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Phoenix is pacing around the office, not sure what to do. Trucy is back at GYAXA, probably taking Apollo to task for… whatever that was, back there. Or just checking in with him. She’s good at stuff like that - better than Phoenix is, for sure.
He is worried about the kid. He knows Apollo can handle himself, but he’d been the victim of a bombing barely a few days ago, and Phoenix isn’t stupid, he can see the blood leaking through the bandages on his arms. But stubbornness is a crucial trait at the WAA, and Apollo has enough of it in spades. He knows the kid won’t be giving up until the case is solved. Phoenix can’t really blame him - he’d had a similar single-minded determination to find the person behind Mia’s death, and even all these years later he can still remember how it felt to see her body up against the window, how it felt to realize that she was truly gone.
Apollo is the same age he was, then. It’s - Phoenix wishes that he could do more, but things are still a bit awkward between them after the whole Kristoph trial, so he thinks his daughter might do a better job on the comfort end than he could, right now. But they still have a case to win - if Apollo wants to find the evidence for himself, that’s fine, but Phoenix hopes that Apollo will come to his senses and pool their resources so that they have the best chance of finding out what happened to Clay.
And they have to figure it out. For Clay, and for Apollo.
There’s a knock on the door, tugging him out of his thoughts, and with half a sigh he goes over to it, wondering who would be coming to the WAA who doesn’t already have a key.
“Sorry, we’re -“ he cuts himself off as he recognizes the person standing on the other side of the door. “ Pearls ?”
“Mr. Nick!” she says back. Phoenix bends down to pull her into a tight hug, arms wrapping around her. Her arms come up as well, around his neck and choking him a bit. She never has been able to rein in her surprisingly strong arms.
“What are you doing here, Pearls?” he asks, letting go and moving aside so that she can come in.
“Oh! Mystic Maya was going to come visit this weekend, but she’s busy dealing with some of the women from the village, so she won’t be able to make it,” Pearl explains. “So I came to tell you, and to visit instead!”
“That stinks,” Phoenix says, and then backtracks quickly. “Not about you being here, Pearls! We’re always happy to have you. We’ll all miss Maya, though.”
Pearl nods. “She wanted to tell you to… clean the toilet, Mr. Nick.”
Phoenix laughs, shaking his head. “God. Mia really got to both of us, didn’t she?”
Pearls looks confused at that, but doesn’t question it, instead wandering around the office and making herself at home. Phoenix closes the door behind her and locks it before turning back.
It does suck that Maya won’t be making it down. He grimaces - she’s been calling him to vent about all the stupid village politics recently, and he’s more than confident that this is another stupid skirmish over antiquated village law that Maya wants to overturn. He wishes her luck - he’s already promised to be both her alibi and her lawyer if she kills someone, so they’re all set on that front.
Maybe he and Trucy can go visit her one of these weekends. Athena’s never been to Kurain, and Phoenix thinks she would love to be there for a bit. (Secretly, he just wants to see her psychoanalyze a few of the, uh. More intense members of the village council, and also knock them down a peg.)
“Mr. Nick? Where’s Trucy?” Pearl asks him, biting at the nail on her thumb.
“She’s not here, kiddo,” he says, and crouches down as he grabs his beanie, putting it back on its precarious place atop the trophy. “You remember Apollo? He and Truce are over at the space museum, getting some evidence for a case we’re working on.” (I hope.)
“Space museum?” Pearl asks, and Phoenix ramps down the ever-familiar flash of hatred for Morgan Fey as he watches her face screw up in confusion.
Maya’s been doing her best to get Pearl a bit more acclimated to the outside world, but Morgan’s conditioning took… a lot to break.
“Yeah, uh - like, instead of paintings and sculptures, there are rockets and spacesuits and... science experiments? Probably? It’s pretty cool, actually.” When her confusion turns to a hesitant sort of understanding, Phoenix makes the decision quickly. “You wanna come with me? We can meet up with Trucy and Apollo and the four of us can look around at the rockets.”
Pearl claps her hands to her cheek and blushes, peeking out from behind her fingers in excitement. “I’d love to see the rockets, Mr. Nick!”
Phoenix laughs. “Let’s go, Pearls,” he says, holding his arm out to her. She giggles and loops her arm with his, and they set off.
They walk for a while - Phoenix had considered taking his bike, but it’s nice enough out and the space center isn’t too far away. Pearl is quiet by his side. She’s never been much of a talker, but he knows how much she loves the city, so they take a quick detour to Eldoon’s, where Phoenix buys two bowls of noodles to go. They’re as salty and delicious as they always are, and he and Pearl slurp at the broth as they head toward the space center.
They’re a few blocks away when Phoenix notices Pearl looking around, confused.
“... Mr. Nick?” Pearl asks, coming to a halt and tugging at his sleeve. “What are all of those lights?”
Phoenix turns, gaze following where she’s pointing, and realizes that the red and blue flashing lights are bouncing off of the walls of the buildings around him.
“Police lights. But there’s no sirens…” Phoenix mutters. “That’s weird. Wonder what they’re here for.”
It is LA, after all, so seeing police lights isn't the most uncommon thing, but it is weird that the sirens are silent. The lights get brighter as they walk, and Phoenix feels a small coil of worry start to pool in his gut. Pearl seems almost tense next to him, although he thinks that she might just be reacting to his own worry.
They turn the corner and the police cars come into full view, lights flashing around them as they sit in front of the space center. There’s a crowd gathered in front of the center, and loud shouts can be heard from the officers on the scene. Yellow tape and guards create a barrier to the entrance to the center, and Phoenix thinks he can hear someone screaming about how their son is inside.
His blood runs cold as his stomach sinks to the floor, and he takes off, Pearl following behind him after a moment of hesitation. Their feet pound against the pavement, and Phoenix’s lungs burn even just for the short distance.
Trucy. Trucy’s here, and he needs to find her in the crowd. Her and Apollo. He shoves through the crowd, apologizing to people and craning his neck. He can’t see the top hat anywhere, or Apollo’s particular hair horns, so he turns and looks at Pearl. God, he wishes she were still eight and that his back wasn’t permanently out of walk from falling off of Dusky Bridge.
“Okay,” he says, trying (and failing) not to panic. “Okay. It’s fine, we just -“ he spots a familiar face in the crowd and feels relief spread through his core.
He grabs Pearl’s wrist and tugs her after him, being careful not to drag her too roughly but needing to figure out what’s going on.
“Gumshoe!” he calls, nearly skidding to a stop in front of the man. “What’s happening?”
“Hey, pal!” Gumshoe says, looking tense. “This is an intense situation, I don’t think I can -“
“Gumshoe, come on, I think Trucy’s in there, and -“
“ Trucy’s in -“ Gumshoe exclaims, and then grabs the radio attached to his shoulder. “Fulbright. Need an update.”
