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Miles Edgeworth did not get children.
Children were just one of the things that he didn’t understand, dear lord did he not understand them. It wasn’t that he hated children, far from it. Children were just…enigmas to him, something that he never could quite wrap his head around. Their energy, their unpredictably, how the younger ones seemed to cry at anything and everything, and so many other things that Miles never knew how to handle. Really, what in the hell was he supposed to do whenever a child started crying? Hug them? Give them a sticker or candy? Shake them? Seriously, handling children was hard! Thankfully, his job as a prosecutor, and his occasional aiding of Interpol, didn’t lend him much time to dealing with them. Miles had sworn off handling children in any capacity at all.
Yet, here he was now, on his way to Maya Fey’s apartment, there to babysit her young daughter Trucy.
Maya was going away on a trip to Europe with Franziska, she now had quite a lot of free time after her disbarment. This was her first trip to Europe with Franziska actually, and while Maya wanted to bring Trucy along with her, Trucy had school. With that situation, Maya had decided to go alone and asked Phoenix to watch over her while she was gone. It just so happened that Miles was in Los Angeles after a particularly difficult case with Interpol. So naturally (or unnaturally, if you asked Miles), Phoenix had asked him to help. Really, he shouldn’t have gotten involved, he didn’t know how to deal with children, but it seemed that Phoenix had other ideas.
Miles wasn’t even sure why he agreed to this, and he wasn’t exactly sure why Phoenix tried to convince him to help either. Phoenix was great with kids and could more than handle taking care of Trucy by himself, and though Miles liked Trucy, she was still a child, and Miles was sure that he wouldn’t understand her all the same. He was dead set on refusing to help Phoenix, him plus children could only lead to disaster, but just a few minutes of pleading from Phoenix was enough to convince him. Whenever Phoenix pouted in that adorable way he always did, Miles couldn’t help but indulge his wonderful boyfriend. Call him a weak man, he didn’t care, and now he was paying the price for it.
Though, he was starting to regret it as he and Phoenix climbed up the stairs to the floor Maya’s apartment was in.
“We’re late.” Miles had remarked as they walked up the stairs. Really, they were. 20 minutes late, to be exact.
“Yeah.” Phoenix replied.
Miles thought for a moment, and then he asked. “Is there any way to back out of this?”
“Nope!” Phoenix replied.
“I’m not sure why I even asked.” Miles said with a sigh.
Miles struggled to carry his backpack, though Phoenix seemed just fine carrying his bag. But honestly, struggling to walk up the stairs was miles (pun not intended) better than using the elevator.
Soon, after a few more minutes of going up the stairs, they both soon made it to the door to Maya’s apartment. It felt like yesterday when Phoenix was still living with Maya, before he moved in with Miles after they had started dating. Miles still remembered going to their apartment building for their first date, dressed up and carrying a small bouquet of flowers for Phoenix. As they got into their relationship more and more, Miles found himself spending much more time at Maya’s apartment. At some point, this apartment had become almost like a second home to him, especially in what was formerly Phoenix’s bedroom, now belonging to Trucy’s.
Speaking of Trucy…
As soon as the two had arrived at the right place, Phoenix adjusted the strap of his backpack, and then he reached over and knocked on the door. They heard the unmistakable voice of Trucy calling out “Coming!” accompanied with her shrieks of joys, followed by the sound of footsteps running. Miles had forgotten how excitable Trucy was, and he was going to spend the entire week taking care of her? Oh dear…
Trucy opened the door, grinning at the sight of Phoenix and Miles. “Hi Uncle Nick! Hi Uncle Edgeworth!”
“Hiya Truce!” Phoenix greeted back with a grin of his own.
Miles just stood there, awkwardly. He was nudged by Phoenix, prompting him into saying. “O-Oh. Hello there, Trucy. Old champ.”
Old champ? Seriously?
Phoenix shot Miles a perplexed look, and Miles wanted to crawl into a hole and die in it.
“Come on in! Mommy’s been waiting for you!” Trucy took hold of Miles and Phoenix’s arms, practically dragging them inside.
