History HoYay / AceAttorney

* Come the DLC case, where ContrivedCoincidence puts them on opposite benches again, and the whole thing revolves around a wedding. Edgeworth is unusually touchy and prickly on the subjects of love and marriage, and declares at one point that he'll never marry, which just invites the whole universe to step in and prove him wrong. On top of that, it's a plot point that two winged bulls were staged at the wedding, instead of the usual arrangement of one bull and one cow.

** Their relationship was heavily homoerotic as early as the first game. The [[NeverLiveItDown infamous]] "unnecessary feelings" line, for starters, caused many a player to raise eyebrows. And his attempts to tell Phoenix about the repeated nightmares he had been having also come across as a LoveConfession.

** Being portrayed by live-action actors allows the two of them generally display very relaxed body language around one another once Edgeworth agrees to let Phoenix defend him, in a marked contrast to their previous rigid formality with each another. The final scene in the detention center and a later one where they read through old case files together during the trial recess show them visibly at ease in one another's company, even given the stresses of the context.
** After Edgeworth's trial, when he gently holds out his hand for Phoenix to take while thanking Phoenix for saving him, Phoenix's reaction is to look at him for a long moment in stunned delight before getting his act together enough to reciprocate, practically ''blushing'' and looking for all the world like someone who can't believe his crush is actually paying attention to him. Bonus points for several cuts to Maya looking like she's started to figure out what's actually going on between them...

** Phoenix repeatedly assures Edgeworth that he'll "be with [him] until the very end", even as the accusations against him begin to look more and more dire. It's a distillation of Phoenix's whole philosophy, of course, but the repetition plus the phrasing plus the fact that you don't really see him defend many other clients at length in the movie lends it an extra layer of meaning after a while.

** Don't forget the infamous occasion on which [[https://www.reddit.com/r/AceAttorney/comments/aqnxrj/yes_this_is_a_page_from_the_official_nintendo/ the official Nintendo Magazine]] included Phoenix and Edgeworth on their list of "the best couples in Nintendo games". The accompanying write-up makes it quite clear that no, the writer hasn't gotten the piece confused with a "best duos" list, they just think that the romantic chemistry is clear enough to merit an inclusion.

** Heck, Shu Takumi plays into it as much as anyone. Not only is his statement that Edgeworth isn't remotely interested in dating women or entering into a traditional marriage often considered as being as good as WordOfGay for the character, but he's been quoted as saying that Edgeworth thinks Phoenix looks good in a suit and that Phoenix would admit to finding Edgeworth pretty cute.

** Heck, Shu Takumi plays into it as much as anyone. Not only is his statement that Edgeworth isn't interested in dating women or entering into a traditional marriage often considered as being as good as WordOfGay for the character, but he's been quoted as saying that Edgeworth thinks Phoenix looks good in a suit and that Phoenix would admit to finding Edgeworth pretty cute.

** Don't forget the utterly adorable and shy, secretive smiles they give one another when they meet on the courthouse steps during the credits, even though they're technically about to face off against each other (in what's only their second-ever professional encounter in this version of the story). Just... wow.