Phoenix Wright : How to Breathe : Diego/Mia : Part 1 of 7
Title: How to Breathe
Fandom: Phoenix Wright
Genre: Drama, romance
Rating: R for sex
Pairing/Characters: Diego/Mia
Summary: Mia couldn’t let Diego go without understanding what had happened to him. She would risk everything-her career, her sanity, and her life-to find out why he was poisoned, and to bring down the woman responsible. Five chapters + prologue and epilogue.
Warnings: Spoilers for 3-1 and 3-4, unannounced flashbacks, smut, romance, and angst. Slight contradictions with canon where Mia’s magatama is concerned.
Notes: This prologue was originally a response to a kink meme prompt, “their last meeting before Diego goes off to see Dahlia.” Lots of thanks to ggmoonycrisco for reading, reviewing, and making sure I didn’t trip over canon.
How to Breathe
***
Prologue
Mia leaned forward and stared at her face in the mirror, hands splayed on the countertop of the women's bathroom in the district courthouse. Chin set, brows drawn, eyes bright and fierce-the face of a defense attorney, hiding the butterflies she felt in her stomach at the thought of the case in three days, her first since Terry Fawles.
It'll be all right, Mia. It won't turn out like last time. This one was practically in the bag already; the evidence was shoddy at best and from what she'd heard down at the police station, the witness's testimony was full of holes. Her client Heather Raleigh was hardly suicidal-neither was Terry, or so it seemed, she thought glumly, but she remembered the hopeful smile on Heather’s face the last time Mia saw her at the detention center and felt slightly cheered. Everything would go well, barring sudden catastrophe.
She only wished Diego were here. There was no way of knowing if he'd make it in time, since he refused to tell her why he was leaving town, and didn't know when he would be back. She would have Grossberg at her side if not him, which was fine-more than fine, considering his many years of experience at the defense's stand. But even Grossberg couldn't compare. No one knew her the way Diego did, had memorized her style and knew exactly how to guide her, and had the instinct to know when she didn't need it. No one inspired more confidence in her.
"You haven't been sleeping, kitten." The sly murmur sent a fission down her spine like the stroke of a single fingertip. "Even big girls need to rest up before their big days."
Mia whirled. "Diego-!" And it was him, all cunning grin and dark eyes that were bright with pleasure at having startled her. She gaped and said the first thing that came to mind: "This is the women's bathroom."
He reached behind him, found the latch on the door and flicked it to the side, deliberately casual. "It locks."
She was across the room in seconds, and her arms were around him and his around her and her mouth pressed up against his like she wanted to drink him in, the bitter-dark taste she hadn't realized she'd needed this much until right now. "Missed me, kitten?" he asked when they parted, which got him another very fervent kiss, and somewhere in the middle of it he maneuvered them around so that Mia's back was to the door and she was pinned between it and his body.
"Here?" she asked when they broke apart, panting slightly.
"Here," and the velvet smoothness of that murmur turned her legs to water. Mia leaned her head back against the wall as his hands slid beneath her jacket, tugging her white blouse free from the black skirt. She closed her eyes when she felt his bare hands on her bare stomach-yes, here, because even five days was too long and the wanting, the need was so acute it was like pain.
"So." The touch that skimmed lightly up her ribs and the sides of her breasts was slow and deliberate. "What did you do while I was gone?"
"I..." All her attention was locked on the warm slide of his fingertips across her skin, the easy unclasp of her bra. "I did some investigation, I prepared for trial..." I rearranged all your coffee machines and ingredients, she almost said, but she'd let him discover that little punishment for his absence on his own. Try making Blend #42 at six in the morning now, Diego. "I went to bed at really late hours, or just slept in the office." She laughed breathlessly. "I was missing my incentive."
She felt the curve of his grin, sly against her temple. "Ha...! Sleeping's not what I've had in mind." His fingers stroked her breast, the practiced touch making her dizzy, and one of his feet between hers nudged her legs subtly apart. It was slow and unhurried and it was making her writhe, the waiting, the wanting. She slid her own hands beneath his shirt and let them wander up his back, envisioning copper-brown skin under her white fingers. He was hard against her and she pulled him closer.
"Don't make me wait anymore. Please, Diego."
He tipped her chin up with one hand, and she met his eyes. How was it that five days since she'd looked into his eyes had seemed so much like an eternity? "Waiting's half the fun,” he purred sweetly. “Even big cats like to play with their prey."
She cocked an eyebrow and a corner of her mouth upward. "Kittens like to play too. And you know how inventive I can be."
The slow curve of a grin across Diego's face left her flushed and slick between her legs. "How'd I ever leave you, kitten?"