The apartment wasn’t small, but it wasn’t big by any means either. It was big enough to house Maya and Trucy, and that was good enough for them. The apartment was messy, mostly with Trucy’s magic props, but it wasn’t as messy as it used to be. Miles still remembered when he first came back to their apartment after her disbarment, the place so messy that it was practically unlivable. And though their apartment was not tidy by any means now, it was way better than it was in the past. It had taken a lot convincing from Franziska and Phoenix for Maya to finally let them help her turn the apartment back into a place that was livable. Miles was just glad that Maya finally started asking for help again.
“Mommy! Uncle Nick and Uncle Edgeworth are here!” Trucy called out.
“Alright, dear! I’m coming!” Maya called out back.
Maya stepped out from her bedroom and into the living room, dragging a luggage bag and wearing a big backpack. Even going on a professional trip with Franziska, she still wore her denim jacket. Ever since Maya’s disbarment, she forgone her purple suits with much more casual clothes. There was no use for it, after all. Not when Maya started working as a singer in the Borscht Bowl. Though, Phoenix did mention that Maya still kept her suits, as though she were waiting for the opportunity to wear them once more.
Maya gave them both a small smile. “Hey, Nick. Hey, Edgeworth. You guys came just in time. Well, late. But I guess it counts. I’m just thankful Franzy and I agreed to meet three hours before my flight…” She hummed thoughtfully, and then asking. “What took you two so long, anyhow?”
“Yeah! You two took so long!” Trucy piped up.
“We wouldn’t have been late if Wright hadn’t taken so long gathering his art supplies.” Miles said, giving Phoenix a pointed look.
“Hey! I need my art supplies! I have a lot of commissions that I need to work on!” Phoenix protested.
“Wright, you were literally arguing with yourself on whether you should bring a 4B or 5B pencil.” Miles shot back.
“Hey, it’s an important choice!”
“They look exactly the same!”
“No, they don’t! They’re completely different.”
“You are ridiculous, Wright.”
Trucy giggled.
“I see that love is still alive.” Maya said with a smile, then chuckling as Phoenix and Miles all turned to her with glares. “Well, I’ll leave you two to your lover’s quarrel. Franzy is probably waiting for me in her house.” She reached into her pockets, taking out the keys and then handing it to Phoenix. “Here you go, first time you’ve stayed overnight in the apartment after moving out with Edgeworth. Make sure not to burn the place down, okay?”
Phoenix grinned. “I’ll try.”
“Nick!” Maya said with a laugh, Phoenix laughing along with her. Then, after she was done laughing, she said. “Thanks for watching Trucy for me, I’ll make sure to bring you two some souvenirs.”
“That is not necessary, Ms. Fey.” Miles said.
“Yeah! Just have fun, Maya!” Phoenix added.
Maya smiled at them, then turning to her daughter. “How about you, Trucy dear? Do you want anything from Belgium?”
“I want chocolate and candy!” Trucy answered.
“Yeah, I’ll remember to bring you chocolates.” Maya said, then patting her on her top hat. “And you’re sure you’ll be fine without me, Trucy dear?”
“I’ll be fine, Mommy!” Trucy said.
Maya smiled, taking off Trucy’s hat and then ruffling her hair affectionately. “That’s good. Don’t get into trouble, okay?”
Trucy giggled, grabbing her hat from Maya. “Mommy!”
Miles had to admit, there was something so…heartwarming about seeing the love Maya had for Trucy. Her smile as she ruffled at Trucy’s hair, it was so full of love and adoration for one of the brightest lights in her life. It was admirable, how Maya constantly thought of those she loved no matter what, even after her life was almost ruined, she still thought of others. Almost to a fault, even.
“Promise me, Trucy dear.”
“Okay okay! I promise, Mommy!” Trucy said, giggling again.
“Good, you’re in safe hands. I know it’s scary not having me around for a few days for the first time, but it’s only for a few days, and I’ll be back in a bit. I know you’ll be just fine.” Maya said, then turning to Miles and Phoenix. “Really guys, I’m so grateful for this. Thanks.”
“No problem, Maya!” Phoenix said.
“Happy to help.” Miles added.
Maya gave them a small smile, and then she said. “Well, I should get going now. I’ll see you in a week.”
“Bye bye, Mommy!”
“Bye Maya!”
“Goodbye, Ms. Fey. We hope you have a wonderful time in Belgium, with Franziska.”
