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.”

.

.

.

Chapter Text

The entire weekend, Apollo was dreading going back to work. He spent all 48 hours off of work curled up on the couch with Mikeko, a horrible pool of anxiety making him almost entirely immobile. At least Mikeko was a good couch buddy, clawing aside.

Idly, he found himself on his laptop till late at night, trying to find something- anything on Mr. Wright. What he was up to. Who he was after his disbarment. What was wrong with him post disbarment. This proved to be incredibly difficult, much to Apollos dismay. Beyond his own recollection of the events through rose tinted glasses, there was very limited information he could dig up. He had no social media presence, and any and all mention of him stopped after the first wave of articles came out following the Bar Associations verdict.

Apollo himself remembers when it had happened. He was fifteen at the time, and saw Mr. Wright as an inspiration; as did most aspiring lawyers. His confidence in court was palpable, and Apollo really thought he was going to be like him some day. Now, he’s a guide for exactly what not to do. What not to become. What was that saying about not meeting your idols?

It chilled him to think about what had become of the Turnabout Terror. He could have gone his whole life thinking the man had simply faded into obscurity following his disbarment. But, no. He had a daughter; starry eyed and overly energetic. His living situation rivaled that of a hoarder's house. He seemed both manic and perfectly normal and he somehow was in a relationship with his boss. The very boss that came home to see his employee in his house, talking to the girl who could also be called his daughter. 

The very boss he was about to see at work.

Apollo had spent his whole Monday morning feeling borderline sick from anxiety, his mind coming up with every awful scenario that could transpire once he arrived at the office. What if Mr. Gavin no longer wanted him working for him? Apollo surely wouldn’t blame him. It was extremely unprofessional for him to enter their home, even if it was for a good reason. It was horribly invasive of him, because, as Apollo’s brain kept reminding him, Mr. Gavin was a private man. He rarely spoke of himself, expressing a desire to keep an air of professionalism in his office with both himself and the clients that they took. And he had to go and ruin it.

Grabbing his bus pass just as he was about to walk out the door, he realized he’d forgotten his bracelet. He sighed in minute frustration, backtracking to his room only to find Mikeko sprawled out on his bed, toying with it.

“Seriously, Keko?” Apollo tried to pry the bracelet away from the cat, which earned him a hiss from her as she clawed at him, leaving a bright red mark across his hand.

“Mikeko Justice, I'm going to kill you.” He groaned, giving up on the matter. To hell with this cat. He wouldn’t be in court today anyways. It’s weird abilities wouldn’t be doing anything for him in a day spent in the office.

After putting a bit of ointment where Mikeko had scratched him, Apollo left his house. He gave himself extra time to get to work so he could swing by a cafe by Mr. Gavin's office for what he hoped would come across as an appropriate apology gift. Cradling 2 black coffees and a selection of pastries in his arm, he climbed up the stairs to the office.

The office space where they worked was nothing special. It had three rooms, one of which they used for storage of case notes; sealed off to the public. There was the small room where Apollo resided, his desk space being sparsely decorated despite Mr. Gavin's insistence that he was free to decorate however he wanted (this same, barren desk was where he set down his bag and his own coffee). The third room was, of course, Mr. Gavin's office, which Apollo entered cautiously.

Mr. Gavin, of course, was already at work. He sat by his desk, looking to be buried in his Email inbox as he hummed a slow, melodic tune. He looked up at Apollo. “Ah, Mr. Justice. I was starting to think you might actually be late for once.”

“No, never sir!” Apollo squeaked. “I, uh…I got you a coffee. And a box of pastries for us.”

Mr. Gavin raised his eyebrows, a polite smile spreading across his face. “Thank you, you did not have to go out of your way to do something like that.”

Apollo set down the coffee on Mr. Gavins’ desk, mindful to place it far away from case records and photographs of evidence. He stood there anxiously, fiddling with the box he still held in his hands.

“Do you need something, Mr. Justice?” Mr. Gavin asked, taking a sip from the coffee cup.

“Um…” He stuttered, his cheeks heating up. “I’m really, really sorry about Friday, I-”

“I’m going to stop you right there, Mr. Justice.” Mr. Gavin held up a hand, adjusting his glasses. “You explained your reasoning when I arrived, and for that I’m thankful. Given the circumstances, I cannot be mad at you.”

“Y-you’re not?” Apollo’s brain short circuited. 

“Would you rather me be?” Mr. Gavin chuckled. Apollo shook his head.

“Well then, I see no reason to keep discussing this. Take those pastries back to your desk, I’ll grab one later.” 

Apollo nodded, closing Mr. Gavins’ door behind himself as he settled himself in his own desk, typing away on documents from a trial he had just wrapped up earlier in the week. He found himself in a comfortable rhythm of work, his mind slowly allowing him to forget the incident that had occured on Friday.

True to his word, Mr. Gavin walked to his desk around 2:00 to get himself something to eat. He had his personal cell phone pressed to his ear, listening to whatever the person on the other line was saying as he mouthed a ‘thank you’, plucking a croissant from the box. He scowled thereafter, his voice strained as he responded to whoever it was he was on the line with.

“Liebling, it was just a question. I’m not attacking you.”

Silence, a muffled voice saying things that Apollo couldn’t pick up. He grabbed a pastry from the box, trying to keep himself busy as Mr. Gavin stayed in the room on his call. 

“But did you, Phoenix? That’s all I want to know.”

Apollo’s eyes went wide as he desperately tried to make it seem like he was working and not eavesdropping on his boss’ phone call. He typed nonsense onto his laptop, avoiding eye contact with the lawyer whose patience seemed to be waning. 

“Alright, thank you,” He sighed, exasperated. “Works been slow today, I’ll be home in time to pick up Trucy from school. No-no, I’ve got it. You stay home and rest, okay? I love-... Christus.” 

Mr. Gavin pinched the bridge of his nose, putting his phone in his pocket. He turned to Apollo, shaking his head. “I believe that man is going to be the death of me one day.”

“Is everything okay, sir?” Apollo asked cautiously. Mr. Gavin looked conflicted. 

“It is not of your concern, Mr. Justice.” 

Apollo shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “I know it isn’t, but…I don’t know. If you need anything, I can help. Even if it’s just taking on more work so you can get home earlier.”

Mr. Gavin smiled softly. “I appreciate that, truly.” 

The blond turned away, looking almost wistful as he tore off a piece from the croissant, plopping it into his mouth. The two of them stood in oppressive silence and Apollo swore he saw the gears in Mr. Gavins’ head turning, mulling over something. Apollo kept quiet, not wanting to overstep more than he already had, but eventually, Mr. Gavin spoke.

“This situation we’ve found ourselves in…it weighs heavy on my soul.” He whispered, as though the admission was some shameful thing. “...I think I’m finally tired of not speaking of it.”

“Sir…” Apollo stood up, closing his laptop in the process. He gestured for Mr. Gavin to take a seat in his chair, which he did. The man tried to keep his posture composed, but Apollo could see the faintest of tremors in his arms. It was hard to hide stuff from him, afterall. Apollo allowed for Mr. Gavin to save face while he grabbed a chair normally reserved for waiting clients, setting it by his desk for himself to sit in. Mr. Gavin inhaled shakily.

“I’ve only ever told my brother the whole story, and even then, I’ve omitted a thing or two. I never…intended on saying anything to anyone. This is not to discredit you, nor anyone in my life, but I don’t view myself as having many trusting friends. I like to keep my work and personal life as separate as possible. I fear now, though, that that can’t always be the case.”

“Again, sir, I'm really sorry about Friday. I never wanted to betray that kind of trust-”

“It does not matter, Mr. Justice. I appreciate what you did for Trucy, it was incredibly kind of you.” Kristoph stated. “But I think- no,I believe it is time I start allowing for more trust in my life. You’ve shown me time and time again to not just be a colleague, but a friend. Of course, I understand it if you do not want me to explain this all to you. It isn’t exactly the most pleasant or quick story.”

Despite the circumstances, Apollo felt himself grow giddy on the inside, the subtle praise filling each and every one of his bones; fuzzy and warm. “It’s alright, sir. I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t okay with knowing. I mean, no offense, but I kinda have a guess as to what’s wrong with Mr. Wright.”

Mr. Gavin raised an eyebrow. “Did Trucy tell you?”

“No. She actually refused to, which I don’t blame her.” Apollo shrugged. “But when we came home, Mr. Wright was kind of…off? I mean, I don’t know how he acts, but he was staring at walls and just seemed very…not there…”

Apollo neglected to tell Mr. Gavin of Mr. Wright seemingly talking to nothing. He didn’t know if it would be of use to him to know, or if it would just stress him out more. Upon hearing this, Mr. Gavin’s face grew solemn. He looked down at the ground, wrapping an arm around himself in a protective manner. This, Apollo realized, was the most vulnerable he had seen the man in the two years he had known him. When Kristoph spoke next, he was as quiet as a mouse.

“Yes that…that is a problem.”

“Is he okay?”

When Mr. Gavin looked back up, his eyes were glassy with unshed tears. Apollo's heart hurt for him. “No…not right now he isn’t. But he wasn’t always like that. Phoenix…I’ve been with him since before his disbarment.” 

