Chapter Text
"No, Kay, we can't have Ice Cream for breakfast."
"Why not?!"
Kay stood up off her seat and slammed the table, ready to confront her father. Sebastian, seated by her, winced and dropped his spoon on the cereal bowl. Miles turned around from the kitchen counter, holding a cup of tea.
"First of all, that Ice Cream is for after dinner. And second, it isn't going to give you any of the energy you need."
Phoenix entered the kitchen at that moment, holding Trucy in his arms.
"Listen to your father, Kay." He said with a smile as he set the little girl in her high chair. He walked past Kay and Sebastian, ruffling both of their hair.
Defeated, the girl sat down again with her arms crossed and started eating the cereal. Phoenix walked over to Miles and wrapped his arms around his torso, trying to kiss him. Much to his disappointment, his husband stopped him by using his hand to cover his mouth.
"You know the rules. No kiss until after you brush your teeth." He said with a frown and took a sip of his tea.
Miles thought he did a good job hiding his amusement, holding the cup up to cover his smile.
Phoenix rolled his eyes and stretched his arm over his husband's shoulder to grab a bowl. He then left it in front of Trucy. She tried to reach the cereal box her brother had next to him with her hand.
"Here-" Just as he was about to hand it to her, a loud voice shouted from the kitchen door.
"GOOD MORNING!!" Sebastian immediately covered his ears and screamed, dropping the box and scattering cereal all across the table.
Everyone else looked towards the source of the voice. Miles immediately rushed to Sebastian's side. He put his hands over the child's hands and gently grabbed them away.
"It's okay, everything's okay..."
Apollo entered the kitchen confidently, fully dressed in his favorite red suit. He stood there for a moment, closing his eyes with a smile.
After not getting the attention he expected, he opened an eye.
"Hi, Polly!" Kay and Trucy waved at him while they picked up the cereal on the table and put it in their bowls.
The boy gulped and looked at his dad.
"Apollo...We talked about this." Phoenix walked over to the little boy and knelt to his level. "You have to keep your chords of steel down, especially when Sebastian is around, remember?" The two spikes in Apollo's hair deflated. He looked at the floor.
"Sorry, Dad..." Phoenix sighed and smiled. He ruffled the kid's hair and stood up. Apollo fixed his hair, visibly annoyed.
He straightened his back and walked over to his brother. Miles was whispering soothing words and stroking his shoulders as the little boy sobbed when they noticed Apollo approaching.
"Polly...?" Apollo took a deep breath with his mouth wide open when he looked up and caught Miles's gaze, who raised an eyebrow at him. The boy cleared his throat and spoke softly.
"Seb...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry. I got excited and forgot...Can you forgive me?"
Apollo waited for Sebastian to assimilate it. It took a moment, but the little boy blinked and nodded.
"Okay." Apollo's face brightened with a smile that spread to his younger brother and fathers.
With that settled, Apollo turned around to Phoenix.
"Dad, I have something important to say!" He nodded.
"I'm listening." The kid shook his head and put his fists before his chest.
"No, no, no, you have to ask why I'm dressed like this first!" Miles smiled softly.
"Well then, why are you dressed like that, Apollo?" He turned to Miles with a smile.
"I'm so glad that you asked, papa."
Apollo walked smugly to the end of the table and took a folded paper out of the pocket of his vest. The two adults sat down and watched curiously.
The little boy cleared his throat. He looked up to make sure everyone was paying attention and started.
'My family. an essay by Apollo Edgeworth-Wright.' The fathers nodded when the boy looked up again.
'My name is Apollo i am ten years old and my birthday is on 12 of April.
i really like cats but I have a dog named Pes.
My best friend is Clay and my favorite color is red.
My dads are lawyers they are different kinds of lawyers but it doesnt mater because they both fight to find the trut and give justice to the world
My dad Phoenix is a defense Attorney and my papa Miles is a procecutor
My dad works defending innocent people of going to prison while my papa puts the bad guys in Prison
Being a defense Attorney is so cool I want to be one like my dad when I grow up
My sisters names are Kay and Trucy
Kay is very full of energy so I always get tired when playing with her but shes really funny
Trucy is my baby sister and is learning to be a magician she makes tricks like making stuff disappear that make my dads always freak out
I also have a little brother called Sebastian he is shy and a bit weird sometimes but my papa says that he just needs more help than me to understand things
he told me that Sebastian was living with people who were really mean to him and thats why he is scared of everything
its okay because he is with us now and i always make sure that people are good with him.
i have two aunts and a cousin
they visit us a lot and my aunt Fransiska gives the best gifts
She and my papa are from germany so I am learning to speak german too
i also have an uncle he is really funny but we dont see him much
My family is different from other children but my dad sais that it doesnt mater it doesnt make our love less real
And i love my family very much so i think that's cool.'
