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Fool Bright is a bizarre person. He is noisy and optimistic and has a ridiculous fashion sense and an even more ridiculous habit of yelling, ‘In justice we trust!’ all of the time. Most of the prosecutors and detectives think he is little more than a laughing stock, and no one ever wants to be partnered with him. Other than Simon, that is.
They first met when Simon was in prison, and Fool Bright was the only detective who would work with him, the reason apparently being that Fool Bright wasn’t scared of him. To be fair, Bobby doesn’t seem to be scared of anyone; all he really cares about is justice. But they met one day in prison when Fool Bright walked into his prison cell and grinned at him.
Simon just stared, wanting to go back to sleep. “Who the hell are you?”
“I’m Detective Bobby Fulbright, sir,” Fool Bright said, saluting. “I’ve been tasked with rehabilitating you so you can one day stand in court again.” He reached for his badge and shoved it at Simon. “In justice we trust!”
Simon continued to stare. “All right. Would you mind leaving so I can go back to sleep?”
Fool Bright grinned. “Of course, sir!”
And Simon lay back down and tried to sleep, he found himself thinking about Fulbright, knowing he was going to spend a lot of time around the buffoon.
And he was correct. Over the next three years, he spent a lot of time with Bobby. Fool Bright came to see him in his cell, they went for walks around the prison yard, and they even began to go outside. Simon began to shadow other prosecutors, spending time at the prosecutors’ office and helping them with cases. He wore his shackles, but being in that place was almost like the old days, back when he was a real prosecutor and not trapped in a prison.
Throughout all of this time, he and Fool Bright grew closer and closer. He gave the detective that nickname, and Simon began to look forwards to the time they spent together. One day, he realised that he and Bobby were friends.
Although, one night in the clink, Simon’s normally dreamless sleep was infiltrated by a dream about Fool Bright. It featured him and Bobby together like normal, except Fool Bright’s smile made him blush and when Bobby leaned forwards for a kiss, Simon didn’t pull away.
He awoke with a pounding heart and his brain overwhelmed with confusion. Did he… love Fool Bright? Simon knew he was gay, but he never thought he had feelings for the dullard. Yet he couldn’t stop blushing and he wondered if he wanted to kiss Fool Bright for real.
However, he never got the chance. Because when Fool Bright walked into his cell the next morning, there was something… different about him. He looked the same, acted the same and had the same voice, yet he just seemed different. Simon couldn’t place it, but he no longer trusted Bobby. So any plans of trying to start a relationship with him were placed on indefinite hold until he could work out what was disturbing him about Bobby.
It took over a year to learn the truth. When the man he thought was Fool Bright stood at the witness stand and was accused of being the phantom, Simon nearly collapsed. His Fool Bright, his caring, devoted detective, the phantom? It was preposterous.
And the truth became obvious when Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth slammed his way into the courtroom and told them that this wasn’t the real Bobby Fulbright, simply the phantom impersonating him. Simon slumped against the bench, his legs about to give way. So was Bobby dead? But then he learned something else when the phantom broke down and confessed: he had abducted Fool Bright over a year ago and kept him trapped in a hidden cell.
So Fool Bright was alive! And that was why he had changed last year: he was being impersonated by the phantom, but only Simon noticed something was different about him.
The trial rushed by in a blur, and Simon barely noticed when he was acquitted and his shackles were removed. He was more interested in the police’s attempts to find Bobby. After seven hours of searching, he learned that they had found him.
Simon rushed to the hospital, where he got to see the real Fool Bright again. Bobby was pale and too thin, his wrists and ankles bruised from being shackled, but his anxious expression was overwhelmed by one of happiness when Simon walked into the room.
“Hello, Fool Bright,” he said, smiling.
Bobby laughed slightly, grinning. “Mr Blackquill, sir! It’s so good to see you.”
“It is good to see you too,” Simon said.
It was so wonderful to see his Fool Bright again that he almost cried. But he didn’t cry, instead smiling the biggest smile he had in years and raising his arms to show his bare wrists.