“Really? That’s almost-”

“Seven years. Yes.” Mr. Gavin smiled, but his eyes still seemed far off and clouded with sadness. “I still remember the night I met him. It was about a year before his disbarment, I believe? We met at an office party. The kind where cheap wine is served in glasses bought in a Goodwill and the only entertainment was idle gossip. I was out of my depth, but similarly, so was he...”

The party was meant to build more camaraderie between the Defense Attorneys and the people they worked with. The ones who organized it said that since the Prosecutors office seemed so close, surely they could benefit by forging bonds and trust. Kristoph knew it was just an excuse to get drunk, as seen by the lower rank and files acting like fools running around the venue. Pathetic, really, but not unexpected. 

Kristoph had talked to the defense lawyers he was “closer” with before locating a wine glass for himself, pouring a generous cup. He was never one for parties, not because he didn’t enjoy a good, lighthearted celebration, but more so because he never knew who to interact with. He led a very private, mature life, so he never engaged in the standard party activities of drinking games veiled as icebreakers. 

He walked, body hugging the walls to avoid bumping into people when he saw him. Phoenix Wright, the Turnabout Terror. He was nursing his own glass of wine, wearing the same exact suit he always did. He was laughing with a defense attorney Kristoph didn’t recognize, but it was clear she was the one leading the conversation and not Phoenix. Eventually, she seemed to grow bored of him, and Kristoph didn’t entirely blame her judging from what he saw. Phoenix seemed awkward, drumming his fingers on the rim of his glass as he watched the girl leave. With nothing better to do, Kristoph went up to him.

“Wright, right?”

The man smiled, suppressing a giggle. “Yeah. Most people call me Nick, though. Mainly to avoid saying stuff like that.”

“Ah. Well, I am not ‘most people’, Mr. Wright.” He smiled, glancing at Phoenix with a gleam in his eyes.

“Is that true?” He laughed, his cheeks flushing. “Well, stranger, you’ve got my attention.”

“We talked for the whole party if my memory serves me correctly. Perhaps it doesn’t, though, we were both thoroughly done in by the drinks.” Mr. Gavin lamented.

Apollo laughed to himself at the image of a drunk Kristoph Gavin. It felt like one of those things that simply couldn’t happen; the man was too prideful to let loose like that. However, Mr. Gavin described Mr. Wright in a manner that made it seem like he had the ability to melt his walls of maturity and coldness all away.

“After that, we kept in touch. We'd go to lunch at times, when our schedules allowed…I guess you could say we were- oh, what’s that term Klavier says - ‘casually dating’? Ah well, it does not matter. We were together, and it was wonderful.”

Phoenix had his home all to himself, it seemed. He mentioned that when they were in the area, two relatives of his former mentor would stay with him. He spoke of them with such love and adoration that Kristoph found it endearing. Phoenix had a lot of love in his heart; loving like a dog. With Kristoph, Phoenix would go out of his way to show his adoration. A surprise coffee here or there, paintings and doodles done in immaculate detail. Hands held under restaurant tables or embraces shared under bed sheets; Phoenix Wright was quite the romantic, believe it or not.

Phoenix fell hard and fast for him. Kristoph can’t say it was the same for him, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t really sure what to do when falling in love. He knew he was gay since he was in middle school, but he never went out with anyone on account of being more focused on academics rather than romance. Phoenix, though… he knew he had the capacity to love that man. Phoenix was handsome; lean and muscular from years of biking to and from the courthouse. After coming home from work, he’d shrug off his suit jacket, rolling the stiffness out of his shoulders in a way that was borderline seduction to the eyes of Kristoph Gavin. His kisses were soft yet full of passion, filling Kristoph with something he’d dare call elation. 

They’d spend nights together curled in bed (usually his own, since Phoenixs’ bed was a twin XL at best ) wearing nothing but sheets; sticky from sweat but with no real desire to do anything about it. Phoenix would always talk and talk about this or that. Kristoph would wish for earlier nights, but he could never stay mad for long. Phoenix was filled with such naivety that most nights, it would be the thing to lull him to sleep. He’d talk of future cases; dreaming about getting the truth out, even if it was at the cost of his own winning streaks. They’d always banter during these late night talks saying his luck would run out one day. That one day he’d come crashing down from where he stood. Phoenix always said this as a joke. It was always a joke to him.

“But then, one day it did.” Kristoph sighed. “That case…State V. Gramarye. I’m sure you’ve heard everything major about it.”

Apollo nodded. “Mr. Gramarye was accused of murdering his mentor, right? Then Mr. Wright had to defend him, but he presented forged evidence. Klavier was the prosecution, and he called him out on it.”

Mr. Gavin nodded. “You’ve done your homework, it seems.”

“Me and practically every other defense attorney.” Apollo began to fidget with his fingers, desperately missing the comforting presence of his bracelet. “I still find it hard to believe that he’d do something like that.”

Mr. Gavin eyed his hands, which made Apollo stop fidgeting. He looked back up at his boss.

“What…what actually happened after the trial?”

Kristoph heaved a sigh, his shoulders ever so slightly slouching. “I believe… that was the start of his mental pitfall.”

Phoenix had come home that day with Little Trucy Enigmar following behind him. He had a distant look in his eyes, barely even present as he locked the door behind himself. Kristoph was already home, sitting on the couch. He had heard what had happened, the news had already broken by the time the trial was considered “finished” on account of a null defendant. The only thing on his mind when watching segment after segment was the state he knew he’d find Phoenix in when he had gotten home. And it was a sorry state indeed.

It was the birth of that blank, dull look his eyes housed. Kristoph could see he was trying to keep it together in front of Little Trucy, but his hands were trembling; his lip wobbling dangerously. Kristoph knew Phoenix was bursting at the seams with emotion. He always was.

“Phoenix,” He breathed, standing up the moment the man entered the room. He walked over just in time to hold him as his body began shaking with sobs, his full weight collapsing against him. He petted his hair, whispering comforts in a language he knew Phoenix couldn’t understand.

“Oh, Phoenix…Phoenix ...hush. Ich weiß, ich weiß. Ich glaube dir.”

“They want to take away my license. Y-your brother, he-” Phoenix sobbed, choking on his breath. 

“Hush. I’ll speak to him when I can.”

Little Trucy tugged on his pant leg. He looked down and she stared back at him with wide, terrified eyes. He let go of Phoenix who stood there, still audibly sobbing as his body shook. Kristoph did not have the luxury of comforting two people at once. 

“Hello there,” He crouched down to her level. He took her small hands in his. “Ms. Trucy, correct?”

She nodded, her eyes filling with tears. It reminded him vaguely of Klavier when he was little; coming to his big brother so he could save the day when he skinned his knees or got in trouble with their parents.

“Did I do something wrong?” She whispered. 

“No, no, Little Miss. You had no say in what happened.”

“...Something in him died that day. I’m the only one of the Bar Association Committee that voted for him to keep his license, did you know that?” Kristoph explained. And of course, Apollo did not know that. All the news reported was the ruined attorney who made a mistake seemingly caught up in the currents of the trial. 

Mr. Gavin looked down at his hands, seeming completely and utterly disgusted by himself. “Sometimes…Sometimes I wonder if I voted the way I did because I actually believed in him…or if…”

Mr. Gavin trailed off, choking up. He pressed a hand to his mouth, his eyes glazing over ever so slightly. “I admit it. I had an inappropriate relationship with him at the time. I admit that made me vote the way I did, but I do not regret my actions. At least that’s what I try to tell myself. It’s all that I could do in self preservation when Phoenix eventually found ample reason to be mad at me…I can’t say I blamed him then, or even now.”

Phoenix spent the first two weeks of his disbarment talking around. He visited Valant, where he found nothing. He visited the Mishams, where he found nothing. He visited the courthouse, in which he found nothing. He visited places twice, thrice over, but it was all pointless. He had been disbarred, and that was that. The Bar Association voted, and they voted guilty. That verdict led to an argument that Kristoph was sure would end their relationship. Phoenix had yelled and cried as to how Kristoph could let that happen.

“Don’t you believe me?! Why did you not explain it to them? I didn’t-I would never present false evidence! There was a mistake, I’m telling you!”

And Kristoph would try to remind him that yes, he did believe him, and, yes, he voted as such. But, he couldn’t control his colleagues' actions. What’s done is done. Phoenix was out of a job and now had a young daughter to care for. There was no point in arguing like cats and dogs when the child could hear from the next room over (and, to boot, still believed this was all her fault no matter what Phoenix would try to tell her). 

But then his anger turned into a depressive episode. He watched as those smooth, toned arms withered down; his face hollow and empty. He had, it seemed, enough energy to take Trucy to school, go to the Borscht Club (of which Kristoph turned a blind eye to), fall asleep on the couch around four in the morning, and not much else. He indulged in vices like smoking and drinking, but never even spiraled out of control. Kristoph sometimes wished he would because, at least then, the man would be feeling something.

Mr. Gavin stopped talking for a moment. He kept a delicate hand poised to cover his mouth. Then, he drew a shuddering breath and Apollo watched in horror as a singular tear fell from his eye, then another, then another.

