Work Text:
It was a night like any other in Japanifornia, and the Borscht Bowl Club would be closing in an hour. The people inside were unremarkable. How could they be anything else, if they truly had nothing better to do on a Saturday night than eat cold soup in an even colder restaurant? There was a piano player in a grey sweatshirt plunking out an error filled rendition of Hot Cross Buns , accompanied by the steady pattering of raindrops on the roof. Sitting at the table next to him with a box of crayons and a Jammin’ Ninja coloring book was a small girl in a magician’s costume.
“Daddy, when’s this guy supposed to show up again?”
“Any time now, Truce. It won’t be too long before we can head home.”
The girl nodded and went back to her coloring with a yawn. Around five minutes later, the front door opened with the sound of a bell, and the piano player stopped in the middle of his song.
“Are you Phoenix Wright?” The piano player turned around in his seat. A burly man in a tight shirt was standing just behind him, hands in the pockets of his jeans.
“That’s right.” No one laughed at his play on words.
“Well let’s get right to it. I don’t have time to waste.” Phoenix stood up with a sigh, and the girl started putting her crayons back in their box. “Hold on, is this kid coming too?” asked the man, gesturing at Trucy.
“My name’s Trucy! I’m just here to watch my Daddy. Who knows what kind of trouble he’d get into without me?” Both men laughed at that.
“Nice to meet you Trucy. My name’s Jack. Jack Potts.” The man held out a hand to Trucy, which she shook. Three of his fingers bore large expensive looking gold rings.
“Follow me,” said Phoenix, and all three of them, along with a waitress to be the dealer, descended into the basement of the club. Phoenix settled at one end of the table, Trucy taking her perch on a stool next to him. The dealer pulled out two decks of cards.
“It’s the guest’s choice, Mr. Potts. Would you like blue or red?”
“Blue, I guess.” Wordlessly, the dealer put the red deck away and tucked one of her countless braids behind her ear. The game progressed slowly. Clearly, Potts was no novice. In fact, he was somewhat well known in the local casinos. Phoenix was very glad he’d had the foresight to bring Trucy. They were a few hands in when he looked over to her, raising an eyebrow. Potts’ eyes darted between the two as Trucy shook her head, so slightly that he could barely see it.
“I fold,” said Phoenix coolly, setting down his cards. There were two threes and a King, an eight, and a two. Potts smirked and laid down his hand: four sevens and one queen. He leaned forward and dragged the chips on the table to his side. Potts was getting very close to winning. “Hey Trucy, why don’t you come sit with me, huh? You can get a better idea of how your old man works!”
“Okay Daddy,” said Trucy innocently as she slid down from her stool and moved to her father’s lap.
“I wouldn’t expect there to be much to learn from him!” laughed Jack. From that point on, Phoenix suddenly was on a winning streak. Potts watched as the young girl stared at him so intensely he though her eyes would pop right out of her head. As focused as she was, her father seemed to have the same level of nonchalance. It made him nervous. The two of them were doing eerily well, and Potts had a hand full of nothing. Trucy shifted in her father’s lap, and for a brief moment Potts could have sworn he had seen her tap Phoenix’s leg. On his next hand, just as bad, she did it again.
“I saw that.” He said suddenly, only a few meager chips left on his side of the table.
“What? I don’t know what you mean.” replied Phoenix, his calm facade never cracking.
“You’re cheating! And you’re using that girl to do it! She just signaled you! What, is there a mirror behind me or something?” Potts stood up and walked closer to Phoenix, whose rapidly paling face didn’t change its expression of feigned innocence. The arm holding Trucy on his lap tightened.
“How could she be helping me cheat? She’s sitting right next to me. She can’t see anything I can’t see.”
“That’s a lie and you know it!” He grabbed Trucy’s wrist, a vein on his forehead popping up. She gasped. “How are you doing it, kid?!” Trucy tried to pull her hand back, but Potts’ grip was like iron.
Phoenix grabbed Potts by the wrist and pulled Trucy out of his grip. “Keep your hands off my daughter.” His eyes narrowed and his mouth curled into a snarl as he shoved Potts back. The dealer’s dark eyes went wide, and she ran up the stairs. Potts stumbled, but didn’t fall. Phoenix placed himself between the other man and Trucy, who scrambled back against the wall. Her eyes darted from the two men in front of her to the door to her side. Her instinct to run and her love for her father were battling it out.