Maya extended the handle of her luggage bag, exiting out of the apartment and then closing the door after her, leaving Miles, Phoenix, and Trucy alone in the apartment. As soon as they were alone, Trucy excitedly turned to Miles.
“Uncle Edgeworth! Uncle Edgeworth! What are we gonna do? Do you have anything planned?” Trucy then gasped. “Did you bring me any gifts?”
“Um…” Miles trailed off, unsure of what to say, especially as Trucy continued to excitedly babble on. He then whispered to Phoenix. “Wright, help.”
“You can handle it, Edgeworth.” Phoenix whispered back.
Miles looked back at Trucy, who was at this point bouncing up and down in excitement. “I don’t think I can.”
Phoenix couldn’t help but smile, as he then said. “Hey Trucy, why don’t we watch some Steel Samurai together?”
Trucy gasped. “Oh my god! YES! Yes, Uncle Nick! I wanna watch Steel Samurai!”
“Great!” Phoenix said, then turning to Miles. “You wanna watch some Steel Samurai too, Edgeworth?”
“That sounds…acceptable.” Miles said. In truth he was excited, but he’d rather it not be known.
“Cool! We should get some snacks too, and maybe juice? Some Kool-Aid would be nice.” Phoenix then turned to Trucy. “Does Maya have any Kool-Aid here?”
“Mommy does!” Trucy said, and then she pleaded. “Uncle Nick, can I make the Kool-Aid? Please please PLEASE?!”
“Alright alright! You can make the Kool-Aid.” Phoenix said, then adding. “Be careful though, okay?”
Trucy saluted him. “I promise with my life, Uncle Nick!”
“Alright! Go ahead and make it, I’ll look through the pantry and see what snacks you guys have here.”
“YAY!” Trucy shouted, before she excitedly ran to the kitchen.
How the hell did Phoenix do that?!
In awe, Miles turned to Phoenix. “How do you do it, Wright?”
“You eventually learn to handle kids when you’re around them enough.” Phoenix said with a shrug.
“Ah, I wouldn’t know. The only child I spent considerable time with is Franziska.” Miles said.
“Well, you’ve got the opportunity to practice with Trucy!”
Miles frowned. “I don’t know…”
“C’mon, Edgeworth! Sure, dealing with kids can be overwhelming, but I promise you that once you get used to it, you’ll love it. Especially with Trucy, she’s a sweetheart. You just have to be willing to learn, you know?” Phoenix said.
“…Alright.” Slowly, Miles smiled. “I’m willing to learn.”
Phoenix smiled back
Suddenly, the two heard the sound of a loud thud, and Trucy yelping out in surprise. Phoenix and Miles gave each other a confused look, and then turning to the kitchen.
“Everything alright, Trucy?” Phoenix called out.
“I’m fine! I uh, totally didn’t spill the Kool-Aid!” Trucy replied in a yell.
“That’s exactly what someone who spilled the Kool-Aid would say.” Phoenix teased.
“Uhhhh…”
“Trucy-” Miles tried, but he was cut off.
“MAGIC EXIT!”
There was a sudden burst of smoke from the kitchen, and Trucy ran from the kitchen and to her bedroom. Miles just watched this all with a stunned expression on his face, meanwhile Phoenix was grinning, trying to hold in his laughter.
“Trucy, come out from your room! We’re not mad!” Phoenix called out to her.
“I’M NOT IN MY BEDROOM!” Trucy yelled back.
“We literally saw you run to your bedroom.” Miles pointed out.
“NO YOU DIDN’T!”
Phoenix was still trying to hold in his laughs, letting out a few snickers.
“Oh dear, we have our work cut out for us…” Miles mumbled to himself.
At that, Phoenix finally laughed.
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Miles found, surprisingly, that he was quite enjoying his week babysitting Trucy.
Trucy was a joy to be around, and though her excitement did get a little bit much at times, Miles really did like the girl. Besides, Phoenix often handled her for him whenever Miles had no idea what to do, and he was forever grateful to his boyfriend for that. That was not to say that he didn’t enjoy her company though, because he really did. Trucy was always grinning and laughing, and Miles found that he was in a good mood whenever she giggled. Despite how overwhelming her energy got, Miles found that he quite enjoyed being around Trucy, and the apartment felt emptier and a lot less lively without her.
