Chapter Text
Looking back on it, Apollo knew that the entire interaction was a total and complete invasion of Mr. Gavins’ privacy.
When Mr. Gavin had sent him off of work for the day, he had no reason (or, let’s be honest, a desire) to learn about his boss's personal life. He knew nothing of what Mr. Gavin did before work, or after. He didn’t know what his interests were. He didn’t know if he had anyone to go home to. The most he knew was through deduction: like the fact that he was left handed, or that the world's most annoying man he had ever gone against in court just so happened to be his younger brother. There was never any reason for him to even care about his boss outside of work. He had his own life, and he had his, just as any boss-and-employee should be. Completely separated and never intertwined lest HR need to get involved.
He had smiled at Mr. Gavin, wishing for him to have a good weekend and to get home at a decent enough time before heading out the office into the warm evening. The sunlight felt fuzzy on his face, filling him with a pleasant warmth that he wasn’t exactly privy on leaving so soon to get on the bus back home. With this in mind, he decided to enjoy the nice weather and walk home. He had extra time to get home before dark thanks to Mr. Gavin allowing for him to leave early, anyways, and he could get food on the way.
Apollo was never one for walks, but he found tranquility as the cracked concrete sidewalks of LA ebbed into People Park. There weren't a whole lot of people in the park, it seemed, so it almost felt like his own little oasis. If his memory served him right, cutting through the park would lead him to a street that had a decent enough sit down restaurant he could get food in before fully getting back home. This was shaping out to be a great evening by himself, he thought. Just the way he liked it. Calm and predictable.
As he rounded the corner on the pathway through the park, he noticed music playing in the distance, alongside cheering and clapping from a crowd. Curiosity getting the best of him, he followed in the direction that the noise was coming from and eventually found himself upon a small amphitheater. There was a decent enough crowd, mostly consisting of kids with their parents. The stage had decorations of what looked to be magicians equipment and in the center, stood a girl. She couldn’t have been older than fourteen…maybe fifteen years old. She was adorned in a blue cape and matching silk hat, and was currently juggling two apples and what he hoped was a fake knife. She laughed along with the crowd, narrating her trick as she finished the act with flourish, catching the apples on the tip of the knife.
“Well, what’d you guys think of that?” The girl asked the audience, gaining excited cheers and exclamations from dozens of kids. She beamed brightly, rolling her ankle back and forth in false embarrassment. “Aww, glad you guys liked it! Let’s see…for my next trick, I wanna get someone from the audience up here…”
Her eyes scanned the crowd, and Apollo swore he saw the girls’ face fall ever so slightly, but quickly recovered back into her bright smile. Her eyes landed in his direction.
“You there, with the weird hair! Come up on stage!” She grinned, staring at him. Apollo nervously looked around, though it was apparent she was singling him out, seeing as he chose to stand in a spot where there weren’t as many people. The girl made a waving motion over to the stage, beckoning him to come closer. He made his way onto stage awkwardly, almost tripping on the various toys and tricks adorning it.
“Alright, then! Care to tell the audience your name, sir?” The young magician smiled, extending a microphone to him. He leaned to speak into it.
“Apollo,” He said, admittedly, too loud. The microphone peaked, sending out a long, ringing feedback. The girl laughed it off.
“Alright Apollo, let’s get this next trick on the road, okay?”
“You’re not gonna be cutting me in half, right..?” He muttered to her. The girl's posture deflated in defeat.
“Shoot- uhhh…” She trailed off.
“Are you kidding me?!”
“Hmmm…what’s this behind your ear?” She tilted her head at him, looking at him with wide eyes.
“Huh? Can you seriously-”
The girl leaned towards him, making a show of reaching behind his ear and pulling out a quarter. The crowd “oohed” and “awed”, and Apollo tried his best to seem impressed by her simplistic actions. The magician turned to the audience.
