sooooo…. after finishing SoJ i had this gosh darn idea stuck in my head and im not rly a writer but wat the hecks ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

post aa6, maybe vaguely spoilerish idk.. no raunch here just sfw cheesiness

With a soft groan, Phoenix moved a hand to rub the blur of sleep from his eyes. Trying to focus, he noted the light coming from the window, filling the room with a dull glow. He shut his eyes tightly, then blinked away some more of the lingering grogginess.

What time is it anyway?

Carefully shifting himself, he turned his head to glance at the clock on the nightstand.

Barely 5 AM, huh? Well, if the sun isn't quite up yet I'm certainly not ready to get up, either.

His thoughts were interrupted as he felt the figure beneath the sheets next to him stir. A slender hand reached out, softly trailing fingertips up along his arm. Phoenix looked over to find Maya's very sleepy gaze upon him.

"Mmmm… you awake, Nick?"

"Ah, yeah.. I guess," he reached out to grasp her hand in his, "Sorry I woke you."

Maya just smiled lazily and moved herself closer to Phoenix, laying her head against his chest and settling in comfortably against his other arm. She squeezed his hand and began brushing light circles over it with her thumb.

"… isn't it still pretty early, though?" She paused for a moment, then giggled, "But, well… I guess it would make sense, though.. A phoenix… Bird. Early bird gets the worm, right?"

He couldn't help but roll his eyes and grin as Maya let out a chuckle. In that moment he let go of her hand and abruptly pulled her into a tight embrace. He rested his lips gently against her forehead and took in a deep breath. Maya smiled and closed her eyes, sinking against him. For a few moments they stayed like that, still and quiet until Maya suddenly shifted.

"Hey, uhh… Nick?"

"Hmm?"

"My arm is asleep."

"Oh. Oops."

He loosened his arms and helped her move into a more comfortable position. Maya rested her cheek against his chest and put an arm back around him, sighing contentedly. The room grew quiet, which further lulled them into relaxation. Phoenix looked again towards the soft glow of the window.

"Maya?"

"Yeah?"

"These past few weeks have been something else, haven't they?"

"Pfft! You're telling me! You weren't the one accused of murder and taken hostage - again!"

Silence.

"… I was afraid, you know?" Phoenix swallowed and continued, "Everything that happened, everything we went through… In one way or another it was like they kept saying - we were just a bunch of dead men walking."

She elbowed him, "I'm not a man."

"…Well, maybe not now, but when you were chan- OUCH! Hey!" He rubbed his arm where Maya had pinched him.

"You're so funny, Phoenix Wright! Keep that up and you might become an actual dead man! I could end up having to channel YOU next!" Maya glared at him for a few seconds, then scrunched her nose and frowned, "Actually… scratch that. Way too weird."

Phoenix shuddered, his mind briefly going back to when she was channeling Tahrust Inmee.

"Definitely too weird," he agreed, "I much prefer the way you are now."

Phoenix squeezed her tightly and flipped them over. Maya grinned at him from underneath messy bangs and reached up, brushing her fingers gently along his jaw. He closed his eyes and moved his hand over hers, slowly intertwining their fingers.

"What I was going to say…" he opened his eyes and gazed at her thoughtfully, "was after all this feeling dead… It's good to finally feel alive for once."

Maya's expression softened. She squeezed his hand tightly and wrapped her other arm around him, pulling him close. Pressing her face into his neck, she quieted her breathing, all attention focused on the rhythmic beating of her pulse against his.

He was right; both of them were forced to dance with death enough in their lives. It was nice to finally live a little.

thx 4 readin