“I know she’s helping you cheat. I just don’t know how. What kind of deadbeat asshole father makes his little girl cheat at poker for him?! You make me sick!”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Phoenix’s voice was strained. Lunging forward, he made to shove the man away again, but was met with a gold ring-covered fist to the face that knocked him to the ground.
“I know you cheated! That’s all I need to know.” Phoenix could feel red hot pain blooming across his face. Something warm started to flow from his nose. The other man stepped over him towards Trucy. “Now just tell me what you did, little girl. How’d you do it?” said Potts in a patronizing sing-songy voice. He grabbed a screaming Trucy by the shoulders and shook her back and forth.
“Daddy!”
“You bastard! Get the hell away from her you piece of shit!” Tears of rage were streaming down his face, his voice cracking. He would’ve been embarrassed had he noticed, but there were much more important things to worry about. Phoenix jumped to his feet and started desperately swinging punch after punch at Potts’ back, the only part of him he could reach. Fear and anger overrode the logical part of his brain that told him it wasn’t a very effective target. Potts just leaned forward and stomped the heel of his boot back onto Phoenix’s foot, completely unprotected by his Wal-Mart slides. With a yelp, he fell backwards. It was all he could do to keep the back of his head from slamming into the concrete floor.
Suddenly, the door at the top of the stairs slammed open. The owner of the Borscht Bowl, a very tall, very muscular blonde woman was at the top, making her way down two stairs at a time. “What’s all this ruckus?! You don’t get to pick fights with my employees! Go on, beat it!” She wrenched Potts’ arm behind his back. Pushing upward, she guided him back up the stairs, where presumably she’d throw him out on the street. Phoenix sat up with a shaky breath and looked around with wild eyes.
“Trucy?! Are you alright?!” The young girl ran over to him from where she had been knocked to the floor, tears in her eyes.
“Daddy!” She only managed the one word before kneeling down and crying onto his shoulder. “I was so scared! I thought that guy was gonna…” her thought was cut off with a sob. The two sat like that for a moment, wrapped in each other’s arms, before rapid footsteps made their way back down the stairs. Phoenix whipped his head around to find the owner of the club.
“You alright there Phoenix? That guy sure was putting up a good fight.” She squatted down to hand over a box of tissues. “I thought you might need these. You’ve got a little something…” her voice trailed off and Phoenix realized his face and the front of his sweatshirt were slick with blood and tears.
“Oh. Thanks.” He grabbed a handful of tissues and started toweling off his front.
There was an awkward silence as his boss watched him carefully. “So I guess you’re going to take a couple days off, right? To recover?”
“No! I- I’ll be fine! I’ll be here tomorrow, I can just sleep it off! Just give me a second to clean up and I’ll be out of your hair for the night.”
“Well, if you insist. We’re already past closing time, so if you’re sure you’re alright, I’ll get everything cleaned up. Just remember to lock the door on your way out.”
“Alright. Thanks.” The woman stood up from her crouching position and went back up the stairs.
Phoenix sat on the floor for a few more minutes, scrubbing at the blood that was just soaking deeper into his sweatshirt. Trucy sat next to him, holding the tissue box and sniffling. It wasn’t long before he gave up and took off the lost cause of a sweatshirt, revealing a worn t shirt underneath that had only a few patches of red. He shivered in the freezing Borscht Bowl Club air. All was quiet for a moment, when Trucy finally spoke up in a wavering voice.”
“Daddy, you know you should really stay home tomorrow. It’ll be Sunday, so it’ll be a slow night anyway.”
Phoenix sighed. “You’re probably right. I feel like sh-... like crap right now, I can only imagine how it’ll be in the morning… but it doesn’t matter. I’ll be alright.”
“... It’s because of ‘Money Problems’, right?”
Phoenix looked at his daughter, tear tracks on her face, the front of her dress stained with his own blood. The serious expression on her usually cheerful face. She had never looked older, more grown up. She shouldn’t have been here. It was all his fault for bringing her, it was better to just lose a stupid game than risk something like this. He was working as hard as he could, and it still wasn’t enough. All he wanted was for his little girl to be happy, to have a roof over her head, to have enough to eat. He really didn’t want her to see him like this, weak and unable to protect her on his own... Jack Potts was right. He really was a terrible father. His voice wavered. “Trucy… I’m so, so sorry. It was all my fault that this happened, I- I’m… You deserve a Dad who’s way better than me. I shouldn’t have brought you here, I was stupid to think no one would ever try and pick a fight. And I was stupid to think I could win one.”