“And then if I just…”
The girl clasped her hands together, making a scene of shaking her hands before she threw them open towards the audience. Emerging from them was no longer the quarter, and instead, a dove that flew over the crowd. Even Apollo was impressed by that one, clapping along with the audience. The girl took a bow before turning to look at him.
“Well everybody, let’s thank Apollo here for coming up on stage for us!” The girl grinned, ushering him off. He found himself back in the patch of grass he was in before, awkwardly smiling at a few kids who were looking at him as though he himself were made of magic. For some reason, Apollo chose to stay until the show was finished, the girl receiving plenty of applause for the show. As people left the amphitheater, a few parents left some cash in a little tip jar the magician had placed at the front of the stage. Thinking it was courteous to do the same, Apollo made his way back over, taking out his wallet in the process.
“Hey! Apollo, right?” The magician asked. She sat down at the edge of the stage, looking at him as she kicked her legs back and forth. “I’m Trucy, by the way! Did you like the show?”
“Uh…yeah.” He stuttered, taking out a five and slipping it into the jar. The girl grinned. “I thought the dove trick was kinda cool.”
“Thank you for being a good sport about that! I know it was kinda random,” She took the jar into her lap, stuffing the cash in a little heart shaped purse she had around herself. “Most of the guys I call on stage don’t really like it…”
“I kinda felt like I didn’t have a choice,” Apollo nervously rubbed the back of his neck. “But if people don't like it when you do it, then why is it still part of your act?”
“Well, normally my Daddy is here for my shows, so I usually call on him,” The girl put a finger to her chin, pursing her lips. “But he didn’t come today. Mr. Gavin said he was sick again.”
Apollo froze upon hearing the name, looking up at her with a raised brow. “Mr. Gavin?”
“Mhm! He’s my Daddy’s boyfriend. He brought my stuff to the park earlier on his lunch, but he said he couldn’t help me bring it back since he had to go pick up my Daddy’s medicine after work.”
Apollo wracked his brain, vaguely recalling Mr. Gavin taking a late lunch away from the office for “family matters”, but surely this girl couldn’t be talking about the same man. Gavin was a common enough last name, right?
“This…Mr. Gavin, he uh- he doesn’t happen to be a lawyer, right? Blond hair, lilac suit, glasses..?”
“Yeah…why..?” Trucy raised an eyebrow, tentatively moving a bit away from Apollo.
“Uh…I’m pretty sure that’s my boss.” He said quickly, trying his best to not freak the poor girl out. Trucy’s face fell, then gave way into complete shock. “Oh…OH! You’re Mr. Justice!”
He nodded, glad that his intuition served him right. “Yeah! Uh- I’ve worked with him for….God, almost two years now? That’s crazy…I didn’t even know he was dating someone…let alone that he technically has a daughter.”
“Well he’s not technically my dad,” Trucy reminded. “But he’s okay, I guess. Mr. Gavin talks about you a lot.”
Apollo felt a pit form in his stomach. “Oh, God…does he really?”
“Mhm! He says you’re high spirited, but you get nervous too easily.” She nodded. Apollo grimaced.
“I hate that…”
Trucy hummed, clearly seeing nothing wrong in the information she had just divulged. Apollo wished he could live in whatever blissfully unaware world she was in as well.
“Well, it was nice to meet you, Trucy.” He waved, starting to walk away from the stage. “I hope your dad feels better.”
“Wait, Apollo!” She cried. He turned back around.
“What's wrong?”
“I can’t carry this all on my own!” She gestured to the stage around her, still littered with all her equipment from the show. “I’m a magician, not a bodybuilder!” She huffed, crossing her arms and puffing out her cheeks.
“Isn’t there anyone else you could call to help you? I don’t really feel comfortable going to my bosses home…”
“Well, it’s not his home. It’s my Daddy’s.” She replied cheekily. Apollo sighed.
“...Do you live far?”
“Nope!” She said, popping the ‘p’ at the end. “We’re just down the street from here!”
