Chapter Text
My name's Phoenix Wright, and I'm an attorney. I'm also incredibly bad at having conversations. At least on the phone. I'm all right when it comes to being on the stand, but when it comes to comforting someone I love over the phone? Yeah, I definitely win the award for 'best loser'.
That bit of reality hit me in the face like a brick a couple of times. When was I hit in the face with a brick, you ask? I got hit with a couple of 'em while talking to Apollo. In case you need a little bit of a refresher, Apollo and I took down a bloodthirsty tyrant that tried her hardest to destroy Khurain Village. Wanting to follow in his father's footsteps, and not wanting to abandon his newfound home, our Polly decided to stay behind. He opened up his own law firm with no shortage of help, the lovely Spirit Princess Maya being on board, and off we went, back home. Without our Apollo. Without that spirit, that snark and wit we all came to love so fiercely.
Of course we wanted nothing but the best for our Polly. We had seen him grow from a short-tempered guppy into a brave, strong, clever fighter. With the same short temper, but you know. Some things can't change, because they're too precious to be lost. Athena, Trucy and I went back home feeling as though we had lost everything, leaving Apollo behind. Sure, we agreed to keep in touch over the phone, but you know me. I'm an old fogey. I prefer old-fashioned face-to-face conversations. I definitely would have preferred more face-to-face conversations with Apollo. But-
I went back home with a hole in my heart. Sure, we saved the princess, we saved Khurain Village and Apollo said he'd come back home eventually, but we left him behind. We had to.
It took Trucy a while to warm up to the idea of talking to Apollo on the phone. She kept telling us how happy she was about Polly beginning a new life elsewhere, but Athena and I saw right through her. She was just as hurt as we were. My little girl was trying so hard to put on a brave face for us. Thankfully, the idea of calling Apollo put a smile on her precious face. She called him much more than Athena and I did put together.
My efforts on the phone were pretty woeful, but after I tell you what happened, you won't be able to blame me. Polly called me one night in tears and I was able to comfort him, which was absolutely wonderful. He was doubting his abilities as an attorney and believed he had taken on far too much, opening up his own law firm in a war-torn village, but I put those fears to rest. He kept on thanking on me and wow, did that feel good. That felt unbelievably, wondrously good, hearing how much better Apollo felt after bearing himself raw for the very first time. After opening up to me for the very first time. I comforted the young man that had grown into a wise, resourceful, incredible attorney and that felt amazing. But then-
Then I told him I loved him. Not as a father figure, either.
It was a night later, so no, don't worry, I didn't hit him with that brick after cheering him up. It came with me calling him the next night, wanting to make sure he was all right after letting so much out. He never even cried over losing Mr.Terran. I know Apollo held so much back, and still is holding a lot back. After being friends with a certain troublesome prosecutor, I know holding it all in can be pretty painful. Especially for so many years. But for some reason, I thought telling Polly 'I love you' was a great way to let him know I'd always be there for him. Unfortunately-
Apollo ended our conversation faster than either one of us could blink.
The girls noticed something wrong right away. I tried to play it off, but having known me for so long, Trucy and Athena saw right through me. They knew my conversation with Apollo had gone South. There was no recovering from it, either, as I found out when Trucy handed me the phone two days later. Apollo and I must have only exchanged four words before I gave the phone back to my little girl.
I wish I was a time-traveling attorney. That way, I could go back in time and fix a couple of things: Maya losing too much of her family, Edgeworth losing his father, me stupidly telling Apollo 'I love you' and expecting him to be happy about it. Do I love him? I most certainly do. I wasn't kidding when I said that. How could I not? I've seen him blossom into something incredible, wonderful and rare. I've seen him transform into a much greater attorney than I could ever hope to be. Back in the Court of Khurain, while we were taking down the tyrant of all tyrants, I felt like I was witnessing a butterfly taking flight for the very first time. Listening to Apollo unravel her scheme made me realize just how strong my feelings for him were. For a moment I thought they were surges of fatherly affection, as Apollo had been under my wing for so long, but seeing the glow in his eyes, listening to the determination in his voice, made me realize my feelings were so much deeper.
What do Athena and Trucy think of my feelings? Athena's on board one-hundred percent. My little girl, despite our Polly being her brother, told me she wants the ones she loves to be happy. 'I'll even start thinking of Polly as Daddy's Special Someone, instead of my little big brother', she told me, fists in the air, eyes aglow. And she wasn't just putting on a brave face. She really does want things to work out between us.
I don't know if they ever will, though. Apollo turned as cold as ice after I told him everything. Of course he would. And I don't think it was because of how we're bound to Trucy.
I just don't think he's interested in tying himself down to a pathetic wretch like me.
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She ran, hope on her shoulders and love in her eyes like shards of shooting stars. She ran until her feet carried her to her father's desk, her eyes shining like meteors against the darkness. Sunlight spilled through the windows of their agency's office as she spoke, breathless and amazed.
"Daddy, Daddy, guess what?! Guess what?! You have to guess what!"
Phoenix Wright turned to face Trucy Wright with eyes as wide as the moon, alarmed by his daughter's sudden, frantic appearance. "What is it, pumpkin?" he asked, forgetting the piles of case files and wedding details at hand. Planning Edgeworth and Gumshoe's wedding while handling a complex murder case proved to be quite an adventure, but one that would have to be temporarily left behind. Trucy was awfully excited about something, and that something was-
"It's Polly! Apollo's coming home! He's coming home for Uncle Edgeworth's wedding!"