A trope I'll never get sick of with Ace Attorney ships is what I can only think to describe as "the inherent intimacy of calling someone by their first name"
Obviously with narumitsu we've got the fact that Edgeworth almost always refers to Pheonix as "Wright" so when he actually calls him "Pheonix" it's usually a Moment, it feels intimate (if I ever get around to writing my Miles Edgeworth centric narumitsu fanfic I've had bouncing around my brain for awhile now I plan to have a moment during the seven year gap where Miles is trying to get Pheonix to let him in, let him help, but Pheonix is refusing but when Miles just says "Pheonix..." That alone is able to totally disarm him and stop him from continuing to protest). It works vise versa too, since Pheonix usually calls him "Edgeworth" whenever he calls him "Miles" feels more intimate.
With klapollo it almost works doubly so, since Klavier usually calls Apollo "Herr Forehead" if he even switches to "Herr Justice" it usually means a lot, but when he calls him "Apollo"? That's a big deal and definitely feels intimate. Similar deal with Apollo calling him "Klavier" instead of "Prosecutor Gavin"
Also works with franmaya or really any ship with Franziska for that matter, since she's always Full Government Naming people. the first time she calls Maya just "Maya" (instead of "Maya Fey") would definitely be a big moment. On Maya's end it kinda works the other way around in a way, because she usually refers to people by nicknames instead of their full first name, so Maya calling her "Franziska" instead of some variation of "Fran" or "Franny" would definitely get Franziska's full undivided attention real fast.
i'm piggy backing off my old post here but
i imagine the first time miles notices franziska's shift with phoenix comes from a lunch date.
his sister's in town after some work overseas and he offers to treat her when it turns out phoenix's schedule opens up and he's available, too. before he can get conflicted over whether to decline seeing his boyfriend for the sake of time with his sister, she simply sniffs and tells him to invite the fool. they're all busy people, so she understands that when a schedule lines up, one should not look a gift horse in the mouth. or at least, that's what she says when he questions her.
that was the first sign.
they find a spot on a quaint little patio, and when phoenix shows up late, rather than pulling out the whip, she simply rolls her eyes. when miles asks if she's all right, she tells him that she's learned to expect this of his boyfriend and she's honestly shocked that he had yet to do the same, considering their history as childhood friends.
ngh—!! that was the second.
the conversation is surprisingly casual and pleasant. franziska's temper is all but absent. phoenix is in good spirits. the hair on the back of miles' neck is standing but he can't for the life of him figure out why. franziska and phoenix start talking about some museum exhibit from some artist he doesn't recognize the name of. his sister reminds him that he should be more cultured, his boyfriend snarks about miles' preferred artistic tastes being tacky costumes and cheap fireworks. suddenly, he's being attacked from both sides. their rapport is shocking — not a beat is missed, each managing to one-up the other at his expense.
he doesn't remember what was said anymore. the shock of what happened was far too shocking for that. franziska said something that made phoenix laugh so hard he was wiping tears from his eyes.
and that's when it happens. the third sign.
phoenix calls her "franny."
the last person miles had ever seen call her any sort of nickname had been hospitalized with second-degree burns from the enormous welts that had been whipped into their face. miles holds his breath, staring, franziska's tea cup remains lifted to her lips, and phoenix's laughter peters out as he realizes what has happened all too late. the silence is thick.
and then cut through like butter as franziska sniffs, pleased with herself for whatever praise he had given her, and then she calls him nick.
miles sits with his jaw dropped for some time, unable to fully process what has happened. they eventually tease him for trying to catch flies with his mouth, and he eventually recovers enough to finish lunch and see phoenix off.
he knows he'll never be able to talk to her about it. he can't ruin whatever it is that's changed. and phoenix only ever shrugs the conversation off. so it will remain an absolute mystery to him. and as grateful as he will be for the unlikely friendship between the two people most important to him, it will drive him mad.