Fulbright’s voice crackles over the radio, too staticky for Phoenix to understand, but Gumshoe doesn’t seem to like the answer, pressing his lips tightly together. It doesn’t look good, whatever it is, and Phoenix can feel the panic rising even more as he considers making a break for it through the police tape surrounding the police station.
“What’s happening!” Phoenix asks instead, louder this time, and Gumshoe replaces the radio on his shoulder and sighs.
“It’s - sorry, pal, but it’s a hostage situation,” Gumshoe says, looking distressed. His hands come up and grip onto Phoenix’s shoulders.
He’s grateful for the support. Pearl leans even further into his side and he wraps an arm around her, giving her a squeeze as he notices her trembling. “A - hostage situation? What? At the space center? What the hell is happening?”
Gumshoe shrugs. “We don’t know. The robots - they all went crazy, started shouting about how things weren’t meant to be like this. They grabbed some of the people inside and threw them into the museum and barred the doors. We can’t risk going inside, not when we don’t know what we’re dealing with.”
Christ. Phoenix knew that the robots weren’t trustworthy, knew that the technology was going to turn against them someday, and now they’ve got his daughter trapped inside while the police don’t have a single plan for how to get her back. He tries to shoulder past Gumshoe, because his babygirl is in there and he needs to make sure she’s safe, because he promised to keep her safe eight years ago and now he can’t get to her and -
“Woah, woah, woah, I can’t let you in, pal!” Gumshoe says, and he does sound regretful even as his arms wrap around Phoenix’s waist and keep him from running into the space center.
“I have to get to Trucy!” he shouts, and Pearl holds tightly onto his arm. He glances down at her, and she looks absolutely terrified. This isn’t the first time either of them have been in this situation, and Phoenix hates how helpless he feels.
First Maya, kidnapped by de Killer and held for ransom to get Engarde off. Then, Maya and Pearls lost across a yawning chasm in Hazakura, with earthquakes and the snow a slowly ticking time bomb. Now Trucy, held hostage by robots in a space station, and it’s just like before, and he can’t do anything about it except blame himself for not being there and -
He doesn’t realize that he’s hyperventilating until Gumshoe starts maneuvering him down onto the ground until he’s sitting on the edge of the curb.
“Okay, okay, Wright, I need you to take a few deep breaths, pal, listen to me.” He starts to count, and Phoenix times his breathing along with him. He’s walked Edgeworth and Trucy through this enough times, it’s not his first rodeo with a panic attack, and eventually, the fog surrounding his mind starts to lift and he can feel his trembling start to subside.
“Is Mr. Nick okay?” he hears Pearl ask, worry in her tone, and Phoenix nods, weakly.
“He’ll be okay, kid, just give him a second, yeah?” Gumshoe says, and continues counting for him as Phoenix breathes. “You good?”
“No,” he says, honest. “I won’t be until Trucy’s back, but. I’m not going to freak out and run in there.” He takes Gumshoe’s offered hand, who hauls Phoenix to his feet and claps him a bit too solidly on the back. “Thanks. And, uh, sorry.”
Gumshoe shakes his head. “Nothing to be sorry for, pal. And, uh -“ he looks around to see if there are any other detectives nearby and then leans in a bit close. “I can’t let you in, officially, but you both can stay with me so that you know what’s going on. Okay?”
“God. Yes. Please,” Phoenix says.
Gumshoe nods and then leads both of them back to the police line, waving off a few confused detectives who look like they want to question them.
Phoenix paces. He doesn’t know what else to do, other than try Trucy’s phone again and again. It goes to voicemail each time, her peppy, recorded voice on the end not doing wonders for his nerves. Pearls is sitting on the curb, arms wrapped tightly around her chest as she curls in on herself. Her eyes are squeezed shut, and her shoulders are shaking.
Shit. He - in all the commotion, he’d forgotten that this isn't Pearls’ first brush with kidnapping either. She’d been right at his side when Maya was taken, and he knows that it had traumatized her even if she hadn’t wanted to ever talk about it with him once they’d gotten Maya back. This has to be bringing all those feelings back fourfold - they might know where Trucy is, this time, but they’re just as helpless to get to her. Pearls looks like she’s on the verge of a panic attack too, knuckles white where she’s clutching onto the sleeves of her robe.
He crouches down in front of her, ignoring the way his back violently protests the movement. Pearls is so… so happy, all the time, he sometimes - sometimes forgets about how much she’s been through. This is something he can do, at least.
“Pearls?” he says softly and, when she doesn’t protest, reaches out to rest his hand on her shoulder. “You okay?”
Pearls doesn’t respond; she doesn’t even open her eyes, and Phoenix’s panic levels rise once more. He breathes in, tamps it down, and moves his hands until they’re resting over hers.
“Pearls. I need you to talk to me, okay?” He carefully starts to unclench her fists, taking them in his own hands, and rubbing at her knuckles until they relax. “I know this is scary, but it’s going to be okay. We’re - the detectives are making a plan, and no one’s been hurt yet. Trucy will be fine.”
He says it like he’s trying to convince himself, and he is. It’s hard, trying to reassure someone when every single cell in your body is screaming about all of the same things that they’re terrified of. He closes his eyes and takes a steadying breath.
“What if something happens to Trucy?” Pearls gasps out, words barely louder than a breath. “What can we do?”
Phoenix has been trying, and failing, not to think of the same question. He pushes it to the back of his mind - if he gives it even a little bit of air, considers for a moment any ending that doesn’t have Trucy safe in his arms, he’s going to break, and that won’t help the situation any way.
“All we can do is wait for the detectives to finish their work,” Phoenix says. “When - when this happened to Maya, Gumshoe and Franziska and Edgeworth were all there to help, and they got her back safely, right?”
“Right,” Pearls says, voice still weak. “Mystic Maya was okay.”
“And Truce will be too, Pearls,” Phoenix says. “She has to be.”
Pearls finally opens her eyes, but they’re still staring despondently down at the ground. “I just want her to be okay,” she whispers. Her hands tense in Phoenix’s grip.
“Maybe Trucy isn’t in there,” Phoenix suggests. It feels like nothing more than a hollow lie, but it gets Pearls to look up when nothing else had. “You know? She was going in after Apollo, so maybe they both worked it out and went to get food. Maybe she’s nowhere near here.”
Pearls rubs her hand against her tear-encrusted cheeks and hiccups. “Do you really think so?” she whispers, a single curl of hope unfurling in her eyes.
Phoenix swallows, and really hopes that Pearls’ magatama isn’t charged. “I… don’t know,” he starts, hesitantly. “All we can do right now is hope, right?” he says, and Pearls considers him a moment more before finally nodding.
She seems - if not completely mollified, then at least calmer, for the time being. Phoenix nods once, to nothing, and stands back up, hiding his wince as his spine twinges.