Trucy spent a considerable amount of time at school, leaving Phoenix and Miles alone in Maya’s apartment with each other. Most of the time Miles did his paperwork while she was gone, meanwhile Phoenix worked on his art commissions. When Miles drove Trucy to and from school, Trucy rambled on excitedly to him and asked Miles about his opinions and theories on the latest Steel Samurai episodes. When she was home, she’d set her rambling sights to Phoenix, showing off to him her test scores and the art she’d made in art class. Phoenix would then cook them dinner, Trucy helping out in any way she can. Then they’d eat their dinner watching TV, and when Trucy fell asleep, Miles or Phoenix would carry her back to her bed and tuck her in.
It was comforting, domestic, a sight that Miles hadn’t seen in years.
Trucy seemed to be adjusting well with her first time not having her mother around. Surprisingly so, Phoenix had commented to Miles. He said that most kids would have started crying within the first two nights of their parents being gone. Miles didn’t doubt that for one second, Phoenix knew more about kids than Miles did. Though that did leave Miles to wonder, why had Trucy adjusted so well to the change? She was always so happy whenever they saw her, and if what Phoenix said was true…what led Trucy to be different?
And it turned out, Miles would later find out, that she hadn’t adjusted as well as they thought she did.
Miles noticed it during Saturday, just right after Miles had cooked her and Phoenix lunch. Phoenix had situated himself on the couch, watching some mindless drama show as he worked on some art. Miles on the other hand was in Maya’s bedroom, the bedroom that Maya told them to sleep in while she was gone, and working on his paperwork. Don’t get Miles wrong, he liked spending time with Phoenix, but the show that he was watching was distracting, and Miles needed some silence to work well on his paperwork. He’d rather do anything but the paperwork, but it had to be done. And besides, no matter how annoying it could be, if Miles got into the zone, he got into the zone.
Miles sighed as he stared at the paperwork, the words making no sense. He had been staring at the papers for quite a long time…what time was it? He looked up from the desk and then at the clock, noticing that it was already 2:30. He had started at 9 AM…and he only stopped to eat lunch. Had he been working for that long? No wonder the paperwork was starting to become gibberish. Miles was hyperaware of how parched he was, he probably needed some water, and a break. A break sounded nice. He could spend some time with Phoenix, though he wasn’t exactly keen on watching a mindless drama show. Maybe he could convince him to watch the Steel Samurai instead…
Miles got up from the desk and then made his way out of the bedroom and through the hallways. But as he walked, he could hear…something. It was faint, faint enough that had he not been paying attention he wouldn’t have noticed, but he noticed now. And it seemed to be coming from Trucy’s bedroom. Miles made his way to the bedroom, seeing that the door was ajar. Slowly, he opened it more, immediately spotting Trucy on the floor. And she was…
…Crying?
Trucy…she was crying.
Miles froze up in confusion, what was he supposed to do? Just go away and let her be? Comfort her? And if he was gonna comfort her, how exactly was he gonna do that? Should he just pat her back and say that everything was going to be fine? Should he try to fix whatever problem she had? It had been quite a long while since he’d comforted someone, more than a decade ago when he still lived in the von Karma estate. But that was years ago, and Franziska was far from a normal child back then.
He didn’t have much time to think about it, though. Trucy turned to him, immediately spotting him under her doorway, staring at her.
Shoot.
“U-Uncle Edgeworth?” Trucy sniffled, then forcing a smile. “O-Oh! Hi, Uncle Edgeworth…”
Miles stared at Trucy, what was he supposed to say? “…Hello, Trucy. Are you alright?”
He almost face palmed at that. The girl was crying, did he even really need to ask that?
“I-I’m fine!” That grin was forced, Miles knew. Trucy was putting up a brave smiling face, though Miles wasn’t exactly sure why. “Just um…watched a sad movie, is all.”
“You’re not fine, Trucy. I know you’re not.” Miles said bluntly.
“…Is it that obvious?”
“You were crying, so yes.”
“…Oh.” Trucy’s face fell.
…Shoot, that wasn’t wise.
With a sigh, Miles sat on the floor next to Trucy, trying to give her his best reassuring look. “It’s alright, Trucy. We can’t be 100% positive 24/7. Something is bothering you, so tell me.”