“My apologies,” Mr. Gavin said, his voice quivering as he stood. “Give me a moment.”

Apollos’ eyes followed as Mr. Gavin retreated into his office, shutting the door behind himself. Apollo sat in place in his chair, looking at his shoes. The air around him felt thick and horrid; his stomach doing somersaults to the point where he had to ask himself if he remembered to take his anxiety medication that day. He went from knowing too little about Mr. Gavin to simply knowing too much. His whole being ached for the man. He couldn’t begin to imagine how rough this whole situation was to both him and Trucy. If he had to watch the light and joy leave his lovers eyes, he surely wouldn’t be as put together as Mr. Gavin was.

Mr. Gavin returned a few minutes later, still dabbing at under his eyes with a tissue. He smiled tiredly at Apollo as he sat down, crossing his legs. “I’m sorry about that.”

“No, it’s okay!” Apollo reassured quickly and loud. “It’s difficult to talk about, I’m sure.”

“That it is, Justice…that it is.” Mr. Gavin trailed off. He glanced at a clock on Apollo’s desk. “I’m not keeping you from anything, right?”

“No, sir. I finished everything pressing hours ago.”

“That’s good.” Mr. Gavin nodded. “...I guess that leaves only one more thing to say.”

Apollo swallowed a lump in his throat. “Mr. Wright’s…?”

“Yes.” Mr. Gavin inhaled deeply, trying to compose himself. “I noticed it about a year after his disbarment, but for all I know, it could have been going on for longer. He’s surprisingly deceptive, if I’m being honest. That night… Christus, I thought I was going to lose him.”

Trucy was spending the night at a friend's house, leaving Phoenix completely alone for the whole day. This was never a problem before. Phoenix had found himself into a routine by that point in time. He’d spend most of his time at the Borscht Club, and on the odd chance he had a day off, he’d be at home cleaning or cooking. From what he recalled, Phoenix did in fact have that night off. They were going to get dinner when Kristoph got back from work. But when Kristoph arrived home, he was not greeted by a lovesick partner, but pitch dark. All the blinds were drawn and not a single light was on. 

“Phoenix?” He called out. When he stepped into the house, he nearly tripped over toppled keepsakes. He picked one of them up, holding it close to his eyes so he could make it out in the dark. It was a photo of Phoenix and his late mentor at his college graduation. Phoenix held his JD high and proud in the photo, his smile bearing all teeth. Mia seemed to have taken the photo as a selfie, holding up a peace sign with her free hand. Normally, it resided just by the front door, perched on a table filled with a few other of Mia’s things. Her scarf, a pair of her pearl earrings, and her favorite coffee mug, still stained with her lipstick. Phoenix would freak out if people so much as looked at the display in fear of someone messing it up, but now all her belongings were scattered across the ground without a care.

Feeling worry fill his bones, he walked to Phoenixs’ room, having to dodge other mementos tossed haphazardly on the ground. Normally, he would have been irritated walking into such a mess, but now…now he just needed to know what was wrong. As he neared, he heard Phoenix speaking, but it didn’t calm him in the slightest. His partner sounded absolutely rattled.

“I don’t understand…”

He stopped in the threshold of the room, all the breath escaping his lungs. In small cracks of light escaping the closed curtains, he saw Phoenix sitting on his knees, his body ridged in fear. In his hands, he held a small, glowing green rock. Distant memories of Phoenix explaining its significance flashing in his mind.

(To see lies, mainly. It’s super creepy, if I’m being honest with you. I don’t know how the girls never freaked out when using it.”

“It sounds impossible.” Kristoph remarked. “It’s childish.”

“Maybe to you,” He smiled, holding the Magatama up to his eye, peering at him in the hole in the center. “But it’s helped me through some real tough patches”).

Standing here now, Kristoph wasn’t so sure of its aid. Phoenix held it to his chest, staring at the wall.

“How are you gonna help me? I-I failed you…I failed everyone.”

 Kristoph stood there in complete shock, not moving as his partner continued on a conversation with the wall. There was no one there, but he wasn’t sure Phoenix was aware of that.

“Mia…I-I don’t know what’s happening,” He whispered, his voice wavering in grief. “Why are-”

Kristoph flicked on the light in the room, blinking rapidly as his eyes adjusted to the change in lighting. Phoenix turned around, and Kristoph didn’t recognize him. His eyes were wide, his pupils dilated as his breaths were coming in short, quick gasps. “Kristoph, I-”

“Phoenix, what’s happening?” He asked hesitantly. Phoenix looked at Kristoph, then back at the wall. 

“She’s not…”

“Phoenix…dear, there’s nothing there.” He whispered cautiously, inching towards Phoenix to place a hand on his back. Phoenix flinched violently.

“No, no, you’re lying.” Phoenix shook his head, pushing Kristoph away from him. “You can’t see her..?”
“Phoenix, did you take something?” He accused. His pupils could definitely suggest such a thing, though, it wouldn’t make sense. By this point, Phoenix had swapped drinking for chugging grape juice, if anything, for Trucys sake. He wouldn’t have a relapse in such a manner.

“She’s right there, Kris!” Phoenix gestured to the wall.

“Who is?”

“Mia…it’s Mia…” He looked back at the wall, a smile spreading across his face before a sob tore through him. In an instant, the smile faded into a frown as he kept staring at the wall, audibly wailing. “Oh no…”

“After that, we went to the doctor. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia about half a year later.” Kristoph muttered. “The hallucination…it would come and go. He’d be medicated, and he wouldn’t see or hear from her…but then there would be these…these things that’d set him off. Anniversary dates revolved around her, or his major trials, mostly, but there were other times where me and Trucy simply saying a phrase would send him spiraling. He was a walking bomb.” 

Kristoph took off his glasses, wiping at his eyes. “It got worse after that first episode. He had to stop working, we couldn’t…leave him alone anymore. It felt like every time I’d come back from work, the house would be in more and more disarray. Sometimes he’d lie and say he was cleaning…at other times, he’d be truthful. ‘Mia told me to do it.’”

“God, poor guy…” Apollo whispered. Kristoph sniffled, nodding in agreement.

“It was upsetting to watch- is upsetting to watch. When you saw him on Friday…me and Trucy think he was in another episode. I’m just hoping his medication works into his system soon. I’m…tired, Justice.”

At that admission, Mr. Gavin started crying again, completely silent as his slender frame shook. Apollo got up, startled as he put a hand on his shoulder. The display of comfort was odd and foreign, but Apollo deemed it necessary given the circumstance. 

“I’m sorry,” Mr. Gavin sniveled. “I’m sorry. This is unprofessional of me.”

“Don’t apologize, sir. I don’t mind.”

Apollo did, in fact, mind, but not for the reason Mr. Gavin was thinking. He was worried for the man. It seemed like he was keeping this all inside of him, because who was there to tell? He admitted it himself, he even left out details to Klavier. He couldn’t talk to Trucy about it, and Mr. Wright was the problem. He wished he had told him sooner. He wished he could have helped.

“Mr. Gavin…if…if you ever need me to help, I don’t mind. I’m sure it can’t be easy dealing with this all on your own.”

“I can’t ask that of you, Justice.”

“You don’t have to, if you don’t want to.” Apollo reiterated nervously. “You don’t have to ask, either. I hope you don’t mind but…I gave Trucy my number, in case she needed anything? Again, I’m sorry about that, but-”

Mr. Gavin looked up at him, trying for a smile. His cheeks were blotchy and red from crying, but Apollo saw the sincerity in the expression.

“Once again, Justice, you don’t need to be sorry. I think it’s…good for Trucy to have someone to turn to…should it come to that. Klavier comes over at times, but she’s more enamored by him than anything.”

“Right…him and his stupid band.”

Mr. Gavin laughed, wiping away the last of his tears. “Not a fan I presume?”

“Not in the slightest.” He shook his head. “Well, if anything, if Trucy needs help all she needs to do is give me a call.”

Mr. Gavin hummed in agreement. “Thank you, again, Mr…Apollo. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

Apollo smiled, his chest filling with pride at the change in titles- in the change of formality. He laughed nervously. “Anytime, Kristoph.”

.

.

.

Chapter Text

Unknown

Unknown

hi hi hi

Apollo

Who's this???

Unkown

an evil demon who's gonna EAT YOU

ITS ME POLLY

EVIL TRUCY WRIGHT

Apollo

Oh hi Trucy

Please lead with your name next time

Unknown

nah

Apollo

Is everything okay?? Why are you texting me??

Unknown

yea everythings ok !!

but i need help :)

magic stuff !!

Apollo

??? Isn't Kristoph home?? It's Saturday

We didn't have work today. At least I didn't lol

Unknown

mr. gavin had to get smth for daddy

and daddy is sleeping rn so he cant help either !!!

please polly

ur my last hope

are you gonna leave a little girl all alone in LA

its highly dangerous u know

my blood will be on ur hands

and that will make my daddy sad :(

Apollo

JEEZ ok fine

I'll be there in half an hour

Unknown

YIPPEE :D thanks polly ur the best

.
.
.

Apollo sighed, turning to Ema. “Alright, out with you.”

“Seriously?” The detective groaned. “I was just about to doordash something for us.”