He turns his head toward the space center, watching the detectives swarming around the place as they try to figure out the best plan of attack. Phoenix is antsy, waiting.
God. He wishes he could believe his own words. The idea of Trucy being trapped in the station, at the hands of a mastermind who’d had enough power to take over the entire building with minimal help - he hates it. Hates feeling helpless, hates being nearly certain that his daughter is in there, that he can’t protect her. He knows he promised Gumshoe that he wouldn’t do anything rash, but if he has to wait much longer, he’s going to break the promise with zero regrets.
He goes back to pacing.
“Wright!” he hears after a few more minutes of tense quiet, and turns to see Gumshoe stumbling through the crowd. “Message for you. You’re going to want to hear this one.”
“Uh, okay,” Phoenix says, and helps Pearl up before the two of them follow Gumshoe through the yellow caution tape surrounding the space center. “Why me?”
Gumshoe shrugs. “Trust me, pal, I stopped wondering that myself a few years ago. You just always seem to be involved somehow, you know?”
Phoenix… thinks he does. Although, he’s not sure if Gumshoe meant it as a compliment or an insult. Maybe a mix of both; Phoenix knows he really hasn’t made the man’s job easy, on occasion, and is probably partially to blame for some of the salary cuts he’s had to suffer. He should maybe apologize for that, one day. Take Gumshoe out to dinner, or something. He can bring Maggey, too.
“What’s the message?” Phoenix asks, and Gumshoe comes to a slightly unsteady stop.
There’s an uncharacteristic hesitance in his eyes, and he rubs an awkward hand over the back of his neck.
“Listen, pal,” Gumshoe says. “I don’t know, but - look, this robot is refusing to talk to anyone but you, for some reason, so. I guess it was lucky you were here.”
“Lucky’s an interesting way to describe it,” Phoenix says. Personally, he’d call this really fucking unlucky, considering that he’s only here because his daughter is trapped in there with some - some mad scientist, or something.
Gumshoe sighs. “Yeah, sorry. Uh. Do you want to leave the little one behind?”
Phoenix decides not to correct him on the fact that Pearls is nearly 17 years old. “Nope, she’s coming with,” he says. He’d never leave her behind.
Gumshoe still raises an eyebrow, as though he’s not the man who tried to give a gun to an 8 year old once upon a time. Or the one who openly discussed a gruesome murder in front of said 8 year old. And yeah, look, Phoenix isn’t innocent on that front either, but, like. At least he doesn’t pretend otherwise.
“Okay, pal, come on,” he says, and they duck into a small, private space that’s been created between a few of the police cars.
There’s a robot sitting there - it’s a familiar one, one of the tour guides from the space station, and it, somehow, looks impatient.
“Gumshoe, what -“ Phoenix starts, but Gumshoe just shrugs and gestures for Phoenix to step forward.
“It won’t stop asking for you,” he says, as though that explains anything. Phoenix stares at him, hoping for even just a little bit more, but Gumshoe looks more angry and frustrated than normal, so he thinks maybe the man just genuinely doesn’t have any more info.
“Pearls, stay back with Gumshoe,” he says, waiting for her nod before he steps forward and into the eyesight of the robot.
“Phoenix Wright,” the robot - Clonco? Maybe? Phoenix genuinely has no idea - says. “I have a message for you.”
Phoenix nods. “Sure seems to be the word of the street. What do you want?”
The robot glitches, spasming as its arms shake and grind against the metal joints. The colors on its face flash through red, green, blues before finally setting on a muted purple.
The voice that comes through now is different - human, not robotic, and slightly familiar even if Phoenix can’t place it yet. “Mr. Wright. I was hoping I would get to speak with you personally.”
“Who are you?” Phoenix asks, crossing his arms.
“That’s not important,” they say. Phoenix wants to disagree.
“And why should I listen to you?” he asks, a show of bravado that has Gumshoe nodding from where he’s leaning against a police car. “For all I know, you took hostages and locked them all inside the space center without a plan. Seems like I should just let the detectives bust in and arrest you.”
They’re silent for a moment. “I suppose you don’t need to listen to me,” they agree. There's a hint of smugness there, as though it's exactly what they expected Phoenix to do. It makes his stomach flip, anxiety hurtling through his veins. “But you should if you don’t want me to hurt your precious daughter. She’ll be the first of the hostages to go if you don’t hear my demands.”
There’s a brief moment of static, and then the familiar sounds of a struggle.
“Ugh, get off me!” he hears, familiar voice tinny as it comes through the robot, and Phoenix’s heart stops beating.
“Truce! Trucy, god, are you okay?”
“Daddy! I’m okay, don’t worry about me!” As if he’s able to do anything else. He runs a shaking hand through his hair, pulling at the strands and desperately hoping that the pain will distract him from the thought of Trucy, trapped. He squeezes his eyes shut. “I’m fine, I promise - Polly got out, it’s just me and -“
“That’s enough out of you, I think,” they spit, and Phoenix opens his eyes again, glaring daggers at the robot and wishing they could somehow pierce through the metal. “We don’t need a chatty hostage.”
“You don’t scare me!” Trucy shouts, and the pride crashes against the worry in Phoenix’s chest as he fights off the urge to run inside the space station.
“Trucy, baby, I’m going to get you out of there, okay?” Phoenix says, helpless to do anything else.
Trucy’s laugh is bright, and he can feel the tears gathering at the corner of his eyes. He loves her so much - she’s so strong, and it’s so like her to be completely unmoved by all of this, even if it is just a performer's act. She’s amazing. “I know, Daddy! Don’t listen to a thing this mean woman says, anyway, she won’t -“
“What a touching scene,” the voice interrupts, disdainful. “Shame I have to cut it short.”
Trucy gets dragged off again; her shouts cut off as a door slams shut, and Phoenix finds himself unconsciously reaching out to the robot as though he can reach his daughter, can save her himself.
As the silence falls, anger burns through his chest, and his fists clench and unclench at his sides.
“Let her go,” he says, dangerously calm, and makes an educated - stupid - guess. “Aura.”
The person on the other end pauses, and Phoenix knows he’s hit the money. It was almost too easy. If Aura wanted to take over the space station and not be recognized, she shouldn’t have used the same robots that she and Dr. Cykes had built together.
“So you guessed, big deal,” Aura says. “It’s still too late for little Miss Princess. I’m making sure of that now.”
God. A flash of worry shoots through Phoenix for Athena; he just has to trust that she’s okay, wherever she is, and that Aura can’t touch her.
“What do you want?” he asks, voice completely flat. His head is spinning, screaming, but he tamps it down, swallows it up until all he can feel is the calm, and holds it tightly locked in his chest.
Breakdown, later. Minimizing casualties, saving his daughter, now.