“But I don’t wanna be a burden…” Trucy mumbled.
At that, Miles grew serious. “Trucy, telling me your feelings isn’t a burden. What makes you think that?”
“Well, um…” Trucy held on to her cape. “…You do a lot, like with…Denterpol? Maybe you’re busy! Or, I dunno…”
“I’m on break now, so it’s not problem. And even if I were busy, you still wouldn’t be a burden. Really, you wouldn’t.” Miles insisted, and then he said. “So please, tell me what’s wrong.”
Trucy played with the hem of her cape nervously, seeming to consider his offer thoroughly. Then, she decided to tell him. “Alright…”
Miles raised a brow, beckoning her to continue.
“I’m just…” Trucy sighed. “I just miss Mommy, is all.”
“You…miss your mother?”
“Yeah, I do. You and Uncle Nick are really nice and you’ve helped a lot! But…I still feel lonely, and I want Mommy.”
“That is understandable, this is your first time without your mother for a week. Almost any child would feel lonely. I just wish you didn’t hide that from us.”
Trucy sighed. “I’m sorry, Uncle Edgeworth…”
“No need to apologize. It’s not your fault, I understand where you’re coming from.” Miles paused, what else was he supposed to say now? What usually cheered children up? Um…ice cream? “Trucy, how does going out to the park for some ice cream sound? I heard that an ice cream shop opened in People Park.”
Trucy slowly smiled. “…Yeah, I want some ice cream right now.”
Miles smiled back. “Great, let’s go.”
He got up and helped Trucy up, the two of them walking through the hallways and then into the living room. Phoenix was still there, sketchbook on his lap as he drew what looked to be a few portraits of people. Still the drama show was playing on the TV, background noise for Phoenix as he worked. Miles cleared his throat, prompting Phoenix to look up from his sketchbook and then at them.
“Wright, Trucy and I are going out for ice cream in People Park. Do you want to accompany us?” Miles asked.
“Sure!” Phoenix replied, getting up from the couch and then stretching. “I need to get some fresh air, anyhow. Can’t stay cooped up in the apartment all day.”
“Great, I’ll go get my car-”
Phoenix cut him off. “Do we really need to drive there? People Park is near here, we can just walk there.”
Miles turned to Trucy. “Are you alright with that, Trucy?”
“Yeah! I’m fine with that!” Trucy said with a nod.
“Great!” Phoenix said with a smile, then adding. “Lemme get dressed first, can’t exactly go out in shorts…”
After they all got dressed, they locked the apartment and started their walk to the park.
━━━━ ❰ ･ ❉ ･ ❱ ━━━━
The ice cream shop was a pretty small building, chairs and tables outside shielded by umbrellas overlooking the beautiful sight of the grass fields of the park. The building was made of a red faded brick, with dark blue shingles for the roof. the sign of the shop in big bold white letters on a deep navy blue background. The windows had a few posters on them, mostly about ice cream, and one of them being for an up and coming band that Miles didn’t particularly care for. It was peaceful and calm, walking up to the small ice cream shop, his fingers interlocked with Phoenix’s as they made their way to the shop, Trucy skipping excitedly next to them. As soon as she saw the bright white sign and the red walls of the building she immediately gasped.
“WE’RE HERE!” Trucy yelled out excitedly, immediately bolting to the door as she continued to yell. “WE’RE HERE WE’RE HERE WE’RE HERE!”
“Geez! Trucy, slow down!” Phoenix called out to Trucy.
“How is she even that fast?!” Miles cried out incredulously.
“I dunno! Just go and get to her!” Phoenix replied.
Miles and Phoenix ran after her, the two of them entering into the building. The building had more posters of ice cream puns on the red brick walls, a counter with a display for all the ice cream flavors that they sold, and a milkshake machine behind the counter. There were booths, and chairs and tables, all a light cream color. There were quite a few people in the shop. A few groups of teens loudly talking about…whatever the hell teens talked about these days, and some families with their children. Though, neither Miles nor Phoenix saw Trucy, looking around them for any sign of her. The two scanned the room for Trucy, spotting her when they heard her voice yell out to them.
“Uncle Nick! Uncle Edgeworth! Over here!” Trucy was by the ice cream display, jumping up and down and waving her arms around wildly.