Apollo felt his bracelet constrict tighter around his wrist. “Liar. you just wanna bum off my AC and play with Keko.”

“She’s such a friendly cat! Can you blame me?” She cooed, petting the feline that sat in her lap.

“No she is not! She scratches the shit out of me all the time!”

“Sounds like a you problem.” She rolled her eyes, standing up as she went to grab her bag, Mikeko scampering off in the process. Ema and Apollo had gotten closer in recent months, considering he seemed to run into her in almost every investigation that he did. It felt like she was over at least twice a week, but Apollo enjoyed her company, even if she could be rather intense at times. She stood by the door, placing her hands on her hips.

“Where are you even going anyways?”

“Ah, um.” He stuttered. “Gotta help a friend with something.”

She hummed, raising her eyebrows in mock surprise. “Really? I didn’t know you had those!”

Apollo frowned. “Hah hah, very funny, Ema.”

“Do they want extra help? It’s not like I’m doing anything.” She shrugged. Apollo shook his head.

“Uh…it’s kinda a private thing.”

“Oh,” She said, looking a bit sad. “Well, guess I'll see you around, then.”

“See you.” he waved.

Once Ema had left, Apollo made his way on the bus with the closest stop to Trucy's apartment. He briefly considered telling Kristoph that he was going to come over, but decided against it. Kristoph made it seem like that it’d always be Trucys’ call to make if she needed him to come over. Besides, it would only be for twenty minutes at most, all things considered.

Arriving at Trucy's apartment, she opened the door practically the second he finished climbing up the stairs. “Polly!” She squealed. “My savior!”

“Were you watching me climb up the stairs?” He wrinkled his nose. Trucy made a motion of pretending to seal her lips shut.

“Ready to get to work, Polly?” She grabbed him by the wrist, tugging him inside.

“Not really…” He groaned, albeit a bit loudly. She shushed him, looking a bit panicked.

“You gotta be quiet, Daddy's sleeping.” She whispered as she shut the door behind them, gesturing vaguely to the couch. There, Apollo saw Mr. Wright fast asleep, curled up and clutching what looked to be a yellow scarf in his hands; akin to how a small child would clutch a prized stuffed animal or baby blanket.

“Is he feeling okay? He whispered, watching as the man's chest rose and fell, soft snores escaping his mouth.

“Mhm! The medicine he takes makes him tired, though, so he takes naps a lot.” Trucy explained quietly. “C’mon, Polly. Clocks a tickin’!”

Apollo spared no further glances at Mr. Wright, trying to keep up with Trucy’s energy as she ordered him to help her get the appropriate tricks and equipment into boxes and bags. She seemed to be bringing a lot less stuff than she had on stage when they first met.
“Are you performing in the park again?” Apollo asked, confused.

She shook her head. “Nope! I normally perform in this place called The Wonder Bar. It’s a much smaller stage, so that means less tricks!”

“Then how come you perform there? I mean, there were a decent amount of people at the park. You definitely have an audience that’d want to see your shows.”

Trucy considered her answer for a moment, tapping a finger against her chin as she pursed her lips. “I mean, it would be nice to perform on a bigger stage, but it took a lot of time to get the ability to perform at the park. Daddy had to talk with the city and everything!”

Apollo hummed noncommittally, putting the last of Trucy's magic tricks in a box. “He did?”

“Mhm! Daddy’s really supportive of my career. He jokes and says he’s my agent.” She smiled a big toothy grin. “He’s the best, even if he doesn’t really understand how magic works.”

‘Me and him both,’ Apollo thought dryly. “You guys seem real close.”

“Of course we are, dummy.” She stuck out her tongue. “Speaking of, I gotta go wake him up. He’s coming to the show with us!”

Apollo raised an eyebrow. “Wait, if he was going with you why didn’t you just-”

“‘Cause you’re coming, too. Gosh, Polly, you’re not very smart considering you’re a lawyer and all.”

“I only agreed to help you out with getting your things together…” Apollo groaned. Trucy looked at him with wide puppy dog eyes, frowning.

“Fine, fine! I’ll go!” He spluttered.

Trucy went back to smiling. “Yay!”

Apollo watched with minor amusement as she ran back over to the couch, shaking Mr. Wright on the shoulder. “C’mon, Daddy! It’s time to wake up!”

“Mhm…do you need something, Truce?” He mumbled against the cushion of the couch, only opening his eyes a fraction.

“We gotta get to my show! You promised you’d come!” She pouted. Mr. Wrights’ eyes livened up a bit as he sat up, adjusting his beanie.

“Yeah, I did promise that.” He yawned, noticing Apollo. “Oh. You’re here again.”

“Trucy called for help.” He explained. Mr. Wright looked troubled.

“Truce, you coulda woken me up.”

“You seemed really peaceful, Daddy.” She shrugged. “You made it seem like you didn’t sleep last night, so I thought you could use the nap. Besides, Polly’s gonna watch the show too!”

“Is he now…” Mr. Wright affirmed quietly. Trucy nodded, running to grab Mr. Wright a pair of shoes, tossing them on the ground in front of him. He shuffled his shoes on, standing up.

“Let’s get going, guys! Hurry!” She pleaded, tugging on Mr. Wright’s sleeve as he stuffed the scarf he had been holding into his jackets’ pocket.

“You heard her, kid.” He laughed, looking back at Apollo as the two of them started walking out the door. “Let’s get going.”

The Wonder Bar wasn’t too far, Apollo found out. Mr. Wright had a bag of Trucy's things slung over his shoulder, swinging her hand with his as they walked. Trucy herself was prattling on about her act- something about having an improvised scene with somebody named “Mr. Hat” that Mr. Wright seemed very interested in.

“Maybe you could have him ‘steal’ something from you at the beginning of the scene, then have the rest of it be you trying to get it back?” He suggested.

“That could get good audience engagement…” Trucy considered. “But when would it be good to do it? The beginning, the middle, or..?”

Apollo followed behind, staying silent for the most part. The two of them seemed so caught up in their own little world, he was almost positive that he could make it back to his house before they ever realized he was gone, but he thought against it. It wasn’t like he would be doing anything at his house anyways now that Ema had left. So there he was, following the partner and daughter of his boss into a gaudy bar in LA.

Trucy left them once they entered the place, greeting all the workers with friendly smiles and small talk. Mr. Wright scoped out the seating area, which truthfully, wasn’t that big at all. If Apollo had to guess, it housed fifty people at most. Though there were some people already seated, waiting for the show, Mr. Wright still managed to find seats in the front. They both sat together, watching Trucy set up for her opening trick. Apollo was on his phone for the most part, texting back and forth with Ema. At some point, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked up to see Mr. Wright, once again staring straight at him. “So…Apollo, right?”

“Uh, yeah, sir?”

Mr. Wright rolled his eyes. “C’mon, kid, you don’t gotta be all formal with me. Nick is fine.”

“I…don’t think I’m all that comfortable with that, sorry.”

Mr. Wright shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

Apollo fiddled with his hands, diverting his attention to Trucy who was doing a mic check.

“How’s working for him?” Mr. Wright asked.

“Hm?”

“Kristoph. You’ve been working for him for…what…two years?”

“How do you know that?” Apollo asked, a bit on edge.

“Apollo, I’ve been dating Kristoph for seven years now. Believe it or not, we actually talk to each other and don’t just fu-”

“Alright, Mr. Wright!” Apollo squeaked, causing a few people to turn their way. His face was burning bright red. “I really didn’t need to know that!”

Mr. Wright had the audacity to look smug, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “Genuinely though, how is he? Not working you to the bone, I hope?”

“No, no,” Apollo sighed, trying to shove away his embarrassment. “He’s a great boss. I'm not just saying that ‘cause you guys are…close…but- he’s a nice guy.”

“Yeah, yeah, he’s a great guy.” Mr. Wright looked away from Apollo, pursing his lips in a similar manner that Apollo has seen Trucy do when she’s lost in thought. Apollo felt his bracelet pulsate; constricting tighter around his wrist. Liar.

Apollo fidgeted with his hands, looking at Mr. Wright curiously. The man seemed completely unbothered, having the traces of a warm smile on his face as Trucy began introducing her set. Surely he just imagined the feeling. And even if his mind was screaming at him that his bracelet has never once been wrong, he tried to remind himself that Mr. Wright wasn’t the most trustworthy person in the world.

“Jeez, Kris is right, you worry way too much. I can hear you overthinking right now.” Mr. Wright lightly shoved Apollo with a snort before turning back to watch his daughter perform. He had such a proud look in his eyes, clapping and cheering when appropriate as she did trick after trick. Apollo wasn’t ever a fan of magic, but watching Trucy be in her element, well, Apollo couldn’t lie and say her happiness wasn’t contagious. In between setting up her next trick, Apollo leaned next to Mr. Wright, whispering.
“She’s really energetic, you gotta give her that. I could never do performances like this.”

“Yeah, her father must be really proud of her.” He sighed contently. “She’s a great kid…I’m so lucky to have her in my life.”