“I want a retrial, of course,” Aura says, and he can hear the smirk on her face. “The UR-1 case was fucked up years ago. I want it redone, and I want the real culprit found.”
“How the hell am I supposed to retry a case from years ago?” Phoenix asks. “That’s - any additional evidence that we would find is long gone by now, the scene of the crime has been cleaned thousands of times, we can’t - there’s nothing to investigate.”
“That’s really not my problem, Mr. Turnabout Terror. But you better figure it out quick. Your daughter’s a magician, right? Would hate to see something happen to her hands.”
Phoenix wants to scream. Or march over there and grab Trucy and run, but he can’t, he’s just here, helpless, and all he can do is listen to Aura and hope that she doesn’t go back on her word.
“Time’s ticking,” Aura says, cutting into his thoughts.
Phoenix is desperate. He whispers a quiet apology to Trucy, hoping that she can forgive him for going along with this whole charade. “Fine! Fine. I’ll defend Simon. We’ll retry the case.”
“ Simon?” Aura laughs, and Phoenix’s blood runs cold. “You think I want you to defend Simon?”
He feels lost. “Who else? You want me to retry the case, right?”
“What I want, Wright, is to reveal who the true culprit of the entire incident was. No one listened to me back then, but they’ll listen to me now. You’re not defending Simon.” Aura pauses, and Phoenix can feel her relishing the words that she’s about to say. “I’m accusing Athena Cykes for murdering her own mother seven years ago!”
A stunned silence falls over their group.
Phoenix is the first to get his voice back. “A- Athena? Aura, she would have been eight, there’s no way - “
“No way? I think you’ll find that the princess was able to do whatever she wanted, back then. I don’t care if it was an accident or if she didn’t know what she was doing - she’s the reason Metis is gone, and I want her to finally pay for it.”
Athena.
Phoenix knows that there’s no way it’s true; even if Athena can’t completely remember what happened seven years ago, even if her own brain blocked it out to deal with the trauma, Phoenix knows beyond a single iota of doubt, that Athena is innocent. Defending her would be difficult, but he thinks he could do it - that is, if Aura doesn’t have any more tricks up her sleeve.
“Well? I’m not going to wait for you to mull it over
Shit, he’s out of time. Phoenix can’t see a way out of it, either; nothing apart from going along with what Aura wants.
“Okay! I’ll defend Athena in court, we can re-try the case. But we need access to the lab, just, anything, I can’t - we can’t build a case from nothing,” he reasons, and Aura pauses.
“Hm…” she trails off, and the sound of metal scraping against metal pauses for a second as she seems to consider his request. “I suppose I can let you inside. Let that hunk of scrap metal lead you around. Don’t get any funny ideas, though. I have complete control here. I’ll know if you even think about sneaking to the hostages. And your darling daughter will be the first to go if you do anything other than investigate the lab.”
Phoenix runs a hand through his hair. It’s not much, but it’s probably the best he can get. Aura doesn’t seem like she’s in the mood for an extended negotiation, and Phoenix doesn’t currently have the patience, not with Trucy on the line. “Okay. A retrial. And you let the hostages go. Fine, done.”
“We have a deal, Wright,” Aura says. “I expect you to give it your all. Don’t forget - you need to find a courtroom and a prosecutor. I’ll give you a few hours, and if you don’t… well, I’m sure I don’t need to remind you of the stakes. Good luck!”
The transmission dies before Phoenix can get a final word in - not that he knows what he would have said.
Aura promised to give him a few hours. He has no idea how long she’ll be patient for, whether it be two hours or four. It’s a difference that matters too much, especially when investigating, but he’s going to have to go in under the assumption that he’ll have less time to complete everything, not more.
God, he doesn’t even know where to start. He doesn’t know where Apollo is, and even with the kid acting like a dramatic extra in an emotionally fraught episode of Steel Samurai, he could still use his help. Or an explanation for how Apollo wasn’t in the space center with Trucy when Aura took it over. It’s too late to call Athena; she’s too close to this one, too. Phoenix would be happy to have her beside him in court, but he doesn’t want to force her to examine the room her own mom was murdered in.
It’s all bad options, all the way down; Phoenix is terrified he’s going to miss something crucial, that he’ll fuck up and leave behind the one piece of evidence that they need to successfully defend Athena. He - there are too many people in the crossfire, this time, he doesn’t know who he’s going to be able to protect, he -
“Mr. Nick?” Pearl tugs on his sleeve. She’s crying, quietly, fat tears sliding down her cheeks. Right. Pearls is here, and Phoenix needs to keep it together. For her, and Athena, and Trucy. “Is Trucy gonna be okay?”
Phoenix kneels down and pulls her into a tight hug. “Yeah, sweetheart. She’ll be okay. We’re gonna get her out and things will be fine. She’ll be perfectly fine.”
It’s as much for him as it is for her. He has to believe his baby will be okay - Truce is strong and tenacious, it would take more than someone holding her hostage to keep her down.
The robot in front of him comes back to life, eyes blinking slowly as it reboots. Phoenix watches with trepidation, terrified that Aura’s voice will come through and she’ll have changed her mind.
“Phoenix Wright?” it says, the same robotic, even tone, and Phoenix breathes a sigh of relief. “Mama says to come with me. I will lead you to the center.”
“Gumshoe, I’m going to investigate,” Phoenix says. Gumshoe doesn’t look happy about the decision, but he also doesn’t argue, so Phoenix decides not to press further. “Can you let me in?”
“I don’t like this, pal,” he says, and Phoenix shrugs.
“Neither do I, but we really don’t have another option, right?” Phoenix says. “Can you -“
“Don’t worry about it, pal,” Gumshoe says. “I’m on it. We’ll get a courtroom and a prosecutor. You start investigating. The less time little Trucy is in there for, the better. We’ll figure it out!”
“ Thank you,” Phoenix says, almost tempted to give him a hug. He reins in the impulse, taking a deep breath, as he turns toward the station.
“Okay. Pearls, we need to investigate the lab. You up for it?”
Pearls clenches her fist and a determined glare overtakes her despondent look. “Yes, Mr. Nick,” she says, and together, they head into the space station.
—
The lab is as unhelpful as Phoenix had expected it to be. He’s close to tearing his own hair out as this point. Everything’s been examined with a fine tooth comb, but he hadn’t been lying to Aura earlier.
Re-trying the case is nigh impossible, and borderline unthinkable. There’s no new evidence to be found, there are no new suspects to be interviewed, and there’s definitely not a… a magic rock that’s going to crack the case wide open and save Athena from Aura’s accusation. The burden of proof lies with Phoenix, but he has nothing - he doesn’t even know what the evidence from seven years ago was. The case had made waves in the news, but Phoenix had been a bit more preoccupied with being disbarred and putting food on the table for Trucy.
(God. Trucy.