“…Well, there she is.” Phoenix commented with a grin.
Miles rolled his eyes.
The two walked over to her, Miles taking a peek at the flavors that the shop had to offer. He smiled when he saw that there was double dutch, his favorite flavor. There was plain vanilla too, along with French vanilla. They were obviously very different flavors, with french vanilla being superior, and yet Phoenix never could tell the difference. His favorite was just vanilla, any type really. Miles glanced over at Phoenix, who was reading through the flavors.
“What flavor are you getting, Wright?” Miles asked.
“This one.” Phoenix said, pointing to one of the flavors.
Trucy jumped up, turning to Phoenix with a brow raised. “Matcha? Not vanilla?”
Phoenix shrugged. “Hey, no harm in trying something new.”
“Matcha is yucky, Uncle Nick!” Trucy said, scrunching up her nose in disgust.
“I like it.” Phoenix replied.
“I think it has a delectably complex flavor profile.” Miles added.
“…Do old people just like matcha?”
…Did she just call them old?
“Not the first time someone has called me old.” Phoenix said with a laugh. Then, he asked. “What flavor are you gonna get, Trucy?”
“I dunno! Lemme see through them all…” Trucy turned to the display, reading through the flavors with a determined concentration. Then, she gasped. “Ooh! Salted caramel! That’s what I want!”
“Awesome! Let’s order, then!” Phoenix said.
They ordered their ice cream, Phoenix insisting that he pay for them all. At some point, Miles just sighed and let him. After they got their ice cream, matcha for Phoenix, double dutch for Miles, and salted caramel for Trucy, they all decided to go outside to enjoy the lush green scenery of the park. Miles smiled at the sight of the path, of the lush bushes and trees, of the food stands and people who sold things, of the people who went on with their own little lives. He took a bite of his ice cream, sighing in content at the taste of rich chocolate, and the mix ins in the ice cream that gave the ice cream a nice textural difference.
He looked over at Phoenix, who was typing into his phone, probably texting Maya or Larry. His eyes then made it over to Trucy, who was humming happily as she ate her caramel ice cream.
Miles decided to speak up. “Are you enjoying your ice cream, Trucy?”
Trucy grinned, nodding. “I am, Uncle Edgeworth!”
“I’m enjoying mine too Edgeworth, thanks for asking.” Phoenix jokingly said, having looked up from his phone.
“Wright.” Miles said with a sigh.
“Hey! It’s funny!” Phoenix said.
Trucy giggled.
“See! Trucy thinks so!” Phoenix added.
Miles shook his head, though he was smiling.
Phoenix and Miles talked about…well, whatever caught their fancy at that exact moment. Miles always liked talking to Phoenix, he always had such interesting things to say. Trucy would chime in every now and again, giggling at Phoenix and Miles’ banter. Miles found that he was enjoying himself, glaring at Phoenix when he made a corny joke and actually laughing when his jokes were funny, which was rare. Not that Miles cared, the corny jokes were a part of Phoenix, and he loved every part of him dearly.
Suddenly, as he was finishing his ice cream, Phoenix gasped. He pointed to somewhere. “Edgeworth, look.”
Miles looked to where Phoenix was pointing, spotting a woman drawing a couple. He watched as the woman finished drawing, showing the two boyfriends their drawing. They took the drawing, then paying the woman.
“An…artist?” Miles asked.
“Oh! A corricature artist!” Trucy cried out delightedly.
“Caricature.” Phoenix corrected. “And yeah! Wow, I haven’t drawn caricatures in forever.”
“Are they hard to draw?” Trucy asked.
“Depends on who you’re drawing.” Phoenix said, watching as the woman then drew another couple, two teenage girls. “But damn, she’s drawing fast. She must have been drawing caricatures for a while! I’m kinda jealous.”
“Why don’t you ask her how she does it, Uncle Nick!” Trucy suggested.
At that, Phoenix smiled. “That sounds like a great idea!” He then turned to Miles. “You don’t mind, right Edgeworth?”
“I don’t mind, Wright. Go ahead.” Miles said.
Phoenix full on grinned. “Awesome! Thanks, Edgeworth!”
