33 years have passed since Maya returned from her training in the Kingdom of Khura'in and started dating her close friend, Phoenix Wright. Shortly after returning to America, Phoenix took Maya out for a picnic on a warm day in late spring. There, he confessed his feelings for her out of fear that her life would be in danger again and this time, she would be taken from his life permanently; a fear that was only heightened by the recent events that occurred in Khura'in. Although Maya had a lot of responsibilities placed on her shoulders as the Master of Kurain, she still made time to see Phoenix and his adopted daughter Trucy; and sometimes was able to solve cases with him like the good old days.
Although the two were very happy together, something was bothering Maya. Despite their relationship being as strong as ever, Phoenix never seemed any closer to popping the question. It was when she was taking some time off and going down to spend the weekend with Phoenix and Trucy that Maya finally decided to propose to him herself. She ordered a ring from a ring shop near Phoenix's apartment when she visited them a couple of weeks ago with some of the money she made through channelings. Maya was planning on proposing to him the day that she was able to retrieve the ring; after that, all she needed to do was find a place and time to do it.
The morning after she arrived, Maya was awoken by the warm smell of bacon and pancakes. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and stretched before hopping off the bed and walking outside of the bedroom that she and Phoenix shared. Following the scent, she found that the source of the smell came from the kitchen. She peered inside and saw that Phoenix was cooking breakfast, he was in the middle of flipping a pancake over with a spatula when Maya entered the kitchen.
"Something smells good!" She chirped. Phoenix jumped in shock, which resulted in the pancake nearly dropping on the ground. He barely managed to salvage it with his spatula and his head whipped around to face Maya.
"Maya! I didn't see you there!" He stammered. Maya giggled and walked towards him. Phoenix set the pan on the stove and faced her as he continued to speak, "Athena and I have been busy at the office lately, so I thought maybe the three of us could have breakfast together before I have to go." He rubbed the back of his head as he explained. Maya smiled warmly and gave him a peck on the cheek.
"Sounds good to me, Nick! So, do you have anything planned today?" She cocked her head in a curious manner with an enigmatic smile on her face. Phoenix rubbed his chin in thought.
"Besides paperwork, not much. Why?" He asked, curious.
"Oh, I was just wondering, that's all…" Maya said, looking off into the distance with a blank expression so that Phoenix wouldn't figure out what she was up to. He raised his eyebrows in suspicion but didn't say anything. He turned his head to check on the bacon and pancakes. The bacon was sizzling and from what Maya could tell, they seemed to be nearly done; Phoenix flipped a pancake over to check if it was done or not and shifted his eyes to Maya for a second.
"Breakfast should be ready in a few minutes. Would you mind getting Trucy?" Phoenix asked. Maya nodded in affirmation.
"Of course, Nick!" She walked in the direction of Trucy's room. Once she got to the door, she gently knocked and called, "Truce, it's time for breakfast!" The door opened immediately to reveal a messy-haired Trucy who was still in her pajamas. The young magician yawned and rubbed her eyes sleepily.
"I'll be there in a minute, Mommy." She mumbled. When Phoenix first adopted Trucy, Trucy called Maya, "Mommy", when the two first met. Despite Phoenix and Maya's embarrassment at the time, Maya grew to like the nickname over the years. Trucy closed the door again for a few minutes before opening it once more to reveal herself in her normal magician garb. The two walked over to the dining room table to see that Phoenix had already set it with plates and forks. In the center of the table were two large plates; one was covered in bacon and the other had pancakes on it. The two sat themselves down with Phoenix following soon after.
"Thanks for making breakfast, Daddy." Trucy said sleepily. Phoenix nodded his head and smiled.
"You're welcome, Trucy. I made some coffee over there, if you want it. It should still be warm." He said, pointing over to the coffee pot in the kitchen. Trucy immediately stood up and walked to the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee for herself. While she was up, Maya smiled gratefully at Phoenix before piling her plate with a stack of five pancakes and some strips of bacon. As the two ate, they made some conversation.
"So, how's Athena doing?" Maya said, before shoving a piece of pancake into her mouth with a fork. Phoenix looked thoughtful for a moment before answering.
"Well, she's taking cases on her own now. She even managed to win one the other day." Phoenix said with a proud smile on his face.
"Good for her! I guess that's no surprise since she learned from the best after all!" She winked flirtatiously. Phoenix blushed and scratched the back of his head nervously.
"H-hey now…" He stuttered. Trucy walked back to the table, coffee cup in hand, and sat back down next to her father. The three ate their breakfast in a comfortable silence. Once Maya was finished eating, she decided to set the first phase of her plan in motion.
