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August 19, 2019
“Daddy, Daddy!”
“Yeah, Trucy?” Phoenix looks down at the eight year old, who’s tugging frantically at his hand. Noticing that she has his attention, she points and he looks in that direction - to a noodle stand.
“Can we get noodles, Daddy? Pleeeeease,” Trucy asks, dragging out the ‘please’ and practically hanging from his arm. Phoenix chuckles at her antics, though internally worries over the request in his head. Money’s been tight, what with him only recently getting a new job and having to buy Trucy clothes and school supplies and new magic props, along with getting a bigger apartment (a requirement from the adoption agency if he was to keep her).
But… she did just finish her first real magic show - something he’d been hesitant about, but she’d worn him down - and it was amazing. And he’s not just saying that because he’s a dad and would be proud of literally anything Trucy does, everyone had seemed amazed by her show. She certainly deserves a reward for a show well-done and if that’s noodles at 8 p.m. then who is he to say no?
“Okay, we can get noodles.”
“Really? Yippee!” She tugs at his arm again and Phoenix smiles, letting her drag him over to the stand. He nods at Mr. Eldoon Sr., who returns the nod and gives Trucy a small smile.
“Usual for you, Mr. Wright?” Phoenix blinks, a bit surprised that Mr. Eldoon still remembers his usual. It’s been a couple months since he’s been here. Then again, he’d visited this stand pretty often for almost three years, and he’s never noticed much business here, so maybe it’s not odd that Mr. Eldoon remembers.
“Yes, thank you.”
“And what about you, little lady?” Mr. Eldoon asks, looking over at Trucy. She frowns in thought, tapping her lips for a few moments before grinning widely at Mr. Eldoon.
“The Muroran curry ramen, please! Extra spicy!”
“Huh? Are you sure, Trucy?” Phoenix is fairly certain that he’s never seen her eat anything spicy, but his daughter nods. And who is he to say no?
(He’s her dad. Would most dads say no to this? He has no idea.)
“Okay,” he agrees, turning back to Mr. Eldoon. “One Muroran curry ramen for her, please.” The look Mr. Eldoon gives him makes him wonder if he made the wrong choice, but the noodle stand owner nods, already moving to start making the dishes.
“Of course. It’ll only be a couple minutes.”
Mr. Eldoon holds true to his word, a few minutes later holding a bowl out to the both of them. They take them, thanking Eldoon and then sitting down. Phoenix takes a few bites, watching from the corner of his eye as Trucy does the same. He nearly chokes on the noodles in laughter when Trucy makes a face. She’s clearly not a fan of spicy ramen. He’s not much of a fan of it either, but he nudges his bowl of noodles towards her. “Wanna swap?”
“Yes, Daddy! Please!”
And so they swap bowls. Phoenix bites back a sigh as he looks at the spicy ramen. Definitely not what he would order for himself, but the smile Trucy gives him makes it worth it.
April 5, 2021
“Can we get noodles, Daddy? Mr. Edgeworth?”
Phoenix looks over at Edgeworth, who seems to be thinking it over. “She’ll keep asking and use puppy dogs eyes until you say yes,” he says, stage whispering to the prosecutor. He grins at Trucy’s ‘daddy!’ and the light shove she gives him, annoyed that he gave up her scheme.
“Mhm, well…” Edgeworth looks down at Trucy, who, of course, is giving him the puppy dog eyes. Phoenix has seen the act enough times to be slightly immune to them, but only slightly. She’s really good at it. “I suppose that would be fine.” Trucy cheers, immediately running towards the noodle stand, Phoenix and Edgeworth following after her.
“Thanks, Edgeworth.”
“It’s noodles, Wright. It’s not a big deal. And if it makes her happy, who am I to say no?” Phoenix doesn’t say anything, though from the scoff Edgeworth gives him, he’s sure that his appreciation is still shining through. Edgeworth isn’t often in America, and that he’s spending time with Phoenix and Trucy, especially after everything that’s happened… Well, Phoenix can’t help but be thankful.
He’s even more thankful when they come up to the noodle stand, where Trucy’s already ordering, and Edgeworth immediately pulls out his wallet. Phoenix never asks Edgeworth for money, but he won’t turn down the offer. Being a pianist (officially) and poker player (sort of unofficially) doesn’t pay nearly as well as being a lawyer, and he wasn’t earning much back then either.
They tell Mr. Eldoon their orders and only a few minutes later are sitting down with bowls of noodles. Phoenix listens as Trucy tells Edgeworth about her latest magic shows, smiling proudly. He has dozens upon dozens of photos of the shows, and they’ve gotten pretty popular at the Wonder Bar.
“I wanna add the magic box trick to my act next. It’ll be amazing!” Trucy says. She takes a bite of her noodles and then immediately slides the bowl over to Phoenix, who passes his bowl to her in turn.
Edgeworth frowns, eyebrows knitting together, and asks, “...Did you not like the noodles, Trucy?”
“I don’t like spicy food.”
The prosecutor’s confusion only grows, written clearly on his face, and Phoenix grins at his daughter. It’s always funny to see Edgeworth actually confused and struggling to figure out what to say.
“But you… ordered the spicy ramen.”
“And now I’ve got the spicy ramen and she has my completely non-spicy ramen,” Phoenix pipes up.
Edgeworth just stares at the both of them. “Why would you order the spicy ramen if you don’t like it?”
Trucy shrugs. “I forget that I don’t like spicy food, then I take a bite and I remember.”
“I do remember, but-” Phoenix shrugs. “-what’s more fatherly than suffering for your kid?” he jokes, earning a giggle from Trucy. He’s gotten used to the spicy ramen over the years, and almost likes it at this point, but this has been a running joke ever since Trucy found out he’d hated the ramen at first.
“That… makes no sense, Wright.”
“It makes total sense, Mr. Edgeworth! You’re just too old to understand.” Trucy looks sadly at Edgeworth, who’s reduced to spluttering in shock.
“I- What?!”
“Don’t argue, Edgeworth,” Phoenix advises, glancing at the prosecutor as he takes a bite of his noodles. “Apparently twenty-eight is dinosaur age to a ten year old.”
“Right-o, daddy-o!”
November 3, 2027
“I can’t look.” Phoenix stares down at the laptop, the California Bar’s website open on it. His results were posted, but he can feel his hands shaking. He can’t open the results.
“Then I will!” Trucy darts forward, moving the laptop so Phoenix can’t see the screen. There’s a few moments of silence where Phoenix is stuck fidgeting anxiously. You could cut through the tension in the air.
Trucy looks up at him, face pinched with seriousness, and his breath catches in his throat. Oh no, he failed the bar exam, didn’t he? He knew question #5 was gonna screw him over, if only he’d-
She smiles widely at him, jumping up and wrapping her arms around him. “You passed, daddy! You’re a lawyer again!”
“I… passed? Hah! I passed!” He hugs his daughter back. To think that only two years ago he’d thought he would never stand in a courtroom as a lawyer again, and today he’s being told he passed the bar. Tomorrow he’ll be able to pick up his attorney’s badge.
Trucy pulls away and strikes a pose, one hand grabbing the brim of her hat while the other is on her hip. “We’ve gotta celebrate! We can get noodles at Mr. Eldoon’s! I’ll call Polly and Thena too!” Her happiness is infectious, and he’s sure his face will start hurting from how wide he’s smiling.
Half an hour later, the entire Wright Anything Agency is at Eldoon’s noodle stand, everyone talking excitedly and congratulating him.
And, of course, Trucy orders spicy ramen, takes one bite, and swaps bowls with him, much to Apollo and Athena’s confusion.