Phoenix had valiantly refused to let himself even look at the entrance to the space museum - he knows it’s where the hostages are being held, and he knows that if he lets himself think, even for a moment, that he can get Trucy out of there, Aura will make good on her promise.)
“Okay, we - we need something, Pearls,” Phoenix says, proud of the way his voice doesn’t crack. He needs to keep it together for her, if nothing else, and he needs to find something that will convince Aura that they have a case, that it can be retried, anything that will mean that Trucy comes back to him in one piece.
The door opens behind him, and Phoenix doesn’t react, crouched under the chair on the left side of the room as he looks for some - some sort of smoking gun that could help their case. It’s been seven years since the incident, and the room’s been cleaned and inspected an unknown number of times since then. There’s no way anything is left behind. Not a chance in hell.
“Wright,” he hears, and nearly hits his head on the chair as he scrambles to his feet, staring at Edgeworth, standing in the doorway with a smile on his face.
It’s not like hearing Edgeworth is a surprise - they talk on the phone multiple times a week, and Edgeworth is a permanent fixture at any and all magic shows that Trucy is holding. Phoenix just hadn’t expected him to have shown up here to help with the investigation. Still, he wouldn’t have wanted it to be anyone else.
“Edgeworth?” It comes out as a question.
“Hello, Wright,” he says, with a little smirk that softens into a smile the longer he looks at Phoenix. “I wish I could say I was surprised to see you at the center of all of this.”
Phoenix half-laughs, but it quickly turns into a cut-off, choked sob. “Aura has Trucy, she’s holding her hostage and I can’t get to her, I don’t - I can’t -“
Edgeworth takes a step forward, one of his hands coming up to rest on Phoenix’s shoulder. His gaze immediately turns from teasing to serious. “I know. Prosecutor DeBeste informed me of the situation on my way over. We’ll get her back.”
“What if we don’t?” Phoenix mutters; it’s barely louder than a whisper, and he hopes to god that Pearls can’t hear, but he’s so tired and it’s been an hour of investigations and they’ve found a grand total of nothing. He’s trying, he really is, but he’s starting to slowly lose hope.
“Wright. Phoenix,” Edgeworth says, and the use of this first name calms Phoenix the way it always does. “I swear to you. She’ll be alright.”
Phoenix swallows heavily, and Edgeworth squeezes his shoulder. “How do you know?”
Edgeworth tilts his head, and moves in a bit closer, keeping his voice pitched low so that the robot keeping watch in the corner can’t hear them. “Gumshoe has, if you’ll forgive the turn of phrase, rallied the troops. Ms. Blackquill will be distracted by the trial, and we’ll get everyone out. Okay?”
Phoenix isn’t… super enthused that Gumshoe is the one leading the rescue attempt, but the man loves Trucy as much as anyone else, so Phoenix knows he’ll be as careful as he can be.
“Thank you,” Phoenix says, and grabs Edgeworth’s hand before he can think better of it. He just - he needs something to hold on to. “I - I know that you’re doing all you can to get her back. It’s just - it’s a lot.”
Edgeworth’s gaze softens. “I’m sorry that we find ourselves in this situation, again,” he says, and Phoenix realizes he’s talking about when Maya was kidnapped.
“You showed up then too,” Phoenix murmurs. “At least this time it’s under better circumstances.”
Edgeworth flushes a bit and looks off to the side. “Yes, well - I did have a touch of the dramatic, when I was younger.”
“We both did,” Phoenix admits, and something about it, something he can’t put his finger on, almost makes the situation better. It doesn’t make him forget anything - worry over Trucy has been burning slowly in the back of his mind ever since they made it into the lab - but it’s… it’s nice. He’s glad Edgeworth is here, even if - even if he wishes the situation was anything else.
“This isn’t quite what I expected when I asked you to reclaim your badge all those months ago,” Edgeworth murmurs, and Phoenix tries for a smile. He doesn’t think he’s successful.
“It’s not your fault,” he says. “And I didn’t only do it for you. But - thanks, you know, for expediting everything. I don’t think I ever really said that.”
“Of course,” Edgeworth says, as though it was a given. “You belong in the courtroom, as I’ve always said. It was no trouble to ensure that you returned as soon as possible.”
Phoenix - doesn’t really know what to say to that. He belatedly realizes that he’s still clenching Edgeworth’s hand in his and drops it like it’s scalded him. His hand rubs awkwardly against the back of his neck as both of them look away from each other; he can feel his cheeks warming with embarrassment.
“There’s - uh, we need a prosecutor,” Phoenix says, stuttering a bit as he awkwardly tries to pretend that nothing particularly strange happened. “Do you know - it can’t be Blackquill, obviously, and - um, I’m realizing I don’t actually face that many different prosecutors now, but -“
Edgeworth raises an imperious eyebrow, and just like that, they’re back to their normal dynamic. “Wright, I understand you’re under a lot of pressure at the moment, but why on earth do you think I’m here? It’s certainly not for the company, or the… atmosphere.”
“Wow, thanks,” Phoenix says, and then his brain processes the first half of the sentence. “Oh - wait, you - you’re the prosecutor for the case?”
“Of course I am,” Edgeworth says. “The moment I was aware of… the situation, I decided it would fall to me to see this case through.”
“I didn’t think the chief prosecutor was supposed to see the inside of a courtroom. Don’t you delegate, now?”
Edgeworth sniffs. “It seems that this case is a bit high-profile and needed a… more delicate hand.”
Phoenix doesn’t know if delicate hand is the way he would describe Edgeworth as a prosecutor. Heavy handed and intense and a bit of a bitch are all descriptors that come to mind and seem to be, well. Much more accurate.
“And so… you’re the, uh. Delicate hand they needed?” Phoenix asks, and as careful as he is can’t quite keep the skepticism out of his tone.
“Well, would you rather the Paynes?” Edgeworth says, and Phoenix shudders.
“God. No. I’m - sorry, ha, I just - listen, it’s been a lot,” Phoenix says, rubbing a hand over his face. “There’s no one else I’d want behind the prosecutor’s bench. Really.”
“I… have missed being on the other side of the courtroom from you, as well,” Edgeworth says, much more stilted, but Phoenix’s heart still skips a beat.
Edgeworth is the first to look away; there’s a slight blush dashed across his cheeks, and Phoenix can feel a similar flush creeping up the back of his neck.
“I, hm,” Edgeworth says, stepping back. “I have some items that may be of interest, and will help with the case.”
Emotional moment over, then.
He rummages around in his bag, coming up with a small manilla folder. He hands it to Phoenix without a word. Inside, there are a few photos, and an autopsy report that reads “Metis Cykes” across the top.
“Is this -” Phoenix starts.
“It’s the only evidence we could dig up for the case, unfortunately,” Edgeworth explains. “Photos from the crime scene and Dr. Cykes’ autopsy report.”