"Hey Nick," Maya started. Phoenix looked up at her as he picked up a strip of bacon from his plate. He started chewing on it as Maya spoke, "I was thinking the other day that since we haven't had a date night in a while, maybe the two of us could go out for steak. Is that ok with you?" Phoenix swallowed before replying.
"I don't see why not. Is that ok with you, Trucy?" He asked. Trucy shrugged.
"I don't mind, I can see if Jinxie wants to hang out or something." She said. After Phoenix finished his breakfast, he stood up and gathered the empty plates before putting them in the dishwasher.
"Alright. I'm going to get dressed, then I'm going to head out." Phoenix stated. He walked into the room he and Maya shared. When he walked out, he went up to Maya and gave her a kiss on the top of her head.
"It might be a few hours before I get back, but I'll make sure we go out before it gets too dark." Phoenix assured her. He gave Trucy a kiss before picking up his briefcase and leaving. Once he was gone, Maya immediately went to setting the next phase of her plan into motion.
"Alright, Truce, you know that store down the way? The one that has a big ring with a blue jewel inside it on a sign board that hangs above the entrance?" Maya asked.
"'Circulum', you mean? Yeah, I've passed by it on my way to meet up with friends. Why?" Trucy asked curiously.
"A couple of weeks ago, I ordered an engagement ring from there. I was given a call the other day that it was ready to be picked up. I'm going to propose to your dad, Truce." She admitted. Trucy's eyes widened in shock and her mouth formed into a huge, excited grin.
"W-what? I can't believe it! You're going to propose?!" Maya chuckled in amusement.
"Mhmm. Do you want to come with me?" Maya asked. Trucy nodded rapidly, with the grin still present on her face. The two walked out of the apartment and headed in the direction of the store. Eventually, the two of them spotted the signboard and Trucy bounded up to the door cheerfully with Maya following behind her.
The two entered the shop and were in awe of the wallpaper that adorned the interior. It was a pale blue with a horizontal pattern of different colored gems. Behind the front counter was an old man who acknowledged the women and nodded at them.
"Welcome! Is there anything I can help you two ladies with?" The man asked politely. Maya went up to the desk, gracefully.
"Yeah, I'm here to pick up an order from 'Maya Fey'." Maya commented. The man's eyebrows rose, and he blinked in recognition.
"Ah yes! I remember, let me just go grab your order." He went into a small little room in the corner of the store and remained there for a few moments. When he returned, he was holding a black jewelry box. He handed it to Maya who opened it to reveal a beautiful silver ring with a sapphire jewel inside. As Maya held it up to her face, the jewel seemed to gleam. She smiled in gratitude.
"Thank you so much sir, I'm certain he'll like it." Maya said confidently. The man smiled politely.
"Of course." He commented. Trucy strode up to Maya and stared at the ring with her mouth wide open. Maya moved the ring closer to Trucy so she could take a better look at it.
"Whoa... that's a really pretty ring, Mommy. He'll really like it!" Trucy stated. Maya put the ring back in the box and left the store with Trucy. Trucy eyed the box curiously.
"How were you able to pay for it?" Trucy asked.
"I raised a lot of money through performing channelings for people. There was so much that I used some of it to order this sapphire ring." Maya explained.
When they arrived back at the apartment, Maya quickly placed the box containing the ring inside a little satchel that she carried around to make sure that it was out of Phoenix's sight. The two women sat down on the couch and watched some Steel Samurai for a couple of hours before they heard the door open. Maya and Trucy's heads whipped around to see Phoenix holding a bag of burgers. They grinned when they saw him.
"I'm back, girls!" Phoenix announced.
"Hey Nick, how did it go?" Maya asked.
"Well, we managed to complete some of the paperwork from mine and Athena's last case. She still has some to do for her upcoming trial though." He commented. He walked over to the couch where Maya and Trucy were seated and kissed Maya on the cheek as he handed her a bag of burgers which were labeled, "Grilliam Shakespeare". "I thought you might be hungry, so I brought you both some lunch"
"Thanks, Nick!" She chirped. Phoenix sat down with the two and they continued to watch the Steel Samurai for much of the afternoon. At around 6:00, Phoenix got up and stretched his arms. He turned to look at Maya as he spoke.
"It's 6:00. Do you want to have dinner now, or go a little later?" Phoenix asked. Maya nodded and rose to her feet.
"Let's do it now." Maya said.
"Alright then, Trucy, we'll be going now. Will you be alright on your own?" Phoenix asked.
"Sure, like I said earlier, I'll call Jinxie and see if she can hang out!" Trucy said. Phoenix nodded and looked at Maya.
"Are you ready, Maya?" He asked. Maya nodded, she slung the satchel on her shoulder and the two walked out of Phoenix's apartment and over to Phoenix's bike which was currently parked by the sidewalk. Phoenix tossed Maya his spare helmet.