“Don’t you say that Daddy! You’re not stupid, and you protected me! It wasn’t your fault, it was that stupid jerk! You’re the best Daddy ever! I don’t want anyone else!” That was almost too much. Phoenix’s breath caught, and Trucy wrapped her arms around his neck. This time, he was the one crying into her shoulder.
“You’re so strong Trucy. And so grown up. You shouldn’t have to be.”
Phoenix lost track of how long he sat there, clinging to the person he loved the most in the world like she was a life ring in the open ocean. How pathetic. He was supposed to take care of her, not the other way around.
“... Come on, Daddy. Let’s go home.”
“Sounds like a plan, Stan.”
“My name’s not Stan!” Phoenix smiled weakly at that, wiping his eyes with the heels of his hands. He started to stand up and only took one step before hissing with pain and sitting back down.
“Daddy? What’s wrong? Can’t you walk?”
“Ha ha… I don’t think so. That guy really did a number on me. I think he might’ve broke my toe or something...”
Trucy shoved her hand into Phoenix’s pocket and pulled out his cell phone. “I’m calling 911! They told us at school in an assembly if you see an old person who can’t get up, you should call an ambulance!”
“I’m not that old, am I Truce?” She started to dial. “Hold it! You can’t- We don’t-”
“What is it Daddy? I’m sure they won’t mind if you’re a little younger than normal.”
“Trucy, ambulances are really expensive… We can’t-”
“Oh yeah. ‘Money Problems’. What should I do then? I don’t think I can get you up the stairs by myself. Should I call Mr. Gavin?”
Phoenix sighed. “No, better not. How about Edgeworth? He’s back in the country, right? Go up and if my boss has already left, give him a call. There’s no reception down here.”
Trucy nodded. “Got it! You just sit right there and relax, I’ve got it all under control!” She exclaimed with a smile. It was only because Phoenix knew her so well that he could tell it was forced. She took the phone and ran up the stairs.
Trucy opened the door. All the lights were off, and all the chairs had been placed upside down on the sticky tables. “Hello?! Anybody here?!” Her breath fogged up the air in front of her. There was no response except the rain on the roof and cars speeding by outside. Trucy flipped open her Daddy’s outdated cell phone. The name Miles Edgeworth shone up at her from the phone’s glowing screen. The phone rang four times before a groggy voice answered.
“Wright? Do you have any idea what time it is?”
“It’s me, Mr. Edgeworth.”
“Trucy? What’s going on? You should be in bed.”
“I need your help. It’s Daddy, he’s…”
There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end. The next sentence was said with a wavering voice.
“Phoenix? What happened to him? Is he… ”
“He’s alive, Mr. Edgeworth, if that’s what you’re thinking. He’s not doing so well though. We’re at the Borscht Bowl. Daddy got hurt and he can’t get up the stairs… Could you come help? Please?”
“Of course, Trucy. Say no more. I will be there in 15 minutes. Is your father… Does he need a doctor?” There was the sound of rustling fabric.
Trucy sighed. “I don’t really know. I wanted to call an ambulance first but he said no ‘cause we’ve got Money Problems.” Edgeworth could practically hear the capital letters from the way she said ‘Money Problems’.
There was a sigh. “I will deal with that, you just make sure your father is alright until I get there.”
“Thanks Mr. Edgeworth!”
Trucy could hear a door slam and a car engine start with a soft purr. “There is no need to thank me, Trucy. I would… I would do nearly anything for you and your father.”
“Mr. Edgeworth! That’s so sweet! I’m gonna tell Daddy you said that!”
“Ngooooh- wait, I only meant that I-” Edgeworth was cut off when Trucy hung up on him. She unlocked the front door and raced back down the stairs to her father. He had managed to get himself into a chair instead of sitting on the floor, and he had cleaned himself up a bit more. He was pressing his fingers to his temples with his eyes closed, trying to lessen the splitting headache that was setting in. Trucy climbed up her stool and finally settled sitting on the edge of the table, swinging her feet.