“I thought you didn’t want to collude with defense attorneys,” Phoenix says, a half smile pulling at the corner of his lips. Edgeworth pushes his glasses up on the bridge of his nose.
“I’ve found, recently, that some are better than others,” Edgeworth says.
“Aw, Miles, you’re too kind,” Phoenix teases.
Edgeworth smirks. “I’m talking about Mr. Shields, I’ll have you know.”
Phoenix throws his hand over his chest. “Oh, you wound me, Edgeworth.”
Edgeworth shakes his head. “I’m sure you’ll survive. Now, I believe we’re on a time limit?”
“Oh, shit, yeah,” Phoenix says. “Uh, I looked over here for anything, but having the photos will at least let us do a bit more. See if anything’s missing or changed, at least. Maybe it will help?”
Edgeworth nods. “I’ll begin investigating over here, then. Sebastian is busy securing a courtroom for us, and I’m certain he’ll be successful before long. When Aura decides that she’s tired of waiting, we’ll be ready.”
“Right,” Phoenix says, swallowing heavily. “It’ll be okay.”
They just need to keep looking.
—
They win the case. The relief shoots through him the second that the gavel hits the podium, and as Aura and the Phantom (and, honestly, where on Earth did that come from?) are led away, he locks eyes with Edgeworth, who gives him a reassuring smile.
“Everyone’s fine, Wright,” he says, the moment Phoenix makes it over to him, standing by the prosecutor’s bench. Blackquill doesn’t acknowledge them, looking at the door where Aura disappeared through. He follows, eventually, helping Athena out of the courtroom, assisted by Apollo. “Gumshoe informed me a few moments ago that they’d been able to retrieve all the hostages.”
“Trucy?” Phoenix asks, and doesn’t grab Edgeworth’s hand, even though he wants to. “Is she -“
“She’s okay, Wright. In good spirits, as always.”
Phoenix laughs, weakly. He slumps back against the bench, adrenaline draining out of his veins now that the fight is officially over. But, he won’t be fully content until Trucy is in front of him, fine and in one piece. “Of course she is. Is she on her way here? Can you drive me to the space center?”
“She’s on her way, yes. Now, come along, Wright,” Edgeworth says. He leads the way out of the destroyed courtroom, delicately sidestepping a piece of rubble on the ground and murmuring a quiet, “Watch your step.”
Phoenix follows him, mostly moving on autopilot. His hands are still shaking, an effect of the adrenaline crash, and after he stumbles over his third piece of rubble, Edgeworth sighs, taking his arm and helping guide him around the courtroom.
“Honestly,” Edgeworth says; his exasperation is largely covered by a genuine worry. His hands are warm, too, and Phoenix feels a bit dazed as he zeroes in on how strong Edgeworth is and how he bundles Phoenix along like he weighs nothing.
They finally make it out of the courtroom, and Edgeworth steers Phoenix toward the defense’s chambers. Athena is in there, crying into Simon’s coat; Simon, for his part, looks a mix of hesitant and regretful, but finally his hand comes down atop Athena’s head, patting her awkwardly. It only seems to make Athena cry harder, so Phoenix elects to leave the pseudo-siblings alone.
Edgeworth sits him down on the couch, letting go of Phoenix’s arm. “I need to go speak with the detectives. I’ve tasked Gumshoe with bringing Trucy to the courthouse once the investigation is over - I wouldn’t trust it to anyone else. Now. Are you alright?”
He thinks he nods; whatever he does, it seems to satisfy Edgeworth enough for the man to leave, although he gives a very unsubtle glance back at Phoenix before heading out of the room.
Phoenix immediately starts to fidget, left to his own thoughts. He can’t sit still; he knows that sitting will just give his mind time to wander, so he starts to pace again. It gives him something to do, a rote routine to focus on instead of waiting, incredibly impatiently, for news on Trucy.
“Mr. Wright?” he hears after a few more turns, and spins on his heel to see Apollo standing there, still clad in Clay’s jacket. His bandages are looking the worse for wear; they’re bloodier than they had been a few days ago, and a small part of Phoenix is telling him to drag Apollo back to the hospital. A much larger part isn’t going anywhere until he can make sure, for himself, that Trucy is completely fine.
“Hey, Apollo,” Phoenix says, still pacing. “Hanging around?”
Apollo looks completely miserable, ducking his head as he looks down at the floor. “Yeah, um -” his voice is hoarse, and when he looks back up, his eyes are rimmed with red. “I - I heard Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth saying that Trucy would be coming back here, and. I - um, I just - wanted to make sure she was alright.”
Phoenix gestures toward the couch. He notices how Apollo’s eyes dart toward Athena, standing in the corner with Simon. She’s started berating him, now, yelling at him for taking the fall all those years ago. Simon is just standing there silently; the handcuffs that he’s had on for seven years have finally been removed. Phoenix can’t imagine how overwhelmed he feels; he almost wants to call Athena off, tell her to give him some space, but he also isn’t that self-sacrificial.
“She should be back soon,” Phoenix says. “All the hostages are fine. Spooked, obviously, but there weren’t any casualties. I don’t think Aura actually wanted to hurt anyone - she just wanted to finally be heard. And it worked. Simon’s in the clear.”
“Y- yeah,” Apollo says, trying and failing for a smile. “I’m, um. Thanks, Mr. Wright. For - I know, um.” He cuts himself off, clearly struggling with something. His jaw works, and Phoenix stops pacing, takes a step closer to Apollo.
“Apollo -”
“I’m so sorry,” Apollo says, and it’s expelled like a confession. The kid sounds absolutely wretched, voice cracking as if he’s on the verge of tears. Clay’s jacket slips farther over his shoulders as he curls in on himself, arms wrapping around his abdomen. “I know - I know it’s not an excuse, and - god, I can’t believe I accused Athena of - of even being involved, I don’t - I’m just so sorry, Mr. Wright, I - I didn’t mean to cause problems in the trial, I was just -”
“...Look, Apollo,” Phoenix says, with a bit of a sigh. “It’s okay. I know you’ve really been put through the paces these past few days.” They can - they need to - have a bigger conversation about all of this later, but for now, he just sees a kid who hasn’t even been able to grieve since his best friend was found dead.
“I know, I know, I just - I feel -”
“Daddy!” Phoenix hears, and whirls around, heart pounding in his chest. The silk blue top hat bobs over the crowd outside the courtroom, and Phoenix starts to run toward it, refusing to stop until he can see his daughter’s face. She crashes into him (or, well, they crash into each other) and Phoenix wraps his arms around her as tightly as he can, refusing to let go.
He only pulls back to look her over, one hand on her upper arm and the other tilting her head left and right as he looks for any injuries.
“Trucy, god, Trucy, are you okay? Did she hurt you?” he asks, running a critical eye over her face before cupping her face in his hands. Trucy shakes her head and leans into his touch.