Apollo briefly considered this. There was still a decent amount of time before the sun would be setting…if she was truthful about the distance, he could still get some food before getting back home before dark…
“I guess I can help-”
“Oh my gosh, thank you Polly! I can call you that, right, Polly?” She exclaimed all in one breath.
“I’d rather you not-”
“C’mon, Polly! These boxes aren’t gonna carry themselves!”
Apollo groaned, moving to get up onto the stage. “Right…”
–
After cleaning up the stage to the best of their abilities, Apollo and Trucy began their walk back to her apartment. Apollo seemed to be carrying the bulk of Trucy’s things, his arms growing numb under their weight. True to her words, their apartment didn’t seem to be too far from the park, though it did seem to be in a rougher part of town. He kept looking over his shoulder and further ahead from where Trucy stood, though the girl didn’t seem to be concerned in the slightest bit, greeting everyone they walked past. Not much conversation was being held between the two of them, however, which was making him feel incredibly awkward. Though, to be fair, this entire interaction had been nothing but. He was never even aware of this girl's existence before now. He felt like this was something that surely should’ve come up at one point or another between him and Mr. Gavin, but it clearly never did. Then, of course, there was the mysterious case of Trucy’s dad. She didn’t seem too disturbed at the idea of her dad being sick; moreso being upset that he didn’t show up rather than the reason as to why.
“Trucy?”
“Yeah, Polly?” She responded.
“You said your dad was sick earlier.” He said carefully, shifting the boxes he held in his arms. “Is he okay?”
“Yeah, he’s fine.” Trucy stated plainly, walking backwards so she could face him. “Mr. Gavin says he’s getting sick again, but I think he’s overreacting. He seems fine to me.”
“Sick with what, though? The way you’re talking about it makes it seem kinda serious.”
“With all due respect, Polly, I’m not really comfortable telling you that. I mean, I just met you. But he’s okay, promise!”
“If you say so…” Apollo sighed.
“Man, Mr. Gavin is right. You do get nervous too easily.” Trucy laughed. She stopped in her tracks, craning her neck to look down the street.
“Wait, Polly?”
“What is it now?”
“Can we stop by somewhere really quick? It’ll only be five minutes, trust!”
“Right…okay, hurry up though, okay? My arms are getting tired…” Apollo conceded.
“Of course!” Trucy nodded, running down the street with Apollo strolling after her. Shortly, they were at a clearly handmade stand with the word ELDOON plastered on the side of it in red. Behind stood a man, thin with stringy yellow hair. He played a cheerful tune on his harmonica, his eyes closed.
“Hi Mr. Eldoon!” Trucy waved to him as she ran up to the stand. He set down his instrument, smiling warmly at her as he moved out from behind, giving her a hug.
“Hey there, Trucy-doll. Just finished up a show, it seems?”
“Mhm! You should’ve seen it, it was incredible!” She giggled. “You should come to one sometime!”
“If it lines up when shops’ closed, I’ll try my best.” He smiled, looking at Apollo. “Who’s this? A friend of your dads?”
Trucy shook her head. “Nope! He works with Mr. Gavin!”
“Gavin, huh,” Mr. Eldoon narrowed his eyes at Apollo, looking him up and down. “What business you got with Trucy, huh?”
“O-oh, she wanted me to help her carry her stuff back and…well- since she’s kind of the daughter of my boss I felt like I couldn’t say no.” Apollo stuttered, looking down at his feet.
Mr. Eldoon stared at him for a moment longer before shrugging. He moved back to the stand, bending down and coming back up with two to-go bowls.
“How come your pops isn’t here, Trucy-doll? Thought he always went to your shows.”
“Mr. Gavin said he wasn’t well enough today,” She mumbled.
“Oh, poor guy.” Mr. Eldoon frowned. “Tell him I hope he feels better, will ya?”
“Mhm! We gotta come by here soon, the two of us? Daddy says he misses your food!”