“He’ll be here in fifteen minutes. He also said something really sweet…”
“Oh yeah? What was it?”
“He said, ‘I would do nearly anything for you and your father,’ isn’t that so nice?” Her impression of Edgeworth’s unusual accent was spot on.
“Really?” Phoenix blushed. “I didn’t know we were that special to him…”
“Daddy, for someone who’s so smart, you can be awfully dumb sometimes. It’s obvious every time he looks at you, and I should know! You make him really really happy. He cares about you a lot.”
Phoenix’s blush deepened. Or maybe it was just a trick of the light. In any case, it wasn’t long before they heard shuffling upstairs.
“Trucy?! Phoenix?!” Trucy raced up the stairs.
“We’re back here Mr. Edgeworth! In the Hydeout!” She led him down the steps, but Edgeworth stopped in his tracks when he saw Phoenix, smiling weakly.
“Phoenix?! Oh god! You’re covered in blood!” He raced through the door.
“I wouldn’t say covered exactly…” Once Miles had gotten into the light, Phoenix couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Miles… Are you wearing pajama pants?” The prosecutor looked down at his outfit, a long trench coat over his pastel pink pajamas.
“Well, Wright, I was asleep when Trucy contacted me. It was urgent, so I… That’s irrelevant!” He hurried over to where Phoenix was, and gently cupped his face and turned it to see from different angles. “What happened? It almost looks like you were punched in the face!”
Phoenix gave him a sheepish grin. “Well…” Miles’ eyes went wide.
“Wright! Were you in a fight?! Tell me you didn’t assault someone! What if you were to end up in prison? What would happen to Trucy? You need to be more careful, Phoenix!” His eyebrows furrowed as he scolded the other man.
“Miles, you weren’t there. You don’t know the situation…”
“Can’t you see how irresponsible this was? I can hardly even-” he was interrupted by a hesitant voice.
“Mr. Edgeworth… It was my fault. The man Daddy was fighting with was mad at me. Daddy was just trying to protect me from him. That’s all. Don’t get mad at him for trying to be a good Daddy.”
Edgeworth’s glare softened. “Phoenix? Is this true?” He nodded. “Oh. I- I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said those things, I was just…”
“Scared?” Phoenix shivered in the ‘authentic Russian temperature’. “It’s okay. I could’ve handled it better. I’m glad you came for me anyway. Sorry I worried you like that.”
Miles started unbuttoning his coat. “Phoenix… I… I care about you. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t come help you? Come on, let’s get you two home.” He held out the coat to the other man, who gave him a questioning look.
“I can’t take your coat, then you’ll just be in pajamas! Plus I might get blood on it and it’s so nice!”
“Phoenix, it is practically freezing in here! You’re shivering, just put it on.” Reluctantly, Phoenix slid his arms into the sleeves. The coat was just a little too small for him, but it was still warm and smelled just like Miles. He rubbed his hands together. Miles’ eyes lingered on the other man, a ghost of a smile on his face, before offering an arm for Phoenix to lean on.
Phoenix stood up, putting most of his weight on Edgeworth, who put an arm around his waist. Despite his appearance, Miles was pretty strong.
“I’ll get the door!” exclaimed Trucy as she bolted in front of them. The two men slowly but surely made their way after her.
“By the way, Miles… Trucy told me what you said over the phone. It was really sweet. I think I’d do just about anything for you, too.”
Edgeworth’s pale face reddened. “Hopefully, I won’t find myself in a situation where you’d need to.”
“Yeah, hopefully it won’t be like the last time.” chuckled Phoenix. “I don’t know if I can get a parrot to testify in court again.” His smile suddenly vanished. “Or just another person, either...”
Miles stopped, and turned to look into the other man’s mismatched eyes. One was brown, so dark it felt like you could swim deeper and deeper and drown before you reached the bottom.The other was a cool icy blue, piercing straight to the soul and filled with an intelligence that was almost supernatural. How many times had Miles Edgeworth gotten lost in those eyes? Far more than he cared to admit. Their close proximity meant Edgeworth’s face was just a few inches from touching Phoenix’s. “You’ll get your badge back. We will find the person who set you up and bring them to justice, and you will be an attorney again. I promise you that.”
“Miles…?”
“Come on, let’s get you home.”