“I’m fine, Daddy,” she says, giving him a wink. “The scientist lady didn’t hurt anyone. I was mostly doing magic tricks to keep everyone calm.”
“God,” he says, laughing as he pulls her into another hug. “That’s my girl.”
“Trucy!” Athena cries, having finally extricated herself from Simon. Her arms wrap around the both of them. She’s blubbering a little bit, tears staining the arm of Phoenix’s suit. “I was so worried about you! I’m so happy you're safe, I can’t believe Aura did that to you, oh my god, you’re okay, right?”
“Hi, Athena!” Trucy says, leaning into her shoulder. “I’m okay! It wasn’t terrible, even if she was pretty mean.”
Athena cries a bit louder at that, and Phoenix awkwardly finagles his arm from around Trucy and wraps it around Athena.
He sees a familiar set of spiky horns over the top of Athena’s head and tilts his head at it. Apollo is standing pretty far back, face shifting between abject relief as he looks as Trucy and a heavy guilt as he looks at Athena.
He gestures with his chin for Apollo to join the hug, but he just takes a step back, shaking his head.
“I don’t -“
“Oh, get in here, Apollo,” Phoenix says, and reaches out and grabs the kid by the collar, tugging him in until he collides with the rest of them.
They overbalance and crash to the ground, falling into a pile. Phoenix’s back cracks under the pressure, but he hides the wince as he keeps a tight hold on Trucy.
A few people - no one Phoenix recognizes - look down at them, clearly disapproving, but Phoenix doesn’t give a shit. He’s been terrified for Trucy all afternoon, he’s allowed to be a bit overdramatic. And he still refuses to let her go.
“I’m so glad you’re okay, Trucy,” Apollo is saying, babbling a bit. “And, Athena, I’m so sorry, I don’t know what came over me, I -”
“Oh, shut up and just hug us, Apollo!” Athena says; Apollo doesn’t look satisfied, but he does listen for once.
Phoenix lets them all cry on top of him for as long as he can bear it. “Okay, everyone, I don’t know if I’m-“ he manages to say, and Trucy leaps up, hand covering her mouth.
“Your back!” she exclaims, and forcibly pulls Athena and Apollo off of him. “Sorry Daddy!”
“It’s fine,” Phoenix says. “Just gonna. Lay here for a bit. Ow.”
“Oh, don’t be like that,” Trucy says, and reaches a hand down. Phoenix takes it and she hauls him to his feet without much effort.
“Getting stronger every day, baby,” Phoenix says. He lets her lean against him as they watch Apollo and Athena bicker, and he wraps his arm around her shoulders.
“Hello, Trucy. I’m very glad to see you’re all right.” The voice comes from behind them, and Trucy nearly shrieks right into Phoenix’s ear with excitement.
“Uncle Miles! I didn’t realize you were involved with this,” Trucy says, and Phoenix only lets her go so that she can hug Edgeworth. The lines on his face smooth out as she wraps her arms around his midsection, and Phoenix can’t help the smile that tugs at his cheeks. “And didn’t you know? I’m always all-Wright!”
Phoenix has never been prouder of her. He joins the two of them, ignoring Apollo and Athena as they start to bicker behind him - Apollo is apologizing profusely, and so is Athena, although Phoenix can’t really make out why. Trucy is comfortably resting in Edgeworth’s arms, who seems almost loath to let her go. Phoenix rests his hand on Trucy’s hair again, happy to have her back, safe and sound.
She gives him a knowing grin but doesn’t let go of Edgeworth, tucking herself into his hug. She’s nearly up to his chin, now. Edgeworth is tall, but Phoenix remembers that Zak was pretty tall as well, and he wonders how long it will be until Trucy outgrows the both of them. He’s a given, of course - Edgeworth will be a bit harder to surpass, but Phoenix has faith.
Eventually, everyone starts to trickle out of the courtroom, now that the excitement has mostly died down. Juniper is taking Athena back to her place (she has a direct order from Phoenix to make sure Athena rests for at least the next week). Apollo had hovered for longer than the rest, alternating between apologizing to Athena and double and triple checking that Trucy was really alright. But eventually he’d headed off too - according to Trucy, Prosecutor Gavin had come by and convinced Apollo to let him give him a ride home. Simon, Phoenix isn’t sure about, but he isn’t there when Phoenix looks around for him. He wonders if he’s headed down to the Detention Center to visit Aura.
The defense chambers slowly empty, and even the judge walks by, giving Phoenix a firm handshake and telling Trucy that he’s glad to see she’s alright.
Finally, Trucy and Phoenix finally get a moment away from everyone else. They’re both standing in the parking garage by Edgeworth’s car - he’d offered to drive the both of them home, but had mentioned that he needed to grab something from his office before leaving. Phoenix had quipped about his inability to leave work undone, but he knows Edgeworth had caught the genuinely grateful look on his face. Edgeworth was giving Trucy and him space, even if he would never just come out and say it like that.
(Phoenix had angled to get the keys for the car, but after the whole lemon incident, Edgeworth hasn’t trusted him to be in there alone. It’s a fair reason; Phoenix mostly likes asking because of how hard Edgeworth’s eyes roll when he does.
It’s been a hard day, Phoenix is just trying to find joy where he can.)
Here in the garage, away from everyone, Trucy finally lets the mask slip and slumps against Phoenix’s side. She winds her arm around his waist and rests her head against his shoulder. Phoenix supports her immediately, taking the weight as they both slide slowly to the ground. His back is pressed against a pillar next to Edgeworth’s car - he’d never lean against the car itself, Edgeworth would kill him.
Trucy’s crying, a little bit; he can feel her shoulders shaking, and the shoulder of his suit is getting a bit damp.
“Truce? What’s happening, you okay?” Phoenix asks, trying not to panic.
Trucy nods, and Phoenix feels his heart rate settle into a much calmer tempo. “Yeah, yeah, I’m okay, today was just… a lot. I didn’t want everyone to worry about me, not after everything with Athena.”
Phoenix really doesn’t know what he did to deserve her. “I always worry about you, baby. It’s in the contract.”
Trucy laughs a bit at that. “You should have read the fine print, Daddy, that’s what you always tell me.”
As if any amount of fine print could make him regret adopting Trucy. Phoenix presses a kiss to the side of her head. “You’re worth the fine print,” he says.
Trucy snuggles in a bit closer. Phoenix is only too happy to let her. With all the drama of the past few days, and her working her shows as usual in the evening (she’s the brightest star and CEO of the WAA for a reason, of course), they haven’t had much time together apart from rushed dinners. The door to their apartment has been a bit of a rotating one recently; Trucy will run in from school and grab a snack before going out to visit Apollo in the hospital or prep for her show, or Phoenix will stop by during an investigation just to grab dinner and then dart right back out to do some more work.
