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Miles squinted as a ray of sunlight hit his eyes just so. Although he happened to be a morning person, he couldn’t help but groan and push his face deeper into the pillow, at least for a moment. He’d gone to bed a bit later than he would have liked last night, and the early morning sun was not helping.
Even so, he pushed himself up a little, squinting toward the clock on his wall. It was eight already…? He’d best not lay around any longer. He still had some work to do, after all. So he pushed himself to sit, rubbing one of his eyes, and stood, adjusting his nightshirt. He could get dressed after he had some coffee.
He yawned into his hand as he walked out of his room and toward the kitchen. When he stepped inside, he almost had a heart attack, sticking his arm out to grab the counter so his knees wouldn’t give out. “Gah!”
Kay stood over a lit stove in her normal attire, gasping at the sudden outburst, though a huge grin broke out over her face almost immediately. “Good morning, Mr. Edgeworth! I was wondering when you were gonna get up.”
Gripping the counter tighter, Miles drew in breath sharply, staring at the girl for a brief moment before he could find his voice again. “Kay...What are you doing here…?” Sure, she’d broken into his office a couple of times before, but his house?
She seemed to delight in his reaction, flipping the spatula in her hand with another grin. “You know me. No locked window stands a chance against this Great Thief!”
How she had so much energy this early in the morning, he’d never know. But that wasn’t exactly the most pressing issue, either. Taking another deep breath, he let his racing heart calm itself, leaning against the counter. “Right...But what are you doing here? It’s still early.”
“Oh, c’mon, Mr. Edgeworth. Isn’t it obvious?” she asked, smirking as she turned to the pan that sat on his stove. “Where’re your plates?” Wordlessly, he pointed to one of the cabinets, still staring at her. She thanked him and stood on her toes, grabbing two, setting them down beside the stove. “I know you were trying to hide it from us, but Gummy and I found the truth.” Sticking out her tongue a little in concentration, she stuck the spatula into the pan, flipping a few pancakes, then glanced back at him. “It’s your birthday, isn’t it?”
Miles blinked, straightening up a little. “Well, yes, but how did you…?”
She grinned widely again, turning toward the pan, watching the pancakes sizzle. “A Great Thief never reveals her secrets.”
So she must have contacted Wright.
Now that the initial shock had worn off, Miles felt tired again; it was a normal feeling whenever Kay did something surprising or out of the blue, and this time was certainly no different. Running a hand through messy hair he had yet to run a comb through, he grabbed the coffee pot, though he was surprised to find it full. “Did you make coffee, too?”
As Kay flipped the misshapen pancakes onto the two plates, she beamed. “Of course I did. Uncle Badd taught me how a long time ago, and I figured you’d like it.” She paused, seemingly thinking something over. “...If I knew how to make tea, I’d do that instead.”
Miles smiled a little at that, reaching up to grab one of his mugs. “Thank you. I appreciate it.” She knew him well. Pouring himself some coffee, he went to the fridge to get some creamer, then glanced over his shoulder. “I presume you will be staying for breakfast. Do you like coffee?”
“Of course I am! I’m not gonna let you eat alone on your birthday! Besides, I make some mean pancakes.” Reaching to turn off the burner, she shook her head. “Nah. I’ll just have some of your orange juice.” He blinked and looked back in the fridge. Of course she had looked through his fridge. Oh well.
Taking the creamer and the juice out of the fridge, he brought them both over to the kitchen table, while Kay brought over the plates and syrup. He frowned a little. Tied around the back of his chair was a red balloon, floating just above his head. “Kay, why did you get me a balloon?”
She rolled her eyes, sitting down across from him with a huff. “Balloons are standard decoration for birthdays! C’mon, you should know this! Besides, Gummy insisted. He thought you’d like the red.”
It was still a strange situation, but...Miles had to admit, it was pretty nice to have her here. “Of course he did.” He walked back to the counter to grab his mug, another cup, and two sets of utensils, carefully returning to the table to set them down.