Apollo nodded. Since Kristoph had first opened up to him a few weeks ago, they’d occasionally spend lunches together just…talking. Apollo never had much to say (to be fair, he only ever hung out with two people outside of work, and one of them was his cat), but Kristoph would speak about his family. He mentioned offhandedly once or twice about Trucy’s adoption process; how they’d fought tooth and nail to have Mr. Wright listed as her caregiver on papers when he didn’t have a job yet. Though he talked plenty about loving both Mr. Wright and, in some respect, Trucy, most of his talking consisted mostly of complaints and vents of emotion he had no one else to say them to.

“Kristophs’ told me about you two during work sometimes.” Apollo said, unprompted. “He said the process of adopting her was ‘difficult, but worth it,’”

“Leave it to Kris to air out my dirty laundry,” Mr. Wright muttered under his breath, his eyes dark. “Did he tell you why I adopted her? What about the trial? I’m sure he had a fucking field day explaining that one.”

Apollo felt himself getting cornered as Mr. Wright’s words just got angrier. “I mean, I knew about it even before I met either of you guys. I hate to break it to you Mr. Wright, but you’re kinda known for that trial.”

Apollo didn’t know why he was being snappy with him. Sure, the guy was definitely off putting, but other than that, he really hadn’t done anything to him. Mr. Wright stared at him, his face cold and expressionless. ‘He should really take up poker with a face like that,’ Apollo thought, laughing under his breath in spite of the situation.

“But he did tell you.” Mr. Wright said, more a statement than a question. “What else do you guys talk about? Did he tell you about these past seven years? Did he not even give me that kind of reprieve to someone I don’t even know?”

Apollo cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, Mr. Wright, but…yeah? He was worried about you, I just gave him someone to vent to. I don’t have any sick desire to hear about your trauma. I actually couldn’t care less about anything you do or don’t do, believe it or not.”
“Well that’s good to know.” Mr. Wright hummed. “So, what do you think?”

“What?” Apollo felt his heart beating faster; an uneasy pulse in his chest.

“Did he make me out to be some mentally unstable guy who’s one bad day away from offing himself or something?” Mr. Wright guessed.

Apollo’s mouth went dry. “...I’m sorry?”

“No, no, don’t be.” Mr. Wright adjusted the beanie on his head. “But what do you think? Do you take him at face value?”

“I mean…he’s my boss, that’s kind of my job.” Apollo replied hesitantly. Mr. Wright was making him feel nervous. The man leaned in closer to him, his eyes wide. His voice was biting; bitter and stern.

“Do you think he’s always telling the truth? Do you genuinely think I see people who aren’t there? Do you think I’m still sane enough to keep my daughter safe? Do you-”

“-...nd if the guy wearing the beanie in the front row could stop talking, I’d like to bring someone on stage for my next trick!” Trucy goaded, looking in their directions with a cheeky grin. Mr. Wright barked out a laugh, his mood doing a complete 180 as he held up his hands in surrender. “Sorry, Magician lady.”

Trucy made a dramatic show of getting him onto the cramped stage, introducing him to the audience as she explained her next trick. Apollo still felt his heart beating like crazy in his chest, his mind reeling over Mr. Wrights’ outburst. Kristoph was right, as much as he loathed to think about it. He’s fucking crazy.

But, with the way Mr. Wright was smiling, Apollo almost didn’t recognize him. He seemed bright and happy, no sign of distress or deep rooted exhaustion evident anywhere on his person. He laughed along with all of Trucy’s jokes, adding his own dialogue at times that sent the audience peeling in laughter further. If Apollo didn’t know any better, he’d think Mr. Wright was the happiest and most content man alive.

It made him…sad, almost. Everything Kristoph had told him about Mr. Wright was nothing short of concerning, and Apollo was watching firsthand how much it affected his boss. Kristoph was tired, more days than not; constantly on edge and untrusting. He’d admit to him, during off hours during work, that he wasn’t even sure of how to help Mr. Wright anymore. He said it felt like Mr. Wright doesn’t want to get better anymore. Mr. Wright was unwell, that was evident even without Kristophs’ word to go by. But as he bowed with his daughter onstage, beaming as brightly as the sun, Apollo felt uneasy. He didn’t understand him. He didn’t understand his condition. He didn’t understand Trucy. He didn’t know how much Trucy really knew the weight of what her father was dealing with. And things that Apollo doesn’t understand terrify him; filling all 206 of his bones with icy terror.

When Mr. Wright sat back down, they didn’t talk anymore. Apollo kept his gaze focused on the stage, afraid to catch his eye. The show finished with Trucy collecting tips from the people at the bar as Mr. Wright went to pack her things up. They were out in less than ten minutes.

The night air was still warm, typical for a summer in the LA heat. Trucy happily skipped, showing off to her dad about how much she had made that night. Mr. Wright smiled, ruffled her hair and told her he’d take her to the bank so she could deposit the money in her account. Apollo lagged behind, but this time, not because he felt like an outlier, but because he wanted nothing more than to be rid of these two. Mr. Wright scared him earlier, and he wanted nothing more than to go back home and forget about the situation entirely.

“Daddy, can we get ice cream before we go home?” Trucy pleaded. Mr. Wright looked troubled.

“It’s getting kinda late, Truce, I don’t want you up all night.”

“Sugar rushes are propaganda spread by the media to stop kids from being happy.” Trucy replied, matter-of-factly. “Wouldn’t you agree, Polly?”

“Uhhh…” Apollo said, very helpful.

“I think there’s a Baskin Robbins right around here,” Mr. Wright conceded, turning on the next street.

“Yay! C’mon, Polly! My Daddy can get you some, too!” Trucy cheered.

“Oh, well I don’t know about all of that…” Mr. Wright muttered under his breath.

“I’m…good.” Apollo declined. “I need to-”

“C’mon, Polly!” Trucy groaned, tugging on his wrist rather harshly. “You’re such a loser, live a little.”

They found the shop relatively fast, Apollo securing a booth for them to sit in as they set down Trucys' equipment with him. He watched, his nerves still shot to all hell as they ordered their ice cream, sitting with Trucy next to him and Mr. Wright on the other side of the booth. Trucy was happily enjoying what looked to be rainbow sherbert when Mr. Wright took his spoon from his own ice cream, stealing a bit from Trucy.
“Hey, eat your own!”

“Buyers fee,” Mr. Wright jested, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. As Trucy tried to steal a spoonful from her dads cup in revenge, Mr. Wrights’ phone lit up with a phone call. Kris read the Caller ID.

“Oh for fucks sake,” Mr. Wright muttered under his breath, pointing a finger at Trucy as he stood up. “You didn’t hear that.”

“Of course I didn’t.” She giggled as Mr. Wright walked out the shop, already answering the call and standing just by the door. Trucy went back to eating her ice cream, not paying her father much mind.

“You sure you don’t want me to get you anything, Polly?”

“I’m not really a big fan of ice cream.” He lied.

“Oh,” She frowned. “You’re weird.”

“Thanks.” He replied, terse. Surely Mr. Wright wouldn’t mind it if he slipped out now, right? Trucy was old enough to be left alone for a few minutes while he finished up a call.

“Did you like the show?” she asked.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“What was your favorite part?”

“I dunno…maybe when you brought out that Sir Top Hat guy.”

“Mr. Hat,” She corrected. “He’s always a crowd favorite.”

Apollo hummed noncommittally, beginning to fidget with his bracelet. “Um, Trucy-”

“You should join us more often! Me and Daddy almost always get some kind of treat after.”

“I’ll consider it.” He fibbed, eyeing the door.

“You should! I got new tricks coming in the mail that’ll probably be in next week's show. If you stay for a bit when we get to my place I can show you!” Trucy smiled.

“I don’t know, I need to get home…I’m cutting it too close to when the buses stop running.” Apollo said, only a half lie. Truth be told, he just wanted to be as far away from the Wrights as he could feasibly be right now.

“Polly, I don’t know if I like you all that much.” Trucy sighed, poking at her ice cream with the spoon. “You lie a lot.”

“How do you know I’m lying?”

“I just do.” She shrugged, staying quiet before she whispered, her voice small as could be, “...Do you not like me?”

Apollo felt very guilty all of the sudden. “No, no! I do! You’re cool and all, I just…”

“Do you not like my Dad?”

“...It’s complicated, Trucy.” Apollo whispered.

“I dunno what I have to say to make you like him,” She pouted. “He’s not scary.”

“I’m not scared of him, I just-” He sighed, frustrated. “Trucy…do you know what’s really happening with your dad?”

“Mr. Gavin exaggerates it.” She retorted.

“Does he, though?”

Trucy was silent, staring down at her ice cream.

“Listen, Trucy, I-” Apollo started.

“Alright, Truce, we gotta get home. Curfew.” Mr. Wright said, reentering the shop as he pocketed his phone. Apollo wasn’t sure if it was a joke or not.

“Alright,” She replied, gathering her things. Apollo tried to help her, but she ignored him. Mr. Wright seemed to notice, raising his eyebrows in slight surprise, but he thankfully didn’t say anything.
“Thank you for the help earlier, kid.” Mr. Wright murmured. Apollo nodded. “Anytime, sir.”

He watched as the two of them left the shop, a horrible pit growing in his stomach. He rested his head on the table, groaning quietly. He fucked up, badly, he knew it. He needs to really learn how to have a verbal filter.

