. Either of you. You’re like my brother, and therefore Edgeworth is my brother-in-law. That’s like super weird. However, it would be best to be up here for delivery, since the village acts as a haven for the supernatural when they need it, and I can still be present as support. I can have one of our midwives stand in. And I will make time since this is part of my duties.”
“Okay, great! Well. Just be sure the next time you call that you maybe don’t do it screaming at eight at night. Stress is bad for fertility and babies, I’m pretty sure.”
“Nicholas wri-!“
“Love you!” And with that Phoenix hung up. He let out a groan. “I think I’m ready for bed. If I have to explain this to another person tonight, I might just combust and turn to ash on the spot.”
Miles muttered his agreement.
June couldn’t come soon enough.