Mr. Eldoon sighed, filling up the bowls with ramen. “Well in that case, why don’t you go and take these home with ya? These noodles are practically medicine. I’m sure some good food will make your Daddy feel right as rain.”
“Daddy says that all the time,” She laughed, moving the boxes in her arm to reach into her bag. Mr. Eldoon clicked his tongue.
“Don’t worry about paying, Trucy-doll. We’ve been slow today, and food safety says I can’t keep the broth overnight. You’re doing me a favor by takin’ it off of me.”
“Really! Thank you so much, Mr. Eldoon, you’re the best!”
Mr. Eldoon smiled warmly at Trucy. He glanced at Apollo. “You want some too, boy? Since you’re helping Trucy out, I guess I can give you some on the house, too.”
“Say yes, Polly! Mr. Eldoons’ noodles are the saltiest in town! They’re super yummy!” Trucy whispered to him.
“Um…I think I’m okay. Thank you, though.” Apollo declined.
“Your loss,” Mr. Eldoon shrugged, finishing adding the appropriate toppings to the bowls. He put the lids onto them before putting them both in a carefully wrapped bag, handing it to Trucy.
“There you go, Trucy-doll. You say hi to your dad for me, will ya?” He asked.
“Of course! Thank you again, Mr. Eldoon!” She waved as they walked back to Trucy's apartment.
“Friend of yours?” Apollo guessed once they were out of earshot.
“Mhm! Daddy’s been going to Mr. Eldoons’ stand since before he had me. I love his food. No one makes noodles like him!”
Apollo smiled faintly. “He seems like a nice enough guy.”
Trucy nodded. “He is! He and Daddy are really good friends. He likes telling me funny stories about Daddy when he was still working- Oh! We’re here! Just up the stairs is where we live!” Trucy gestured to the apartment complex before them. Apollo carefully climbed the stairs, still following Trucy on her heels. The outside of their apartment was unassuming, the only decoration being a piece of paper taped on the door reading Wright Talent Agency. Trucy adjusted the boxes in her hands to unlock the door which led them into a dark, cluttered home.
Apollo had to squint to adjust to the shift in lighting. From what he could see in the dark, there were boxes stacked high on nearly every wall. Some were toppled over, contents of photographs, magic tricks, and clothing spilling out onto stained carpeted floors. Apollo could barely hide the grimace on his face, his whole body feeling contaminated simply from being in the room.
“This is seriously where you live?” He blurted.
“Mhm! Just set down the stuff by the couch, okay? I got another show tomorrow, anyway!” Trucy beamed as she dumped her stuff on a nearby chair, tugging off her shoes. “Daddy! I’m home!”
There was a clatter from a room down the hall, like a body falling back into something. Apollo strained his ears to listen as he dropped the boxes on the couch, trying his best to keep their contents inside the box unlike the rest of the room. From down the hall, he could faintly hear a man's voice.
“God…I missed you so much.”
“Daddy! Where are you? Why are the lights off?” Trucy called, still standing in the living room (or what Apollo guessed was the living room. It was hard to tell, given the mess).
“...I-I thought I’d never see you again! I-I thought he…”
After getting over heaps of trash and other boxed away items, Apollo linked back up with Trucy.
“Is that you’re dad?”
“Yep! Not sure who he’s talking to, though.” Trucy pursed her lips, turning on the lights as they headed down the hall. It seemed like the whole apartment was in a similar state of disarray, and it made Apollo feel incredibly uneasy. This was no way for someone to be living, health issues aside. Trucy entered the room on the furthest end of the apartment without knocking, Apollo following behind her.
Inside, the room was just about as cluttered as the rest of the house seemed. The drawers to the nightstand and dresser were pulled open, each with their contents hanging over their sides or fallen on the floor. Standing in the center was a man in a wrinkled hoodie and sweatpants, a bright blue beanie adorning his head. He was staring blankly at a wall, his hands cradling what looked like an oddly shaped green rock towards his chest. He looked almost…scared; reminiscent of a deer in headlights.