He should have let Ema come.

Chapter Text

The moment the Not Guilty verdict had been handed, Apollo wanted nothing more than to go home, order takeout, and play Mario Kart until four am. You know. Like the grown adult he is.

His client smiled at him, going up to the bench to thank him profusely for all he had done for her. Apollo blushed from embarrassment, telling her it was no problem, and that he was glad the real murderer was captured. Once niceties had been exchanged, Apollo left the Defenses’ Bench, stepping into the lobby of the courthouse. He was just about to leave the courthouse entirely when he heard someone call out from behind him.

“Herr Forehead! Nice work today!” 

Apollo tried to stifle a groan, and failed rather miserably. He turned on his heel, being met with the sight of Prosecutor Klavier Gavin. He was, arguably, one of the most annoying people he’d ever had the misfortune of meeting, but still somehow managed to be one of the better prosecutors he had gone against in court. The man wasn’t hellbent on some self fulfilling prophecy streak of being the best prosecutor in the world or anything of that sort. He lost more often than not, but in the end, always seemed to get the right person behind bars. Though the man had an air for the dramatics over everything else, he never once complained once a verdict had been reached. He was grounded and sure of his choices as a prosecutor, so, in that respect, he was pretty alright.

Klavier caught up with him in a few, languid strides. He clapped Apollo on the back in a friendly manner, but it still made Apollo jump out of his skin. “Congrats, Herr Forehead. You did well today.”

“You didn’t do so bad yourself. It was your idea to cross examine that last witness. My client surely would’ve gone to jail if it weren’t for you.” Apollo said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“ Another rockstar performance from me, as always.” Klavier grinned cheekily. 

“Wow. Someone’s modest today.” Apollo deadpanned.

“Aw, but you love this self centered fool, yes?” Klavier teased.

“Only in your dreams, Klavier.” Apollo sighed. Light, frantic footsteps suddenly came running up from behind the two of them. Klavier turned around, confused for a moment before breaking into a smile. “Fräulein!” he exclaimed excitedly. 

Apollo turned around to see Trucy running from down the hall straight into the arms of the rockstar, Kristoph walking not far behind. Klavier picked the girl up with ease as he spun her around, the magician squealing in excitement. 

“Hi, Klavi!” she giggled. “You excited for tonight?” 

“Of course, I get to spend the evening with my biggest fan in the world. Who could ask for anything better?” Klavier smiled. He set Trucy back down on the ground, the girl turning to look at Apollo. 

“Hi, Polly!” Trucy waved. 

“Hi, Trucy.” Apollo waved back, smiling. 

It had been about two months since Apollo had first gone to the Wonder Bar with Trucy and Mr. Wright. After making himself sick with the thought of hurting Trucys feelings, Apollo had sent her an apology message over text that spanned over 4 paragraphs (which Trucy, oh so graciously, responded with a thumbs up before going back to her cheery self).

They had gotten closer with each other in that time, Trucy even coming to watch some of the trials he did when Kristoph served as his co council. His boss seemed to encourage it, saying it could “broaden her horizons” to other career paths. Trucy admitted to Apollo that she only liked going because she was almost always able to convince Mr. Gavin to get her lunch if they won the case.

“What are you guys up to?” Apollo asked, looking between Trucy and Klavier. 

“Me and Mr. Gavin needed to go to the store, but he wanted to talk to you guys before we did!”

“I assume your trial went well?” Kristoph asked, looking at Apollo.

“Mhm. Full acquittal.”

“As I assumed,” He smiled, turning to Klavier. “How’d you feel you did?”

“As long as the truth is brought out, I do not mind the verdict.” Klavier swiped his hair out of his eyes. “I did all I could.”

“Then that’s all that matters.” Kristoph nodded at his brother.

“What are you doing after this, Polly?” Trucy asked him as Kristoph continued talking with his brother.

“Uhh…nothing much? I’m probably just gonna order some food and stay in with Keko.” Apollo shrugged. “How come?”

“Well, we’re having a family dinner tonight! I wanted to see if you could come, Polly!” Trucy offered. “Mr. Gavin makes really good food, and Daddy’s been cleaning out the living room all week to find all the boardgames we have!”

“I don’t know, Trucy…I don’t wanna show up uninvited.” He mumbled. ‘And more importantly, I am not family.’ He thought.

“Nonsense, Apollo.” Kristoph smiled. “The more the merrier, isn’t that a saying here?”

“I think that’s a saying anywhere, Mr. Gavin.” Trucy wrinkled her nose at him. 

“Ah, well, my point still stands.” Kristoph adjusted his glasses. “We’d love to have you, Apollo.”

“Oh…um, then, sure, I don’t see why not.” Apollo fidgeted with his hands.

“Perfect.” Kristoph smiled, placing a hand on Trucy’s shoulder as he looked down at her. “Alright, Trucy, we ought to get going.”

Trucy waved them both goodbye as the two of them left the Courthouse. “See you guys soon!”

Klavier and Apollo waved back, their hands frantically swaying back and forth until the two were long gone. 

.

.

.

The warm September air was making Apollo feel sticky with sweat as he walked down the street towards the Wrights’ apartment. In his hands, he held a bottle of wine that Google told him would be “ good for its price”. He didn’t want to be rude and show up empty handed, of course, so cheap wine from Aldi would have to do.

Approaching the apartment complex, Apollo heard the sound of an engine revving behind him with loud bass booming from inside it. Knowing exactly who would be doing something like that in a neighborhood, Apollo stopped in his tracks, waiting for the car to inevitably pull up next to him on the road.

“Herr Forehead!” Klavier called out, waving excitedly as he rolled down the window. “Did you walk here?”

“I took the train. Some of us can’t can’t really drop 25k on even a used car right now.” 

“Hm.” Was all Klavier said on the matter. “Wait up for me while I find somewhere to park, ja? We’ll walk in together.”

Without much of a choice, Apollo stayed where he was as Klavier pulled away from the curb. The man was back within two minutes, the sound of his chain belt clinking and clanking against itself signaling his arrival far before he came into view. 

“You ready, Herr Forehead?” He asked cheekily.

“I have a name, you know.” Apollo furrowed his brows, walking up the steps with Klavier following behind him. When they reached the top, Klavier flicked him on the forehead.  

“Change up your look every once in a while and maybe I’ll consider a nickname change to go with it. But for now, I fear your forehead is the biggest thing you’ve got going for you.”

Apollo groaned, shoving him as he knocked on the door. “Trucyyyy let me in, Klaviers’ being mean to me.”

“I am not, he is slandering my name.” Klavier called out. Both men playfully banter back and forth for a moment before the lock on the door clicked open, Trucy standing in the doorway.

“Thank the heavens, Fräulein. You’re freeing me from this hideous man.”

Trucy smiled just as Apollo felt a tug from his bracelet. He looked at her, seeing how shaky her expression was.

“Trucy? Is everything okay?”

“Yep! Everything’s good.” She replied, her smile only stretching further.

“If something happened, Fräulein, you can tell us.” Klavier added. Trucy glanced between the two of them before sighing. Apollo felt the hold of his bracelet lessen.

“Um, can you guys actually wait outside for a minute?” She asked, looking down at her shoes nervously.

“Trucy!” Kristoph yelled from inside. “It’s fine, they can come in.”

Trucy glanced nervously inside the house. “But what about-”

“It’s fine.” Kristoph yelled again, his voice terse. “It’s too hot out to make them wait.”

Trucy hummed, looking sad. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, is everything okay?” Apollo asked. Trucy stepped aside to let them inside. 

“I dunno…Daddy’s been acting weird since we got home from the store. He was doing fine earlier!”

Klavier glanced at Apollo, his mouth opening and closing like he was trying to find the right words to say. It never seemed to come to him.

Taking off his shoes by the door, Apollo noticed that the walls were visible, for once. Most of the boxes seemed to have been cleaned out, allowing for Apollo to see photographs he never knew existed. There were plenty of Phoenix with 2 girls he didn’t recognize, one with black hair and the other with light brown. Included as well was a faded copy of Mr. Wright’s Admission to the Bar. It was like a punch to the gut seeing it; a reminder of a life that was no longer Mr. Wrights’.

Mr. Wright himself was seated on the ground, rummaging through a box on the ground. He was muttering something to himself, tossing objects haphazardly on the ground beside him. Trucy walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Daddy, the others are here.”

“Okay, I’ll be done in a minute, promise.” He mumbled, waving her off. She frowned, moving to stand next to Apollo.

“Daddy, please,” she begged as she did so. “We gotta start getting ready for dinner-”

“Ah, hallo, Herr Wright!” Klavier greeted, seemingly trying to help Trucy with getting him away from whatever it was that he was doing. Mr. Wright paid no attention to him, continuing to dig through the boxes, muttering panicked nonsense under his breath.

“I can’t find it…where did he-”

“Herr Wright?” He asked, this time in a much softer voice. “Is everything okay, what are you doing?”

“I misplaced something…I’m just-” Mr. Wright tried to explain, his words catching in his throat. He made a noise of frustration. “I need to find it.”

“We can worry about it later, Herr Wright,” Klavier placed a hand on his back. “The mess will still be here afterwards, ja?” 