Sitting down, he did a double take at the pancake on his plate, noticing now that she’d made a smiley face using chocolate chips. He blinked, staring at it for a long moment. A distant memory surfaced, one from so long ago, when Ray had helped him make breakfast for Gregory when they were children. That was something he hadn’t thought about it a long time.
“You know you have to actually eat it, right? You can’t just glare at it like you do with everyone else.” Kay interrupted his thoughts through a mouthful of her own pancake, and he glanced back up to look at her. She was grinning, of course.
“Please chew with your mouth closed, Kay,” he replied with a sigh, brushing off the comment. He was used to the insults about his glaring and his wrinkled forehead by now; he knew it was all in good fun. Drizzling some syrup over them, he then picked up his knife and fork and cut a small piece, trying it. It was sweet and fluffy, surprisingly well made.
Kay seemed to already know his answer, but smiled anyway. “What do you think, Mr. Edgeworth?”
Swallowing, he met her gaze, letting himself smile a little. “...They’re pretty good. Even though you did break into my house and use my food.”
“Aw, c’mon. I just wanted to surprise you!” She huffed, sticking out her bottom lip in a pout. However, it didn’t last long, and a sly grin appeared on her face. “Even in the depths of night…”
Miles shook his head, cutting her off. “No. I’m not saying it.”
“You’re no fun.”
When they finished their pancakes, Kay downed her glass of juice, then got up quickly. She almost seemed antsy all of a sudden. “I have one more thing for you.” Stepping out from her chair, she walked over to him, pulling an envelope out of her little purse. Mr. Edgeworth was scrawled in neat cursive on the back, and she handed it to him with a smile.
Frowning a little, confused, he took the envelope and opened it slowly, not wanting to rip it. When he pulled out the card, he couldn’t help the heat that rose to his cheeks, because the Steel Samurai was front and center. Kay snickered, but didn’t say anything. It seemed she was eager for him to see the rest of it.
Upon opening the card, he was greeted with a few words; ones that made his blood turn cold, making him freeze in place, his eyes moving back and forth as he tried to make sense of it.
Mr. Edgeworth, you are my hero. Happy birthday.
His grip on the card tightened, and he was reminded again of the pancakes he had made all those years ago for his hero, his father...and Kay had done the same now. A familiar burn settled into his eyes, though for once, it wasn’t out of sorrow. “I know this kind of thing isn’t really your style, but...Do you like it?” Kay asked, her voice uncharacteristically soft. When he looked up, fighting to keep his eyes from watering, she was looking at him nervously, as if he’d turn down the kind words.
He swallowed hard, gently placing the card on the table, and stood, drawing her into his arms. “Yes...Thank you, Kay.” She stood for a moment, presumably surprised by the sudden affection, but didn’t hesitate to return the hug just as tightly. Miles wasn’t one to willingly embrace, but now, he could make an exception. He didn’t think he could ever explain just how much this girl meant to him.
After a few moments, when he was sure no tears would spill, he pulled away, straightening up. Kay smiled brightly, and he couldn’t help but return it. “Now then, what’s your plan for today?”
“We’re gonna go meet Sebastian and Gummy in the park. We can get you some birthday ice cream!” she exclaimed happily, pumping her fist, and even if Miles had work to do...well, he couldn’t bring himself to say no to her. It seemed she had everything planned.
He couldn’t help but chuckle. “Very well. Let me clean up first.” As he gathered their dishes and headed to the sink, he noticed a sly smirk on the girl’s face.
“Hey, Mr. Edgeworth?”
“Yes?”
“...I like your PJ’s. I know red’s your color, but pink looks good on you!”
A blush rose to his cheeks - exactly the kind of response she’d been looking for - and he groaned. “Not another word, young lady.”
After cleaning up and getting dressed, Miles Edgeworth went to the park with his sweet, energetic assistant. And, admittedly, it was one of the best birthdays he had ever had.