Apollo finished reading and looked up. His family clapped at him while they smiled.
"That was very nice, Apollo." Miles said, smiling softly. Phoenix nodded enthusiastically. The little boy smiled and held the paper close to his chest.
"Any special reason for this?" Phoenix asked.
"It's for school. We are going to make a presentation about our families before summer break. " Miles hummed.
"I see. Can I take a look?" The kid nodded and handed the paper. Miles scanned it with his eyes, keeping a neutral expression in the face of all the grammar errors and spelling mistakes.
"If you allow me, I'd like to help you with some...mistakes you made."
"YE-...Yes, yes. Yes, papa! Thank you!" The little boy jumped on his feet.
The fathers smiled at each other. Phoenix stood up and clapped his hands.
"Alright, little man, you better eat breakfast and get dressed. You are gonna be late to school!" He poked Apollo's forehead with his finger.
The kid grumbled and covered his forehead, walking to the kitchen counter to grab a bowl.
Phoenix put his hands on his waist, satisfied as he looked at his kids. He noticed his husband's unimpressed expression.
"What?"
"Nothing. Just thinking about the pot calling the kettle black."
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
When Apollo was a more little, he didn't have anyone.
That was, of course, until Papa and Dad took him home.
He doesn't remember the childhood before them or beyond the orphanage. For him, his life started when they met about three years before, back in the country he used to live in.
Though a bit blurry now, he remembers how the smile on Dad's face was the most big and bright he had ever seen.
Phoenix loved playing with him, liked apples, knew how to ride a bike, and promised to teach him someday. Apollo loved him in an instant.
Miles, however, was a different case.
The first time they met, Apollo was terrified of him. He was so tall and frowning all the time. He didn't know how to play with him, so he always chose to play with Phoenix instead.
One day, they took him for a walk in a mall. At a certain point, Phoenix left them to go to the bathroom.
He and Miles started walking around in silence when the man stopped suddenly. He turned his head to where he was looking: a display window filled with books and figures.
"Do you mind if we take a look?" Miles asked. Apollo was curious, so he nodded and followed him inside.
The shelves were topped with books and figures everywhere. He followed Miles from behind, looking around amazed. The man stopped in a section called "Steel Samurai." Miles turned his head to him.
"Do you know The Steel samurai, Apollo?"
"U-Um, no." Miles hummed and reached for a book, handing it to him.
On the cover was a character in armor next to a number one. Miles pointed at it.
"This is The Steel Samurai, Warrior and protector of Neo Olde Tokyo." Apollo looked at him without understanding, but Miles showed him another book, this time with a character in pink armor. "And this is the Pink Princess."
He kept rambling and explaining to Apollo about the show, dragging him around the shop and answering every question he had. In the end, they left the shop with two bags of mangas, which Miles had told him were the names of the books.
The man bought him an Ice Cream and they sat on a bench.
"Listen, Apollo...I know that you are not very fond of me, I understand that perfectly." He averted his eyes. "I'm not like Phoenix in any way. I don't know how to interact with children, but, I think you are a wonderful child. I want to try to be the parent you deserve. And first I want us to get along, if that's okay with you, of course..."
Apollo studied Miles's face while licking his Ice Cream. He wasn't lying when he said it. The kid put his hand on top of his.
"You are the weirdest grown-up I have ever met." Miles looked like someone had stabbed him."But I think I like you a bit more now."
Apollo then started to ask questions about his job and about him, becoming really interested. Who could have known that Law was such an interesting topic?
Phoenix found them later and was really happy to see them getting along.
The next times they went to visit him, Apollo started to learn the things that Miles liked.
He was right when he said Miles was the most weird adult he had ever met, but in reality, that wasn't a bad thing.
The man taught him about chess and praised how quickly he learned to play. He noticed how much he enjoyed just sitting on Miles's lap and listening to him read. It didn't matter what kind of book; law, tales, his voice was what mattered.
Soon enough, Apollo started to love him as much as he loved Phoenix.
He didn't hesitate the day they finally asked him if he wanted to live with them. A few bags and goodbyes to his friends later, Apollo was boarding a plane for the first time in his life and arriving at what would be his home from then on.