“Sir?” Bobby said, staring at his wrists. “Did you…?”
Simon nodded. “I was acquitted. I’m a free man. And so are you.”
And Fool Bright just grinned, and Simon was so glad he had the old Fool Bright back.
Of course, things weren’t as simple as he had thought. Bobby was malnourished and underweight, and had been diagnosed with anxiety after the panic attacks started. He was quieter and more timid than he ever used to be, but he was still him.
All Simon wanted to do was to profess his love for Bobby and kiss him, but he had to take it slowly. He didn’t want to overwhelm Bobby after all he had been through, and he needed to be patient and polite in his courtship rituals.
That was two months ago, and he still hasn’t told Fool Bright. But Fool Bright is getting better slowly, and seems more and more upbeat every day.
One day, he and Fool Bright sit in his new office at the Prosecutors’ offices, Simon drinking some tea the Chief Prosecutor gave him a welcoming present as Fool Bright sits on the couch.
“Fool Bright?” he says, glancing at the clock. “It’s midday.”
“Oh, thanks, sir,” Bobby says, smiling awkwardly.
He digs into his pocket and pulls out a packet of anti-anxiety pills. Simon watches him take his daily medication, sipping from a bottle of water and swallowing the tablet. Bobby’s hands tremble as he puts the cap back on his bottle, and Simon feels so sorry for the poor chap. He didn’t deserve any of this.
“Fool Bright?” Simon says, wondering if this might be the time to talk about his feelings. He decides that it is. Taka perching on his shoulder, he says, “Can I talk to you about something?”
Fool Bright smiles. “Of course, sir.”
“Well, first of all, can you stop calling me ‘sir’? I would much prefer being called Simon.”
“Oh, okay… Simon,” Bobby says. “You can call me Bobby if you want.”
Simon smiles, hoping he hasn’t gone red. “That’s good. You see, the thing is… Bobby, I… would you be interested in… I…”
He trails off. Why is this so difficult? He is never lost for words in court.
In the end, Simon decides to simply state it.
“I’m in love with you.”
As he blushes a deep shade of red and wonders if he made a mistake, Bobby stares at him.
“Simon…” he says, his extremely pale cheeks going pink. “Are you… do you mean that?”
He obviously thinks Simon is telling a joke. Just how much did the other police officers mock him before?
“Bloody hell, Fool Bright, of course I mean it. I have wanted to tell you for so long, but I never found the correct time to profess my feelings for you.”
Bobby smiles. “Simon, I, I can’t believe it.” He shuffles closer to Simon, wringing his hands together. “This is wonderful. I… I love you too.”
Simon blinks. Taka flutters his wings. Bobby blushes.
“Simon, I, I don’t want to seem too forward, but… can I hold your hand?”
That makes Simon laugh; he properly laughs, making Taka nearly fall of his shoulder.
“Honestly, Bobby, I thought you were going to ask to kiss me,” he says. Smiling, he adds, “But, yes, we can hold hands.”
Bobby smiles and grasps his hand, carefully interlocking their fingers. Bobby’s hand is sweaty and bony, and feels so warm against his.
He doesn’t want to push Bobby, but he still says it. “I wasn’t entirely joking, you know. If you wish to kiss me, I would happily oblige.”
Bobby looks at him, squeezing his hand. Has he gone too far, pushing his anxious detective into an awkward position?
But Bobby’s smile gets even brighter, and he says, “R-Really?”
Simon nods.
“Then, y-yeah, I’d love to kiss you… Simon,” Bobby says.
Simon’s eyes widen. Ever since that dream over a year ago, this has been something he wanted almost as much as getting out of prison.
And as they stare at each other, Bobby leans forwards, and it is just like his dream as Fool Bright presses his lips against his own. Well, it isn’t quite like the dream, as he isn’t wearing shackles and Fool Bright’s lips are very chapped, but that doesn’t matter. That was only a dream, and this is really happening.
When they pull apart, Bobby smiles.
“That was wonderful, Simon,” he says softly.
Simon smiles, knowing that things are different now, but also better than he never thought possible.