"I have no idea.” She caught her breath as he cradled her head in one hand, his mouth warm and wet against her throat. "You said-there was something you needed to investigate." She was unbuttoning his shirt with slightly trembling fingers; there was no vest today, these were travel clothes, not work clothes. "Am I allowed to ask what it is yet?"
"Almost. There's one more thing I have to do. A meeting, in a little bit. Then I'll tell you everything."
His hand stole under her skirt and she nearly moaned, curling her fingernails into his skin in retaliation. "If you make me wait any longer I'm going to make sure you're late for it, Diego, so please-”
"For you," and he pinned her flat against the door and pushed her legs apart and covered her mouth with his.
Thank God for thigh-highs, she thought dazedly as his fingers found the lacey edge of her stockings and moved higher, nudging aside her panties and sliding into the damp curls. The first touch sent dizzying relief spiraling through her and she clutched at his shoulders for balance, then slid her hands up to tangle in his hair as he pressed into her, stroked against her and found the rhythm that was so good, so right, leaving her gasping brokenly against his lips. The need was blinding now, and she unfastened his pants with quick, brusque motions of her fingers, pushed them down his lean hips and took the hot, silky weight of him in her hand. He made a sound deep in his throat halfway between a groan and a purr and stopped-Mia jerked at the sudden suspension of kindling pleasure-to push her panties down her legs.
"Better men than me couldn't resist you for long, kitten." Diego whispered the words against her lips as he shifted, lifted her with broad hands on the backs of her thighs- "And you're a drug worth the addiction."
A rough push, the warm wet slide and Mia moaned raggedly, heedless of being overheard-yes, God yes. Diego went still when he was all the way inside her, eyes closed as though savoring the feel of her around him, and she flattened her palms against the sides of his face and kissed his forehead and eyelids and nose and mouth, fervently.
"I love you," she whispered against his lips. "I missed you so damn much."
He opened his eyes. They were level with hers, her pinned against the door like this, and so dark and deep and soft as they looked at her that she felt her heart skip a beat. He smiled his rarest smile, the one without cynicism, without bitterness, broad and tender.
"I want to spend my life with you, Mia."
They were not the sort of words that usually came out of his mouth when he was buried inside her. Mia looked at him, breathless and undone. "You do?"
He let out a silent puff of laughter against her cheek. "The thought's occurred to me." His lips wandered from her jaw to her throat and his hips rocked slowly into hers, making her arch back against the door. "More so in the past week. I missed you more than coffee, kitten."
She laughed shakily. "More than coffee, huh? That's a tall compliment." The long, slow way he moved inside her made her toes curl in her shoes. She was so close. So close, and he was making her wait again, to talk about this-something that any sane person would have brought up when her toes weren't dangling two feet from the floor-
Diego drew back and leaned his forehead against hers, and she was caught by his eyes again, spellbound. "It doesn't need to be official. I just don't want to be without you again. All the best parts are yet to come, after all," and he slow-ground against her again for emphasis, making her hiss and dig her fingernails into his shoulders.
"Do it now, Diego, please-”
"Anything for you, kitten," he whispered, and he found the rhythm that built the kindling fire to a bright inferno. Mia pressed her mouth to his throat as the climax broke through her, tasting warm-soft skin and hearing the harsh groan of her name in her ear as he found his own release.
He stayed deep inside her, breathing quietly into the crook of her neck, as she traced mindless patterns on his back beneath the shirt. "Did you mean it?" she spoke up at last, when she sensed that it was the right moment to break the silence.
Diego let her down carefully, and didn't let go until she had her balance again on still-wobbly legs. "Better believe it, mi gatita." The broad, soft smile was back on his face as he began to put her clothing to rights, fastening her bra and buttoning her shirt with deft, practiced fingers. "Don't answer now. There's time to think. No blend was ever improved by being rushed."
He helped her to straighten the rest of her clothes and accepted her help in straightening his, and when they were done Mia tipped her head back to meet his eyes.
"Did you ever doubt I'd say yes?"
Diego grinned and put an arm around her. "It won't be traditional."
Mia brushed her fingertips over his forehead, down his cheek. "I've spent my whole life being untraditional."
He caught her hand and kissed her palm, and she truly didn't care how it happened, what words were said or vows were took, because it was all here already. This was her entire world.
"You're going to meet your mystery person now?" she asked when they had made it out of the bathroom without anyone seeing Diego. "You can tell me who it is, you know. I'm dying of curiosity here."
They rarely touched in public-not where they could be seen, at least-because they were partners in a law firm, but Diego's hand rested on the small of her back just for a moment, lightly and briefly. "Not yet, kitten. Like I said, the best part's yet to come. And I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise."
