I debated about responding to this properly, but I kind of felt like I should as someone who has hyperfixated on Miles as a character a lot and how to approach writing him... And I will say, I mostly agree with the spirit of what's being said here. Miles IS down bad for Phoenix, and does think he's incredibly smart. That does not mean that Miles a) outwardly acts like this openly (though we see it through some displays of trust) or b) does not insult Phoenix. The yearning is there, but I think this could only really come across if you're sat in his POV. I also think that some people can handle their characters too surface level and just try and force a grumpy/sunshine dynamic.
That said, I think it's also easy to make Miles a bit TOO uwu loverboy and declaw him, when that would also be pretty inaccurate. I think it's easy to look at him waxing poetic about 'that man' - they're memorable lines! - but we shouldn't forget the whole host of other things Miles says to Phoenix. I'm going to put a bunch of post 7YG segments below. Appreciate there's a lot (though I cut out many examples and didn't even include AA6-5) but I think it kind of helps the point:
---
Phoenix:
I-Is this conclusive enough for you?!
Edgeworth:
It's perfectly conclusive... of your utter incompetence.
Phoenix:
(Can't you be normal for once and simply say, "That's wrong!"?)
---
Phoenix:
(Uh-oh. I got the "hmph" treatment...)
Edgeworth:
I shouldn't have to explain the implications of your own argument to you, Wright, but... ...all your claim suggests is that Ms. Cykes wiped the blood off herself after the fact.
Phoenix:
I-I knew that...
Edgeworth:
I know that bluffing your way through things is your calling card... ...but your credibility phoned just now and told me to tell you to "put a sock in it."
Phoenix:
Y-Yes, Daddy...
---
Edgeworth:
I can see you're floundering, Mr. Wright. Did you speak without thinking again, as always?
---
Edgeworth:
Hmph. Is that the theory your pitiful sense of aesthetics helped you come up with?
---
Edgeworth:
............*sigh*
Phoenix:
(Uh-oh. I got the "*sigh*" treatment...)
---
Edgeworth:
I see... So you're saying that the Space Museum corridor... ...leads to a spot somewhere in your head? What must it be like, being Phoenix Wright?
Edgeworth:
After all, this "alternative escape route" seems to exist only in your mind.
Phoenix:
Gah... (Well, I think I have a beautiful mind...!)
Edgeworth:
Perhaps we'd better shut the security door on that corridor tightly... ...so that your ridiculous delusions don't seep out onto us.
---
Edgeworth:
Fine. Just don't exhaust all of your mental capacities while you're at it.
---
Phoenix:
You don't need to patronize me, Edgeworth... Just because you're chief prosecutor doesn't make you better than me.
Edgeworth:
Hmph. My title is my title. But when I see a lawyer from some tiny, obscure office hard at work... ...it's only natural that I should want to do my part to help the socially impoverished.
---
Phoenix:
...Which means... what, exactly?
Edgeworth:
Hmph. I figured it would go right over your head.
---
Edgeworth:
...Mr. Wright. This is a court of law. Save your antics for after the trial, if you know how.
---
Edgeworth:
Hmph. That far-off look in his eyes suggests that his mind is equally as far-off in La-La Land.
---
Edgeworth:
Heh. Perhaps you should ask Ms. Cykes for some help in reviewing Defense for Dummies.
Ema:
Way to go, sir! You've got Mr. Wright in a cold sweat!
Edgeworth:
Hmph. I wonder if maybe the promise of seeing that miserable look on his face... ...is what brought me back to court today. It's certainly made all of my stress and woes as chief prosecutor just melt away.
---
Edgeworth:
Hmph. As I thought. In any case, I now have the evidence to prove... ...that you're no more intelligent than Larry!
---
Edgeworth:
I'm not done, you birdbrain!
Phoenix:
B-Birdbrain?!
---
Edgeworth:
Honestly, Mr. Wright. Are you going senile already?
---
So anyway, I think it's inaccurate to say that Miles DOESN'T insult Phoenix's intelligence pretty frequently. And in the realm of 'personal opinion', I'd say a lot of it also comes off in the nagging wife kinda territory, honestly. Again, I'm not contradicting at all what's going on BENEATH the surface, I think that's also pretty clear. But if we're talking a fanfic written from Phoenix POV or something, that isn't always going to come across.
Don't get me wrong, I love explorations of Miles undergoing some further character development and ultimately learning to be a little more open and forthcoming with how he feels. And wanting more of that is great - I do too! I just also think that equally, Phoenix and Miles lobbying insults at each other is their form of banter - a shared love language between them.
TLDR: I don't think it's right to suggest that Miles insulting Phoenix and his intelligence is OOC. He absolutely does this in canon, frequently, and including dialogue like this in fanworks is inherently accurate for his character. He is also down bad for Phoenix. Two things can be true at once. The key thing is Miles Edgeworth contains multitudes of layers.
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