Mr. Wright sighed, his hands shaking a bit. “Y-yeah, you’re right.” 

“Natürlich bin ich das. Jetzt!” Klavier smiled warmly. “Let’s get some food for you, okay? I’m sure it’ll do you some good.”

“I didn’t understand anything you just said right now,” Mr. Wright laughed under his breath, allowing himself to be led by Klavier into the kitchen. Apollo glanced nervously at Trucy.

“Is he-”

“Not now, Polly. Please.” 

“Okay,” He whispered, following Trucy into the kitchen. It’s never a normal day with this family, it seems.

The kitchen was small, but clean. The air was filled with the tantalizing smell of roasted vegetables and the sound of sizzling steaks. Apollo’s stomach nearly growled, recognizing only then how hungry he was. He saw Klavier filling up a glass of water, sliding it over to Mr. Wright (who was seated at the table). The man smiled, taking a sip as he seemed to finally notice Apollo in the room.

“Hey, kid.”

“Uhm…hi, Mr. Wright.” Apollo acknowledged. Kristoph turned around from where he stood in front of the stove. He smiled warmly.

“Hi there, Apollo. What do you have there?”

“Oh!” Apollo held up the bottle. “I dunno if you guys drink…sorry if you don’t, but…”

“Ah, Phoenix doesn’t anymore, but I indulge every now and again.” Kristoph explained, looking pleased. “You didn’t have to bring anything, Apollo, but I appreciate the gesture nonetheless.”

“I felt bad showing up empty handed.” Apollo admitted, his ears burning bright red.

“Oh c’mon Herr Forehead, I do it all the time.” Klavier chimed in, sitting at the table.

“...I don’t think that’s something you should admit out loud.” 

Klavier shrugged nonchalantly as Apollo went to set down the bottle on the counter. “Do you need any help, Kristoph?”

His boss shook his head. “I’m almost done. Go sit down with the others, okay?”

Apollo did just that, sitting next to Klavier. Trucy chose to sit next to her dad, being directly across from Apollo From there, Trucy pulled out a deck of UNO from god knows where, enticing everyone to play a few rounds with her while they waited for Kristoph to finish cooking. She slid the cars to her dad, who shuffled them effortlessly with an air of confidence Apollo had only ever seen in those Visit Las Vegas ads on TV. 

“Where’d you learn how to shuffle like that?” Apollo blurted out. 

“Prison.” He hummed. Apollo gawked at him, which made both Trucy and her father laugh.

“Jeez, kid, what do you take me for? I’m just messing with you.” He slid everyone the appropriate number of cards. “No, I used to work at this club a few years ago. I wasn’t necessarily the card dealer, but you always pick up a thing or two on the job.”

From there, they played a few rounds, Mr. Wright winning most of them somehow. Apollo felt the most relaxed he had since he had met the man just a few months ago. He could be quite funny, he found out, albeit having a twisted sense of humor and a pension for being overly competitive. Just as they were wrapping up Mr. Wright’s third win in a row, Kristoph announced that the food was ready. 

“Do any of you guys want a glass as well?” Kristoph offered, looking at the group as he picked up the wine bottle from the counter.

“No thank you, I drove.” Klavier explained.

“I’m good, thank you.” Apollo said.

“I’ll take some.” Trucy tried to sneak in. Mr. Wright shook his head.

“No you will not.”

Kristoph laughed, grabbing the bottle. “Just me, then? Alright, give me a second to open this, then I’ll set out the food-” 

“I got it! Go serve the food, Kris. I’m sure the others are hungry,” Mr. Wright said quickly as he stood up from his chair, taking the bottle from Kristoph. He sifted through what looked like a junk drawer, eventually pulling out a corkscrew. As Kristoph was filling up everyone's plates with generous portions of steak, vegetables, and some kind of sauce Apollo couldn’t recognize, there was a small clatter. Mr. Wright yelped in response. “Ah, shit-”

“Are you okay?” Kristoph whipped around, looking at Mr. Wright, whose finger was now dripping blood. Not enough to be an actual problem, but still troublesome.

“Nicked myself with the fuckin’ corkscrew.” He swore under his breath. Kristoph tried to take the man's hand in his own, but Mr. Wright pulled away.

“I got it, I got it.” he reassured halfheartedly, squeezing Kristophs’ arm in an attempt to soothe his worries. “Just give me a minute, sorry guys!” he called over his shoulder to Apollo, Trucy, and Klavier before leaving the room. Kristoph shook his head, exasperated, 

“I don’t know what I’m going to do with that man,” He muttered under his breath. Klavier smiled, albeit a bit tense in nature.

“I’m sure he’s fine, Kristoph.” the prosecutor assured. 

“How do you even manage to cut yourself on a corkscrew,” Kristoph uttered as he handed everyone their plates of food. Once done, he went back to the counter, uncorking the bottle and pouring himself a glass before he sat down at the table, pinching the bridge of his nose. For a few, awkward moments, everything was silent before Trucy cleared her throat, trying to break the tension.

“So! Klavi, do you have any news of an upcoming EP? Y’know, a lot of the Gavineers fandom on Tumblr is speculating you guys are gonna drop one.”

“Really? Well…I can’t exactly say anything yet-”

“Oh my god, are you serious?!” Trucy looked at Apollo. “Polly, did you hear that?”

“It’s truly a miracle,” He monotoned. Trucy furrowed her brows.

“Do you not like The Gavineers, Polly? I thought you and Klavier were friends.”

“Yeah, Herr Forehead, I thought we were friends.” Klavier teased. 

“Leave Apollo alone, you two.” Kristoph sighed, taking a sip from his glass.

“No, please continue, it’s funny.” Mr. Wright spoke, suddenly in the doorway to the kitchen. He had both his hands in his hoodie pockets as he walked, sitting back down.

“Everything okay?” Kristoph asked him quietly. “You took a while.”

“Couldn’t find the bandaids.” He supplied. Now with Mr. Wright there, everyone began eating their food. Apollo revelled in the flavor, the sauce adding a sort of sweetness when paired with the steak. It was definitely some of the best food he had ever had.

“I never knew you could cook this good, Kristoph.” Apollo complemented.

“Mr. Gavin’s a really good cook!” Trucy nodded, taking a bite of her stake. “So is Daddy, but he doesn’t cook all that much anymore.”

“I never knew that about you, Herr Wright.” Klavier echoed with a smile. 

“Ah, I don’t do much anymore.” He shrugged. “Kristoph’s all but banned me from the kitchen.”

“In my defense, you started a grease fire trying to make breakfast once.”

“And, if I remember correctly, someone tried to put it out with water.” Mr. Wright shot a playfully accusing glance at Kristoph. Apollo watched in mild amusement as his boss's face reddened, the man trying to cover it with his hand.

“That…was a mistake on my part. But it was only one time!”

“As was that grease fire! I had it under control.” Mr. Wright rolled his eyes, taking a small bite of his food. He grimaced, setting the fork back down and stuffing his hands back in his pockets. Apollo noticed Mr. Wright's eyes glancing back to the doorway every now and again, a hazy, unfocused look casting over himself. Trucy looked at her dad, tilting her head.

“Are you not hungry, Daddy?”

“I’m fine, Truce,” He smiled. Kristoph sighed deeply, looking at Mr. Wright.

“Phoenix, dear, you’ve been acting off all day.”

“It’s nothing, Kris. Just eat your food.” Mr. Wright replied in a much harsher tone than he had just used to speak with his daughter. 

“It’s not nothing, Phoenix. If something’s wrong, I want you to tell me.”

“So! Apollo, Klavier, you both had a trial today, right?” Mr. Wright tried to change the subject. “How was it?”

Apollo shifted in his seat uncomfortably, feeling a horrid tension seeping into the room. This was the part of Mr. Wright that he loathed. He didn’t trust him when he was like this; skittish and seeking escapes from confrontation. “Um…it was fine, I guess.”

“Phoenix,” Kristoph interjected. “You’re testing my patience. I just want to know if you’re alright. You’ve been out of it all day today. It’s gotten me worried that…that maybe…”

“Drop it, Kris. Not when we have guests over.” Mr. Wright mumbled, looking at the doorway once again. Apollo saw a flash of fear in his eyes before the man ducked his head down, staring at his plate of food as if it committed some mass offense. 

“Listen, Phoenix, it is not my fault you’ve given me reason to doubt you. I’m not trying to corner you, I’m just concerned. Nothing else.”

“It’s fine, Kris.” Mr. Wright reiterated. Apollo could sense the man was starting to get agitated, but he kept himself quiet. This wasn’t his place to step in, as much as he wished to. He hated when people argued with each other.

“Is this something that I’ve caused? H-have I done anything to you?” Apollo watched as the gears turned in Kristoph's mind. “...Does this have to do with Mia?”

“Don’t talk about her.” Mr. Wright hissed. “You don’t get to talk about her.”

“Phoenix, she’s gone. She’s never coming back.” Kristoph stated harshly. “You need to let this go, already.”

Trucy looked offended. “Mr. Gavin!”

“Am I wrong, Trucy? We’ve visited that woman' s grave more times than I can count. You know as well as I do that she’s passed away.”