Since then, things had only gotten better. His family had grown bigger and before he knew it, he was in fifth grade and had three little siblings.
Apollo loved his family more than anything in the world.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
After returning to their building from school that day, the four siblings greeted the doorman and ignored the elevator, walking straight to the stairs.
Apollo took Trucy's hand when they started going upstairs, smiling as he saw her jump on each step. They were on the floor beneath their apartment, when they heard a scream that made them jump.
"APOLLO!!" When he and Trucy turned around, Sebastian ran to him being a crying mess.
"Wha-What's wrong?! Are you hurt?!" Apollo searched for any wounds on his body.
The little boy hugged him burying his face on his chest as he cried, and Apollo couldn't decipher why. The reason soon made herself present.
"POLLY!! Look at this!" Kay came running behind Sebastian with a smile, holding something between her fingers. He saw her and screamed again, hiding behind Apollo. With a closer look, Apollo realized the thing she was holding was a green beetle.
"Kay, where did you get that?!" Apollo took a step back and Trucy approached her curiously.
"I found it in the window! Isn't it cool? I've never seen one like this!" She brought it closer to his face. The thing started moving its legs and Apollo quickly pushed Kay's face away with his hand.
"Leave that thing right now-" Trucy cut him off, raising her arms.
"I wanna hold it too!" The two brothers looked disgusted as Kay opened Trucy's hand and carefully left the beetle on it.
Trucy watched, amazed as the bug got up and started walking on her hand and arm. The older sister quickly caught it with both hands. The girls giggled between them and Apollo ignored the chill it gave him.
"Kay...!" She stuck her tongue out at him and reluctantly left the bug on the wall. He sighed and turned around, walking upstairs as he kept Sebastian in front of him.
They reached their floor and he took out of his pocket the key dad had given him. The jingling of the keys caught Pess's attention, who ran and stuck her nose under the door. The two sisters kneeled down to the ground and greeted her.
With skill, Apollo managed to open the door with them underneath, and Pess immediately jumped on him to lick his face.
"Eww-! Hey, hey, Pess! How are you, girl?" He scratched the dog's ears. The other siblings started petting her and she wagged her tail with excitement.
Once Apollo closed the door, he was surprised when he heard his papa's voice.
"Ah, kids, welcome home." Miles appeared from the living room with Phoenix behind. Kay and Trucy happily ran towards them and got a kiss on the forehead from each dad. Sebastian shyly approached and also got his.
"Hi, Papa, Dad." Apollo followed his sibling's example and raised his head. He was about to walk away after getting his kisses when suddenly, Phoenix trapped him in a bear hug.
"Gah-!! Dad, let me go!!" Apollo tried to push him away with his little hands. The man laughed while his son whined for messing up his hair, as he rubbed his face with said hair.
"How was your day, little one?" Phoenix said when he finally left him on the floor.
After huffing annoyed and fixing his hair, Apollo smiled.
"It was great! The math teacher said I did a good job on my homework!"
Papa turned his attention to him after his siblings left the room.
"That's great to hear." Apollo nodded and smiled happily when he noticed something. Pess sat next to him, and he started petting her.
"Papa?" Miles hummed a 'yes?'. "It's Monday...Don't you always have a lot of work to do today?"
"Ah, I finished all of it early." He felt his bracelet pulsate when the slightest hint of tension made a presence. Papa pulled the side of his shirt with his hand.
"Yup! Your papa and me wanted to spend some time together." Miles nodded along. Phoenix moved an inch closer to him, discreetly removing the fingers from his shirt and grabbing his hand tightly.
They didn't like when Apollo pointed at their lies, so he hid his wrist behind his back. Apollo's smile faded as his pets stopped. Pess looked up at his right hand.
He stared as Phoenix forced a smile. He rubbed his bracelet when a drop of sweat ran on the side of his face. What he said wasn't a lie, but there was something off about it.
Apollo hummed, nodding slowly and taking a step back.
"Right...I'm going to go change now." He walked past them, quickly moving his wrist to hold it on his chest. The dog followed close from behind.
After getting out of view, he walked to his room, opening and closing the door. Then, he quietly hid behind the wall. He shushed Pess and listened.
Once Miles and Phoenix heard the door close, they let out a deep sigh.
"Do you think he noticed anything?" Dad asked.
"Evidently, he did. Did you not see the way he looked at you?" Apollo stuck his head out a little.
Papa had his head down, while he crossed his arms tightly. Dad wrapped his arms around his shoulders and took Papa's left hand. He lifted it up, interlacing their fingers from the back. Even from his position, Apollo recognized the matching rings he had seen a thousand times before.