***
Continued.
Fandom: Phoenix Wright
Genre: Drama, romance
Rating: R for sex
Pairing/Characters: Diego/Mia
Summary: Mia couldn’t let Diego go without understanding what had happened to him. She would risk everything-her career, her sanity, and her life-to find out why he was poisoned, and to bring down the woman responsible. Five chapters + prologue and epilogue.
Warnings: Spoilers for 3-1 and 3-4, unannounced flashbacks, smut, romance, and angst. Slight contradictions with canon where Mia’s magatama is concerned.
Notes: This prologue was originally a response to a kink meme prompt, “their last meeting before Diego goes off to see Dahlia.” Lots of thanks to ggmoonycrisco for reading, reviewing, and making sure I didn’t trip over canon.
How to Breathe
***
Prologue
Mia leaned forward and stared at her face in the mirror, hands splayed on the countertop of the women's bathroom in the district courthouse. Chin set, brows drawn, eyes bright and fierce-the face of a defense attorney, hiding the butterflies she felt in her stomach at the thought of the case in three days, her first since Terry Fawles.
It'll be all right, Mia. It won't turn out like last time. This one was practically in the bag already; the evidence was shoddy at best and from what she'd heard down at the police station, the witness's testimony was full of holes. Her client Heather Raleigh was hardly suicidal-neither was Terry, or so it seemed, she thought glumly, but she remembered the hopeful smile on Heather’s face the last time Mia saw her at the detention center and felt slightly cheered. Everything would go well, barring sudden catastrophe.
She only wished Diego were here. There was no way of knowing if he'd make it in time, since he refused to tell her why he was leaving town, and didn't know when he would be back. She would have Grossberg at her side if not him, which was fine-more than fine, considering his many years of experience at the defense's stand. But even Grossberg couldn't compare. No one knew her the way Diego did, had memorized her style and knew exactly how to guide her, and had the instinct to know when she didn't need it. No one inspired more confidence in her.
"You haven't been sleeping, kitten." The sly murmur sent a fission down her spine like the stroke of a single fingertip. "Even big girls need to rest up before their big days."
Mia whirled. "Diego-!" And it was him, all cunning grin and dark eyes that were bright with pleasure at having startled her. She gaped and said the first thing that came to mind: "This is the women's bathroom."
He reached behind him, found the latch on the door and flicked it to the side, deliberately casual. "It locks."
She was across the room in seconds, and her arms were around him and his around her and her mouth pressed up against his like she wanted to drink him in, the bitter-dark taste she hadn't realized she'd needed this much until right now. "Missed me, kitten?" he asked when they parted, which got him another very fervent kiss, and somewhere in the middle of it he maneuvered them around so that Mia's back was to the door and she was pinned between it and his body.
"Here?" she asked when they broke apart, panting slightly.
"Here," and the velvet smoothness of that murmur turned her legs to water. Mia leaned her head back against the wall as his hands slid beneath her jacket, tugging her white blouse free from the black skirt. She closed her eyes when she felt his bare hands on her bare stomach-yes, here, because even five days was too long and the wanting, the need was so acute it was like pain.
"So." The touch that skimmed lightly up her ribs and the sides of her breasts was slow and deliberate. "What did you do while I was gone?"
"I..." All her attention was locked on the warm slide of his fingertips across her skin, the easy unclasp of her bra. "I did some investigation, I prepared for trial..." I rearranged all your coffee machines and ingredients, she almost said, but she'd let him discover that little punishment for his absence on his own. Try making Blend #42 at six in the morning now, Diego. "I went to bed at really late hours, or just slept in the office." She laughed breathlessly. "I was missing my incentive."
She felt the curve of his grin, sly against her temple. "Ha...! Sleeping's not what I've had in mind." His fingers stroked her breast, the practiced touch making her dizzy, and one of his feet between hers nudged her legs subtly apart. It was slow and unhurried and it was making her writhe, the waiting, the wanting. She slid her own hands beneath his shirt and let them wander up his back, envisioning copper-brown skin under her white fingers. He was hard against her and she pulled him closer.
"Don't make me wait anymore. Please, Diego."
He tipped her chin up with one hand, and she met his eyes. How was it that five days since she'd looked into his eyes had seemed so much like an eternity? "Waiting's half the fun,” he purred sweetly. “Even big cats like to play with their prey."
She cocked an eyebrow and a corner of her mouth upward. "Kittens like to play too. And you know how inventive I can be."
The slow curve of a grin across Diego's face left her flushed and slick between her legs. "How'd I ever leave you, kitten?"