"Be careful of my back, Maya. You know how sensitive it can get these days." Phoenix warned. Maya rolled her eyes as she got on Phoenix's back but was still careful not to accidentally harm him.
"Relax Nick, I'm fine." She stated as she wrapped her arms around him. The two rode over to the nearest steakhouse which was a medium-sized building with a big bright logo above the pair of front doors with red letters that read "Steak Out" and a slogan underneath it saying, "We prize our rare and well-done meat above all else!" Maya chuckled lightly upon reading the sign while Phoenix only looked exasperated.
Steak Out, as it turned out, wasn't very busy so it didn't take them too long to get a table. It also didn't seem to have a lot of customers as when Phoenix and Maya looked around, the other tables were empty. This made Phoenix somewhat nervous.
"Are you sure we picked the right place? This place seems kind of empty." Phoenix said as he scanned the area around them.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. Maybe business is just slow?" Maya asked. Phoenix's face relaxed upon hearing Maya's words.
"Maybe you're right," Phoenix started, "But if I get food poisoning, the bill is on you." He teased. Maya just stuck her tongue out at him playfully and the two of them chuckled at the other's antics. Soon enough the waiter came to take each other's orders. Maya ordered a large medium-rare sirloin steak with a baked potato on the side while Phoenix ordered a smaller sirloin that had a little pink in the middle with a salad on the side. They ate dinner in silence, enjoying the other's company. When they were finished eating, Maya spoke.
"Nick, there's something I need to tell you." Maya said. Phoenix raised his eyebrows inquisitively.
"What is it, Maya?" He questioned. Maya folded her arms on the table and twiddled her thumbs.
"Well, we've been going out for 3 years now Nick, and we've been best friends for even longer than that," Maya noted. Phoenix looked intrigued as she spoke, "And I'm happy, I really am. But I feel as if there's something missing from our relationship." She took out the box containing the ring and handed it to Phoenix. Phoenix took the box from her and opened it; upon seeing the ring, his mouth fell open in shock and his eyes looked like they were about to pop from his sockets.
"M-Maya, how did you pay for this?" He questioned, flabbergasted.
"With some of my own money raised by performing channelings." She stated. She grabbed the ring out of the box and placed it on the table. She proceeded to grasp Phoenix's hands and clasped them into her own. Phoenix gazed at her with a mix of shock and what looked to be happiness.
She locked gazes with Phoenix as she continued, "That aside. Phoenix Wright, will you marry me?" Phoenix's mouth formed into a gentle smile and he stared at her lovingly as he looked from the ring to Maya.
"No objections here, Maya Fey." Phoenix said tenderly. Maya grinned widely and reached across the table so she could hug Phoenix. Phoenix got up and reciprocated the hug. The two hugged tightly before Phoenix grabbed the box from the table and gazed at the ring inside it. He smirked playfully, "You know, I had a feeling you were going to propose to me." Maya pouted grumpily.
"Niiiick, that was supposed to be a surprise!" She whined. Phoenix chuckled.
"I know, I know! And like I said, I only had a feeling. I didn't know when or where you were going to do it" The two sat back down in their chairs with Phoenix still looking over the ring.
"How do you like it, Nick? I know blue is your favorite color and I thought that sapphire would go really nice with your suit." Maya stated. Phoenix looked at her and nodded.
"It's very pretty Maya. Thank you." He said. A little while later, they were handed the bill.
"I assume I'm paying?" Phoenix asked.
"Nah, I bought the ring. I have some money on hand so let's split." Maya suggested. Phoenix looked amazed but nodded. Once the bill was paid, the newly engaged couple left the restaurant together. As the two passed through People Park, Phoenix turned to Maya and started chatting her up.
"So how long were you planning on proposing to me?" Phoenix asked, his eyebrows raised inquisitively.
"About a couple months ago. I was waiting for you to pop the question. When I realized that you weren't going to do it, I decided to pop the question myself." Maya explained. Phoenix nodded.
"I see." After their brief exchange, the two walked back to Phoenix's apartment. When they unlocked the door, they noticed that it was dark inside.
"Truce must be at Jinxie's, I guess." Maya noted. Phoenix turned to her with a dirty grin on his face.
"Hey, since she's gone and all, do you want to…" He winked and nodded towards their bedroom. Maya shot him a knowing look.
"Oooo, Nick! You're dirtier than I thought!" Maya winked teasingly and poked Phoenix in the chest, causing him to chuckle. Phoenix led Maya to their bedroom through the darkness and closed the door behind him. And they spent the rest of the night in pure, heavenly bliss.