"Everything is going to be okay, everything will fix at the end. I know. You will find a solution."
"And what if not? What if..." Dad showed him their rings again.
"You are thinking too much again..." Papa sighed. Apollo hid again when Dad walked in front of him. "Let's do something. Let's go make dinner, and we'll talk more later, the kids could hear us."
Papa didn't answer, but he heard their steps to the kitchen. He sat on the floor when Pess bumped her nose into his hand. He started petting her, deep in thought.
His dad said once that their family had a natural instinct to find the truth. An insatiable curiosity to lift every rock in the way until the truth came to light.
And the seed of curiosity had been planted on Apollo's head.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
That night was like any other. They ate spätzle.
Dad and Papa acted like always. His siblings had no idea something was up. They made their night routine like always: brushed their teeth and hair, then went to bed.
Apollo said nothing when Dad gave him a good night kiss and turned off the lights. He was about to close the door when Apollo called him.
"Wait!" Dad turned around. "Don't close the door tonight."
"You sure, kiddo?" Apollo nodded.
"I'm not scared anymore. I'm ten now, remember?" Dad's expression softened. He smiled and approached the bed to pat his head.
"Yes, of course...Good night, Apollo."
In the past, Apollo had been scared of leaving his door open at night, with fear that something could enter his room.
To be honest, the thought still made him nervous, but his investigation was worth it.
When he was sure Dad was far away, he sneaked out of his room. The faint sound and light coming from the living room gave him his clue. He walked towards it and stuck his head out a bit again from the arch of the door.
They were sitting on the couch watching TV, with their backs towards him. The only light in the room beside the screen was the floor lamp next to Papa.
"...In other news, the mob around the presidential house and the executive palace has not dispersed, even with threats from the authorities.
Despite thousands of threats against him, the President, Robert Nant, has refused to back down and the new law is still under review..."
The report lady said, worried. Dad put an arm around Papa's shoulder to draw him closer.
"The decision will be made on Thursday. If the law is approved, gay marriages will be annulled and they will lose all marital rights, their..."
She started naming things that Apollo didn't quite understand. Except one.
"...Adoptive rights..."
Dad decided to turn off the TV at that moment. They stared at the black screen in silence, until Papa put a hand on his shoulder.
"Phoenix, darling..." Dad turned his head to him. "You know your mask cannot fool me..."
Dad turned his head to the ceiling and covered his face with his hand.
"I'm sorry, Miles...Hun, it's just...You needed me to be strong for you, and I..." He ran his hand through his hair and Miles put a reassuring hand on his back.
Apollo's eyes widened when he thought he saw a tear fall down his dad's face, even though he quickly ran an arm over his face. He hid behind the wall and covered his mouth.
He was taken aback, to say the least.
He had never seen a single tear on either of them, but seeing his dad, the strongest and most bright person he knew, break into tears made him think about Papa's words.
A mask? Dad had lied to him all this time...?
What was the truth?
"Darling..."
"I can't imagine a without our family, Miles...! Apollo is growing up so fast, I'm scared I won't be there for him when he needs me?!
There was a moment of silence, and then the sound of fabric. Apollo stuck his head out again and saw Papa cradling Dad in his arms.
He let Dad rest his head on his chest, while he put his chin on top of his head.
"Why can't life just..." Papa buried his face in his hair and whispered.
"Leave us alone? I know..." He closed his eyes, and despite the darkness of the room, the light coming from the lamp seemed to illuminate a small tear. "I'm not mad at you. We both know how hard it is to let go of old habits..." Dad shook his head on his chest and smiled.
"What a way of ruining the mood." Papa pushed him away while he giggled. They stayed in silence again.
"I will do everything in my power to prevent it."
"I know."
"With the support of the chamber, I know I will." Phoenix hummed. Papa looked down.
"Miles...I can see the guilt in your face." Papa frowned
"I don't want to do this to them. I want them to have a life here; they already have one! But...If there is really no other option...
"...The kids love Germany." Dad caressed his cheek with his hand."
"It will be hard to say goodbye...Especially for Apollo."
Apollo ran to his room. He got in his bed and covered himself up to the head with his blanket.
His heart was beating faster every second while his mind ran full with thoughts.
Apollo really loved his family more than anything in the world.
He couldn't quite understand what was happening, so he cried.
He didn't know yet, but soon he was going to make sure that nothing and nobody hurt his family.
That little seed of curiosity that had been planted, begun to grow in his little head.