"I have no idea.” She caught her breath as he cradled her head in one hand, his mouth warm and wet against her throat. "You said-there was something you needed to investigate." She was unbuttoning his shirt with slightly trembling fingers; there was no vest today, these were travel clothes, not work clothes. "Am I allowed to ask what it is yet?"
"Almost. There's one more thing I have to do. A meeting, in a little bit. Then I'll tell you everything."
His hand stole under her skirt and she nearly moaned, curling her fingernails into his skin in retaliation. "If you make me wait any longer I'm going to make sure you're late for it, Diego, so please-”
"For you," and he pinned her flat against the door and pushed her legs apart and covered her mouth with his.
Thank God for thigh-highs, she thought dazedly as his fingers found the lacey edge of her stockings and moved higher, nudging aside her panties and sliding into the damp curls. The first touch sent dizzying relief spiraling through her and she clutched at his shoulders for balance, then slid her hands up to tangle in his hair as he pressed into her, stroked against her and found the rhythm that was so good, so right, leaving her gasping brokenly against his lips. The need was blinding now, and she unfastened his pants with quick, brusque motions of her fingers, pushed them down his lean hips and took the hot, silky weight of him in her hand. He made a sound deep in his throat halfway between a groan and a purr and stopped-Mia jerked at the sudden suspension of kindling pleasure-to push her panties down her legs.
"Better men than me couldn't resist you for long, kitten." Diego whispered the words against her lips as he shifted, lifted her with broad hands on the backs of her thighs- "And you're a drug worth the addiction."
A rough push, the warm wet slide and Mia moaned raggedly, heedless of being overheard-yes, God yes. Diego went still when he was all the way inside her, eyes closed as though savoring the feel of her around him, and she flattened her palms against the sides of his face and kissed his forehead and eyelids and nose and mouth, fervently.
"I love you," she whispered against his lips. "I missed you so damn much."
He opened his eyes. They were level with hers, her pinned against the door like this, and so dark and deep and soft as they looked at her that she felt her heart skip a beat. He smiled his rarest smile, the one without cynicism, without bitterness, broad and tender.
"I want to spend my life with you, Mia."
They were not the sort of words that usually came out of his mouth when he was buried inside her. Mia looked at him, breathless and undone. "You do?"
He let out a silent puff of laughter against her cheek. "The thought's occurred to me." His lips wandered from her jaw to her throat and his hips rocked slowly into hers, making her arch back against the door. "More so in the past week. I missed you more than coffee, kitten."
She laughed shakily. "More than coffee, huh? That's a tall compliment." The long, slow way he moved inside her made her toes curl in her shoes. She was so close. So close, and he was making her wait again, to talk about this-something that any sane person would have brought up when her toes weren't dangling two feet from the floor-
Diego drew back and leaned his forehead against hers, and she was caught by his eyes again, spellbound. "It doesn't need to be official. I just don't want to be without you again. All the best parts are yet to come, after all," and he slow-ground against her again for emphasis, making her hiss and dig her fingernails into his shoulders.
"Do it now, Diego, please-”
"Anything for you, kitten," he whispered, and he found the rhythm that built the kindling fire to a bright inferno. Mia pressed her mouth to his throat as the climax broke through her, tasting warm-soft skin and hearing the harsh groan of her name in her ear as he found his own release.
He stayed deep inside her, breathing quietly into the crook of her neck, as she traced mindless patterns on his back beneath the shirt. "Did you mean it?" she spoke up at last, when she sensed that it was the right moment to break the silence.
Diego let her down carefully, and didn't let go until she had her balance again on still-wobbly legs. "Better believe it, mi gatita." The broad, soft smile was back on his face as he began to put her clothing to rights, fastening her bra and buttoning her shirt with deft, practiced fingers. "Don't answer now. There's time to think. No blend was ever improved by being rushed."
He helped her to straighten the rest of her clothes and accepted her help in straightening his, and when they were done Mia tipped her head back to meet his eyes.
"Did you ever doubt I'd say yes?"
Diego grinned and put an arm around her. "It won't be traditional."
Mia brushed her fingertips over his forehead, down his cheek. "I've spent my whole life being untraditional."
He caught her hand and kissed her palm, and she truly didn't care how it happened, what words were said or vows were took, because it was all here already. This was her entire world.
"You're going to meet your mystery person now?" she asked when they had made it out of the bathroom without anyone seeing Diego. "You can tell me who it is, you know. I'm dying of curiosity here."
They rarely touched in public-not where they could be seen, at least-because they were partners in a law firm, but Diego's hand rested on the small of her back just for a moment, lightly and briefly. "Not yet, kitten. Like I said, the best part's yet to come. And I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise."
***
Continued.