Miles watched as Phoenix got up, still carrying his ice cream, and made his way to the caricature artist. He couldn’t help but smile as Phoenix struck up a conversation with the woman. In no time they were soon in a deep conversation, the woman showing Phoenix her techniques and Phoenix showing her his own. It always amazed Miles how Phoenix talked to people so easily, Miles always found it hard to engage a conversation with anyone he wasn’t close with. Though, having a thing in common probably helped. Miles was sure he’d be just as invested if someone were to talk to him about the Steel Samurai.
“Wright seems to be having fun.” Miles remarked with a smile.
“Yeah…” Trucy trailed off.
Miles turned to Trucy. “Something on your mind?”
Trucy bit at her lip, no doubt mentally debating on if she should say what was on her mind. Then, after her last bite of her ice cream, she decided to say it. “Uncle Edgeworth…are you scared of losing Uncle Nick?”
Wow, that was a loaded question.
“Not really. Wright and I are pretty stable in our relationship, and we’ve been together for quite a while. Besides, there’s no use being scared of something that’s going to happen one day.” Miles answered.
Trucy was confused. “What do you mean by that, Uncle Edgeworth?”
“We lose everyone at some point, Trucy. In fact, everyone dies one day, including you and Ms. Fey, and there’s nothing you can do to change that.”
Trucy’s eyes widened in shock and horror. “She is?! We are?!”
Shoot, probably shouldn’t have told a young child that.
“W-Well! It is going to happen in the far future, Trucy. No need to worry about that just yet.” Miles tacked on rather awkwardly.
“Okay…” Trucy trailed off, nodding. She didn’t exactly look convinced, then asking. “Wait a minute, if everyone dies…then how do you not get scared of it every day? How do you not get scared that you’ll lose everyone?”
Dammit, children ask too many questions.
Hard questions, too.
“Well, I think the fact that everyone dies actually makes it better.” Miles said, adding at Trucy’s confused face. “Since everyone dies, it makes the time you spend with them all the more precious, it makes you…treasure them more. With the advent of death, it makes your limited time all the more valuable, and there’s something undeniably…beautiful about that.”
Miles paused, surprised at himself. Who knew he could give such good advice?
Trucy nodded, seeming to take what Miles said to heart. Then, in a small whispering voice, she asked. “…But how can you be sure they won’t disappear?”
“…Disappear?”
“My first Mommy disappeared, and then Daddy disappeared…” Miles could see that tears were welling up in Trucy’s eyes. “…So how can I be sure that Mommy won’t disappear?”
“Your mother won’t disappear, Trucy.” Miles said, almost instinctively.
Trucy frowned. “But she might! She might leave me! Maybe she stops liking me, or maybe she thinks I’m boring. Or maybe…maybe…” The tears were streaming down her face, Trucy sniffling as she wiped the tears from her face.
…Oh boy, Miles had his work cut out for him.
Miles stared awkwardly as Trucy cried. Why was she crying again? What was he supposed to do? He just sat there, trying to come up with a way to comfort her. His eyes darted all around the place, his eyes landing on a person riding bicycle down the path. Aha! Cycle! Maya was breaking the cycle! With that in mind, Miles spoke up.
“You don’t need to worry, Trucy. Your mother is breaking the cycle.” Miles said.
“The…cycle?”
“Yes, the cycle. Your parents had a cycle of leaving you, but Ms. Fey, she’s breaking the cycle. She’ll be there for you no matter what, for the rest of your life. Because she’s…?” Miles trailed off expectantly.
“…Breaking the cycle?”
Miles smiled, crisis averted! “Exactly!”
“…I don’t get it.”
…Ah, Miles spoke too soon.
Miles tried to come up with another, much simpler way of explaining this to Trucy. His eyes then landed on Phoenix, who was still talking with the artist, and was in fact collaborating with her as they both drew a mother and her son. Love, Miles realized. He just had to make Trucy understand the power of love, and how Maya loved her too much to ever leave her. It certainly was true. Many times, Maya had described Trucy as the light of her life, and Miles knew that leaving Trucy was the last thing that would ever cross her mind.
“Think of it like this. In your life, there will be people who leave, people who won’t stay in your life forever. Maybe they come back, maybe they don’t. You never know with life.” Miles said.
Trucy looked confused, not knowing where this was going.