Hopefully, now that the Phantom has been - well, not unmasked, per se, not yet, but at least apprehended, things in the legal system will calm down. Maybe Phoenix can make a case for another trial of the MASON system, at least; the past few days have done nothing but show that there’s an inherent imbalance in the courts. It won’t only change because the Phantom has been caught, either. Whoever was behind that was only responsible for a few cases; it’s not like with one part of the system behind bars, it’ll suddenly become fair again.
He makes a mental note to talk to Edgeworth about it. It can keep, at least.
Instead, he glances down at his daughter, checking her over once again.
“ Did Aura hurt you?” he asks - he hadn’t noticed anything earlier, but it wouldn’t be unlike Trucy to hide it from everyone and pretend as if she was perfectly okay.
Trucy shakes her head. “No, she didn’t touch anyone,” she says. “She was pretty mean, but I think she was just… sad. She seemed really sad. And angry.”
Phoenix absently runs his hand along her shoulder. “Yeah, I think she really was. I mean, imagine trying to change the outcome of a case for seven years and no one listens to you or even humors you. It’s not a surprise she ended up jaded. At least I had Edgeworth in my corner.” He pauses. “That doesn’t mean she should have held hostages. Especially not you.”
“You’re biased,” Trucy says, but doesn’t add anything else.
Now that she’s back, it’s a bit easier for Phoenix to feel bad for Aura. He’ll never forgive her for what happened to Trucy, and he’s glad she’s facing consequences for basically initiating a robot takeover of the space center, but - he’s happy that the got the outcome she wanted and the closure she needed. He just wishes that someone would have listened to her earlier; then, maybe, they wouldn’t have ended up here.
They sit there in silence for a while. Trucy’s breathing eventually evens out and she stops quietly sniffling. She shivers a bit, and Phoenix adjusts his position carefully so he doesn’t jostle her, grabbing his suit jacket from where he hung it on one of the car’s mirrors so he can wrap it around her shoulders.
“You sure you’re okay?” Phoenix asks. He’s still thankful that Edgeworth gave them both a bit of privacy so that they could decompress, but he’s starting to get antsy. It’s been a long day - he wants to get Trucy home so that both of them can just rest.
“I’m okay, Daddy, really,” Trucy says. “Just - I’m just tired. I wasn’t all that worried, I knew you and Uncle Miles and Polly and ‘Thena would be working your butts off to save me.”
“Of course we would,” Phoenix says. “You know I’d never let anything happen to you.”
“Yeah, I know,” Trucy says. “That’s why you’re the best.”
Phoenix laughs. “Well, I’m glad you think so. Mind adding that on next time you talk to Edgeworth?”
He can hear Trucy’s smile in her voice. He’s glad it’s back. “He already thinks so, Daddy, he just doesn’t know how to tell you.”
Phoenix bluescreens a bit at that, opening and closing his mouth as he tries to figure out how to respond. It’s not - it’s not a revelation, or anything, not really ; Edgeworth hasn’t been completely subtle over the past seven years, Phoenix knows that the other man respects him as an attorney and has said as much, it’s just - it’s weird, hearing it from a third party. And it does weird things to his chest that he’s too emotionally drained to examine at the moment.
“Well, uh. Are you tired?” Phoenix asks, resting his chin on top of her head. “I’m gonna text Edgeworth. I bet he’s standing outside the parking garage just. Waiting. Being all awkward.”
“Be nice to him, Daddy,” Trucy says. “He’s probably reading the new Steel Samurai manga. Aunt Maya was telling me about it the other day.”
Phoenix laughs. “Yeah, you’re - you’re probably right. Okay.” He pulls out his phone and shoots off a quick text to Edgeworth - nothing fancy, just a we’re ready to go if you are. Sure enough, Edgeworth appears in about a minute, proving Phoenix right because the garage is at least five from the Prosecutor’s Office.
“Ready to go?” he asks, and Phoenix and Trucy both nod. They all pile into the car together, and Edgeworth pulls out into the Los Angeles dusk.
Trucy falls asleep in the backseat nearly the moment they hit the highway, leaving Phoenix and Edgeworth sitting in a comfortable silence. The radio is on quietly, playing some talk show that Phoenix vaguely recognizes but can’t place. He leans back in his seat, letting his eyes slip closed.
He feels... exhausted. Running around investigating, being terrified for Trucy, doing everything he can to save Athena, exposing an international spy (Phoenix still really doesn’t get the last one, but whatever) - it’s all been a lot, and he’s ready to finally rest. Maybe for a week. Apollo can manage by himself in the office; he’s probably used to Phoenix just not coming in sometimes, anyway. Maybe Phoenix can convince him to take a break, too. They all should.
“Is Trucy alright?” Edgeworth asks him, keeping his voice low. Phoenix cracks his eyes open and sits up a bit, tilting his head to look at Edgeworth’s profile.
“Yeah, she’s okay,” Phoenix says. “She’s a pretty strong kid, you know? The whole thing’s got her a little shaken up, but -” he smiles, faintly. “She’s good.”
Edgeworth smiles. It makes his entire face look younger; the stress lines even out, his lips pull up, and his eyes are warm. He looks softer, too; Phoenix doesn’t know how else to describe it. Edgeworth’s been smiling more often, recently; ever since Phoenix got his badge back, ever since he ousted Kristoph, ever since Edgeworth moved back and took up the Chief Prosecutor position… he’s seemed happier. He does more. He comes to Trucy’s shows, he stops by the Agency, he lets Phoenix drag him out to stranger and stranger gimmicky restaurants for lunch where they argue over the recent Supreme Court rulings or rumors about the judge or whatever recent antics their underlings have been up to. (Usually, Phoenix’s stories win out - the lunch after he defended an orca had been a fun one.)
The point is, it’s nice. Phoenix had missed him.
“And you, Wright?” Edgeworth asks, and stops at a red light. It gives him a chance to look at Phoenix, and it’s moments like this where Phoenix misses having a sketchbook on him at all times. The lighting is dramatic; the red of the traffic light mixed with the slowly setting sun casting shadows on his face, he looks like something that should be painted.
It’s not the first time he’s thought this; usually he’s better at hiding it, though, instead of openly gaping at Edgeworth’s face like he doesn’t know how to turn away. Edgeworth quirks an eyebrow, and the light turns green. He almost looks - regretful, as he looks back toward the road and starts driving ahead. Wistful, maybe.
Phoenix almost forgot that Edgeworth has asked him a question, distracted as he was. With a not-small amount of effort, he turns his head and watches Trucy’s slowly rising and falling shoulders in the backseat. “Probably gonna keep her close for a bit, but. Yeah. Yeah, I’m alright too.”
Everyone he cares about is safe. It’s easy for Phoenix to be okay, after that.