“Daddy!” Trucy exclaimed, running to give the man a bone crushing hug. He flinched, snapping out of whatever trance he was in as he quickly pocketed whatever it was that he was holding.
“Trucy! I didn’t hear you come in,” He mumbled, his voice sounding distant and exhausted as he wrapped an arm around her.
“How come you weren’t at my show, Daddy? You promised you’d be there!” She asked, pouting at him the same way she had done to Apollo earlier. Her dads face paled.
“Oh shoot, that was today, wasn’t it, Truce? I’m so sorry. I-I got…sidetracked.”
Trucy glanced around the state of the room. “You weren’t looking for that rock again, were you?”
“No, no Trucy, it’s okay.” He squeezed her extra tightly, placing a small kiss on the top of her head. “Why don’t you go change into your PJ’s and we can watch a movie? Your pick.”
Trucy raised an eyebrow at her dad, clearly not believing whatever excuse he had come up with, but her expression shifted back to her smiley self when he offered to watch a movie. “That works! I brought us some dinner so we should eat that first!” She held up the bag to show her dad. “Mr. Eldoon says hi, by the way.”
“Huh, I’ll be sure to thank him soon for this, then.” He smiled weakly. He glanced up, noticing Apollo standing awkwardly in the doorway.
“Who’s this, Truce?”
“Oh! That’s Apollo! The same one who works with Mr. Gavin!” She supplied. Apollo waved.
“Uh-...Hi, sir.”
Trucy’s dad nodded slowly, studying him in much of a similar manner. He stepped away from Trucy’s embrace, moving to close the distance between himself and Apollo. Apollo swallowed a nervous lump forming in his throat. There was something definitively off about this guy. It was in his eyes; dilated pupils with slightly red tinged whites, like he had been crying. Trucy's dad extended his hand towards him. He took it, the older man's palm calloused and cold.
“Thank you for getting her home safely. I swear, this isn’t…like…an inflection on my character.”
“Right…” Apollo nodded slowly, shaking the man's hand. “It wasn’t a problem. She’s...quite energetic.”
“Oh, tell me about it,” He laughed as Trucy stuck out her tongue in a playful manner. “I’m Phoenix Wright- her dad, as you’ve probably heared.”
Apollo nodded, pausing mid handshake. He glanced up at the man again. “Wait, like, the Phoenix Wright?”
The man laughed, letting go and stuffing his hands in his hoodie pockets. “The one and only.”
‘This day seriously can’t get any weirder.’ Apollo thought as he looked Mr. Wright up and down. This couldn’t be the same guy newspapers were glorifying only a few years ago. He looked like a husk of the photographs he had seen of the man before his disbarment; hollow cheeks and manic eyes.
“You look…”
“Like Hell? Yeah, I get that a lot. From Kris, mostly.” He shrugged, moving to Trucy to take the bag of food from her. “Trucy, go get changed. I’ll set the table.”
Trucy nodded, waving to Apollo as she left the room, leaving the two of them alone. Apollo shifted his weight back and forth on his feet, keeping his eyes trained on Mr. Wright.
“Why don’t you stay for a bit? I think we got some tea, or…something…somewhere.” Mr. Wright trailed off, glancing back at the wall he had been staring at earlier. Apollo’s eyes darted down the hall, like he was trying to find an acceptable time to make a run for it. Every alarm bell was going off in his head, screaming at him to leave.
“I gotta get home, sir.” He muttered. “I got a cat that will probably kill me if I’m late to feed her.”
Phoenix hummed. “Then don’t let me keep you, kid.”
Apollo smiled, though it felt more like a grimace than anything. He nodded in the form of a goodbye as he left the room and went back down the hall. Just as he was about to open the door to leave, Trucy came running up to him.
“Leaving already, Polly?” She asked, frowning.
“Y-yeah. I feel really out of place here, no offense.” He admitted.