“But sometimes…” Miles glanced at Phoenix, who was talking loudly to the caricature artist, and he smiled. “…Sometimes, you’ll find someone who you love and loves you, and they’ll stay with you for the rest of your life, and you’ll stay with them for theirs, too. No matter what happens, no matter how much you change, they’ll still love you, and you know that you’ll still love them, too.”
Trucy smiled. “You really love Uncle Nick don’t you, Uncle Edgeworth?”
Miles couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Yes, I do. But this isn’t just reserved for romantic love, though. It’s for all kinds of love. Romantic, platonic, familial…” He trailed off, smiling at Trucy as he ruffled her hair lovingly. “You have so many people that love you Trucy, and they’ll stay by your side until the end of time.”
Trucy giggled as Miles ruffled her hair. “Uncle Edgeworth!”
“It is true, Trucy.” Miles said, then looking to his half finished ice cream. “Ah, I should finish my ice cream…but I’m full.”
“I’ll have it!” Trucy said, grabbing the cup. She stopped midway, looking up at Miles expectantly. “If I can…?”
“You can, Trucy.”
At that, Trucy took the cup and devoured the entire thing in five seconds flat, Miles watching in awe as she slammed the cup down on the table.
“I’m still hungry!” Trucy declared.
“Ah, hold on.” Miles reached into his pocket, taking out his wallet. He took out a few dollar bills and handed them to Trucy. “You can buy yourself some more, but not too much. Oh, and…don’t tell Ms. Fey about this.”
“Yay!” Trucy cheered. “SALTED CARAMEL ICE CREAM, HERE I COME!”
Just as Trucy ran into the ice cream shop, Phoenix was walking back to them, his face, hands, and clothes all endearingly covered in charcoal and graphite. Miles couldn’t help but smile at the sight of it, at the sight of the man that he loved so dearly.
“Sorry for taking so long Edgewo- WOAH!” Phoenix yelped as Miles grabbed him by the waist and placed an affectionate kiss on his cheek. He looked confused for a moment, then laughing. “Edgeworth! What’s this all about?”
“I was just reminded of how much I love you.” Miles said with a smile.
“Geez! You’re not usually this affectionate!”
“Can I not be affectionate towards my boyfriend?”
Phoenix grinned. “No, you cannot.”
Miles shot Phoenix a glare. “Wright…”
“There’s the Edgeworth I know!”
Miles rolled his eyes.
“Say, where’s Trucy?” Phoenix asked, scanning the tables for her. “I don’t see her anywhere.” He then gasped, turning to Miles. “You didn’t lose her, did you?!”
“…Would I be this calm if I did?” Miles questioned with a brow raised.
“True.” Phoenix conceded.
“Trucy is inside the shop, I gave her some money to buy more ice cream.” Miles said.
“Ah, I see.” Phoenix said, and then he grinned. “Well, we should probably go inside before she buys out their entire week’s worth of ice cream.”
“I only gave her a few dollars.”
“She’ll still find a way.”
“Hmm…true, better safe than sorry.”
Phoenix and Miles’ hands interlocked with each other, the two of them entering the ice cream shop.
━━━━ ❰ ･ ❉ ･ ❱ ━━━━
Thankfully, there were no more hiccups when it came to babysitting Trucy. It seemed that she really did take what Miles had said to heart. And whenever she did have problems, she went to Miles for help. Though, most of said problems were math homework, but that was besides the point. Time flew by so quickly that before they knew it, it was the day when Maya would return from her trip. Trucy was excited the entire time, letting out a loud “Aw man!” whenever Miles told her that she wasn’t back yet.
And then, Maya came back.
As soon as Maya entered into the apartment, Trucy ran into her arms. “Mommy! I missed you!”
“Woah! Trucy darling, I was only gone for a week.” Maya said with a chuckle. She looked up from Trucy and at the rest of the apartment, noticing a distinct lack of Phoenix. “Where’s Nick?”
“Taking a nap in your room, he pulled an all nighter on a painting.” Miles answered.
“Ah, I see. You guys can stay for a little while. I don’t mind.” Maya said, and then asking. “Well, how was your week here?”
Miles and Trucy’s eyes met, and Trucy smiled.
“We had a wonderful time, Ms. Fey.” Miles said, smiling back. “We had a wonderful time.”