“None taken! I know my Daddy can be weird sometimes, but he’s really nice! I think you guys could be good friends, especially since you already know Mr. Gavin!”
“About that….Trucy- you know this isn’t normal, right?” He asked, gesturing around the room at all the garbage and hoarded mementos. Trucy looked confused.
“It’s fine, Polly. It’s just a bit messy. I think me and Daddy are gonna work on cleaning it out when I go on Thanksgiving Break anyways.”
“Still, Trucy I-,” Apollo faltered. “...I’m not gonna pretend I know what’s up with your dad. If you don’t wanna tell me, that’s fine, I won’t press but…I think he needs, like, serious help.”
“You think my Daddy’s crazy, huh?” She supplied, her eyes staring into his soul. Apollo’s mouth went dry.
“Well, when you phrase it like that-”
“My Daddy’s fine, Apollo. He takes good care of me, I promise.”
Apollo sighed, reaching a hand into his pocket to pull out a business card. “Do you have a pen?”
Trucy nodded, temporarily leaving the room to grab one. She returned, clicking it before handing it over to him. On the back of his card, he scribbled his personal number and his address.
“Just in case anything does happen, come to me, okay?” He mumbled, handing her the card.
“I’ll be fine, Polly.”
“Just in case.” He repeated.
“If you say so,” She narrowed her eyes just as the sound of the front door unlocking filled the room. Emerging from the outside was Mr. Gavin. He was holding some kind of bag from a pharmacy in one hand, his keys in the other. The poised defense attorney stood there in thinly veiled surprise, looking at Apollo, whose face blanched.
“Justice? What are you doing here?” He asked wearily, shrugging off his suit jacket and putting it in a closet by the front door (seemingly, the only clean thing in the house).
“Uh-...I ran into Trucy on my way home! She-she needed help, so-so I did. I-I didn’t…uh…” He stuttered. “I gotta go! Bye Trucy, bye Mr. Gavin!”
He sprinted full force out the door, trying to get as far away as fast as he could.
–
Kristoph watched as he ran down the steps, almost tripping on his feet as he did so. He shook his head. “I don’t understand that kid, sometimes.”
“He’s funny.” Trucy added. “Hi, Mr. Gavin!”
“Hello there, Trucy.” He smiled. “Where’s your father?”
“Right here,” Phoenix mumbled, emerging from down the hall. Kristoph smiled, moving in to kiss Phoenix on the cheek, but the man flinched away. Kristoph frowned.
“Phoenix, everything alright?”
“Mhmmmm,” He hummed. “I’m gonna set the table, Truce.” Phoenix smiled, walking into the kitchen. Kristoph turned to the girl once he left the room.
“Was everything alright with him when you got home, Trucy?”
Trucy nodded quickly. Too quickly.
“Trucy, you know I don’t like it when you lie to me.” Kristoph chided.
“Um…I mean his room was messy again, and I think he was talking to-”
“Christ,” Kristoph muttered under his breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Phoenix!”
He walked into the kitchen, seeing Phoenix setting the table for himself and Trucy. He looked up.
“What is it?”
“Give it to me.” Kristoph stated, cutting to the chase.
“What?”
“Give it to me, Phoenix.” He commanded, holding out his hand.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” The man laughed nervously.
“The rock, Phoenix. That- ‘Magatama’ thing. I know you have it.”
Phoenixs’ eyes darted away from him. Kristoph huffed, moving to Phoenix and reaching into the man's pocket. Phoenix squirmed, trying to push him away with a choice selection of swears as Kristoph pulled out the damned, glowing green object. He put it in his own pocket.
“C’mon, Phoenix. You have to actually try to get better at some point.”
“Kristoph-” Phoenix tried to say, but he held up a finger at the man.
“Be lucky I picked up your medicine, dearest.” Kristoph remarked, handing Phoenix two orange bottles into his hand. Phoenix stared down at them.
“Yeah…lucky.”
.
.
.