“Yeah, but maybe have some sympathy?!” Trucy cried, looking at her father with concern. Mr. Wrights’ expression was unreadable. 

“Trucy, coddling your father is just only going to enable him,” Kristoph explained, sounding tired. He looked at Klavier and Apollo, who were both trying their best to not make eye contact with anyone else at the table. “I’m sorry, you two. It…might be best if you leave right now.”

“No, no they can stay.” Mr. Wright said coolly. “Since, clearly, whatever you needed to tell me was so urgent you couldn’t have waited the two hours this whole thing would’ve lasted without starting a fight.”

“Phoenix,” Kristoph started to say before Mr. Wright stood up, slamming his hands down on the table.

“No, ‘cause why not let everyone here know how fucked up I am? Turn me into some kind of trauma porn to share with these two, why don’t you?” 

“Phoenix, calm down.” Kristoph sighed as Mr. Wrights’ eyes were beginning to fill with tears. “Just tell me what to do, how to help you, and I will.”

“Stop, stop,” Mr. Wright began to feverishly mumble under his breath, continuously looking back and forth at Kristoph and the doorway. “Both of you just shut up!”

There were several beats of silence, not a single person in the room daring to speak. Apollo reflexively looked at the door despite knowing he’d be meant with emptiness. Looking back, he saw Kristoph looking positively shaken.

“Phoenix…please, please don’t tell me you’re seeing her again.” Kristoph shuddered. Mr. Wright had the audacity to laugh.

“Whatever I tell you, you won’t like it.”

“What happened? You were doing so well! The- the meds…were they not…were they not working?” Kristoph mused, shaking his head frantically. Mr. Wright took something from his pocket, slipping it next to Trucy's plate before he walked away from the table, his back to the rest of them. Kristoph followed with his partner, trying to reach out to Mr. Wright who flinched at his touch as though being burned.

Apollo saw Trucy's face blanch as she looked down at the table. Carefully, she picked up what looked like a small, glowing green rock. Maybe a crystal? Whatever it was, it seemed to spark a memory in Trucy. She looked back at Kristoph. “...It’s today. Mr. Gavin. Mia died today. Wh-why would you have people over today?!”

Trucy stuffed the rock in her pocket just before Kristoph looked back at them. He looked gutted; an expression Apollo had never once seen on his boss. “You’re…right. Scheiße, how could I forget?”

“You didn’t,” Mr. Wright accused, his voice shaky as he began to back away from Kristoph. “I know you. You don’t-you don’t forget stuff like that.”

“Phoenix, how could you say that?!” Kristoph exclaimed, looking hurt. “I only ever want what's best for you. I understand you’re hurting, I empathize with you…”

“No you don’t, Kristoph.” Mr. Wright sobbed. “You don’t know what this is like. She’s here, Kris. I know she’s here she-she was right-”

“Then, please enlighten me on where this…this mysterious woman is! Get it through to yourself that she’s dead, Phoenix.” Kristoph yelled at Mr. Wright who had his back pressed against the fridge. He sank to the ground, putting his hands on his head as he visibly shook.

“I know she’s dead! I had to fucking bury her!” He wailed. 

“Then why must you always try to convince yourself that she’s in this house? She’s dead, Phoenix. No amount of wishing is ever going to bring her back, I’m sorry.” Kristoph sighed. Mr. Wright sniffled, shaking from where he sat.

“I know she’s here,” He repeated like a broken record. “She’s always been here.”

“She’s been dead for ten years, Phoenix. You need to let her go. You’re not seeing anything.” Kristoph whispered slowly. “There’s no one there. There never has been.”

Apollo felt his wrist twitch, his bracelet vibrating at Kristophs’ statement. His blood ran cold and he reflexively placed his opposite hand over the bracelet as if he could conceal its’ nature. Surely this was wrong. It had to be wrong. He felt the breath leave his lungs as he stared at Kristoph and Mr. Wright.

“Y-you guys can see her, right? I-I’m not- I’m not lying about her.” Mr. Wright hiccuped, desperately looking between Apollo and Klavier. “Please, there has to be someone here who can see her too…”

“Herr Wright…there’s no one here,” Klavier said, softly. He sounded sad, frowning when he saw Mr. Wright shake his head.

“No, no you guys can, I know you can.” Mr. Wright wrapped his arms tightly around himself. “I’m not lying about this, I-”

Kristoph sighed wearily. “Let me help you up, Phoenix. I…we can call the psychiatrist again, we can try a new round of therapy, or-or meds, and-”

“No! I’m not doing this again. I don’t need to talk to anyone about this!”

“I’ve stayed with you all these years, Phoenix…” Kristoph pleaded. “I know what’s best for you.”

“No you don’t! You’re fucking psychotic!” Mr. Wright suddenly screamed. Kristoph looked morose, crouching down where Mr. Wright was. He reached out to hold Mr. Wright, but he smacked his hand away. Trucy was sitting frozen in her seat still watching the argument unfold with tears welling up in her eyes. Apollo put a hand on her shoulder, not failing to see how hard she flinched at the contact. “Trucy, let’s go outside, okay?”

Trucy nodded wordlessly, the three of them slipped out the house and onto the steps of the apartment complex. Faintly, Apollo could still hear Kristoph and Mr. Wright yelling at each other. Poor little Trucy seemed so scared, her eyes wide and brimming with tears.

“Fräulein,” murmured Klavier. “C’mere,” 

He extended his arms out towards her, which she collapsed, sobbing into his shirt. He petted her hair, humming as he swayed her gently from side to side. Apollo stood by the side, never having been one for physical affection. “Trucy-”

“How could Mr. Gavin forget that?” She wailed. “I knew something was wrong with Daddy, I knew it!”

“Hush, Fräulein,” Klavier breathed. “It is upsetting, I know…I’m sure my brother isn’t happy with himself either.”

They could hear more yelling coming from inside the house, followed by something clattering to the ground. Klavier wrapped his arms tighter around Trucy, almost as if he could shield her from everything happening inside. Apollo awkwardly reached out to Trucy as well, patting her on the arm.

“Why don’t you come stay at my place for a bit, until things cool down? I uh…I can get some ice cream, you like that right?” Apollo offered, feeling himself grow more anxious as the yelling inside the apartment only continued. “Uh…and Klavier could join us too! And, maybe…uh, shoot, maybe Ema? She’s a friend of ours. Really funny, once you get to know her.” 

“Yes, yes!” Klavier grinned, trying to make himself seem more cheerful than he was. “You’d love Fräulein Detective, Miss Trucy. She’s a wunderbar woman, if I do say so myself.”

Trucy shook her head, still hiding her face against Klaviers chest. He and Apollo exchanged looks of concern at each other.

“I-I don’t mind, and I’m sure Kristoph would…like the space while he sorts out everything here.” Apollo mumbled. Trucy sniffled, looking at him.

“...I wanna stay here, please.”

“Are you sure, Fräulein?” Klavier asked, wiping her tears with his thumb. She nodded, digging into her pockets before holding up the strange rock she had taken from the table.

“I need to hide this before Daddy notices I took it…” She explained quietly. “It’s something Mr. Gavin does…so he doesn’t get like this.”

“I understand, Fräulein.” Klavier whispered. “You will call me or Herr Forehead if anything changes, yes?”

She nodded, drying up the last of her tears and attempting to put on a brave face. “Yeah. I will.”

Klavier gave her one last squeeze of a hug before letting go. Without any further word, Trucy went back into the apartment, locking the door behind herself.

.

.

.

The second the door shut, Apollo let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. His heart rate only picked up from there, his mind fully going into a blind panic. Quick, heaving gasps escaped him, and he sunk to the ground, his vision going blurry. What the fuck, what the fuck just happened-?

“Herr- Apollo, is everything okay?” Klavier asked, sounding a bit afraid himself as he crouched down beside him. He reached to put a hand on Apollo's back, but hesitated at the last moment. “Breathe, Apollo, breathe.” Klavier tried his best to soothe him.

Apollo took a shuddering breath, coughing as it caught in his throat. “What the fuck, what the fuck was that?!” Apollo repeated as he dug his nails into his forearms. Klavier gently reached for Apollos’ hands, guiding them away from himself.

“I know, I know,” Klavier fretted. “Just breathe, Apollo, it’s okay.”

Apollo scrubbed at his face once Klavier had let go of his arms, but the tears kept coming. “He, he just-”

“I know, Mr. Wrights’... incident wasn’t…the most pleasant thing to bear witness to.” Klavier tried to console.

“No, no, your brother!” A loud sob tore through him. “Klavier, I think, I think he was-”

A cutting breath escaped Apollo's throat, sending him further into panic once more. He couldn’t even process this. Klavier went back to comforting Apollo, ignoring what the man had just tried to say.

“Why don’t I drive you home?” Klavier offered, helping Apollo stand up. “I can’t let you, in good consciousness, get on public transportation.”

Apollo sniffled, attempting to make conversion, though his throat was still tight and constricted. “I-...I, um-” 

“I know you’re going to say you don’t want to be a bother, and I assure you, I’d not offer if I did not want to help.” Klavier supplied. “Come, let’s get in my car.”

Apollo inhaled shakily, letting himself be led into the vehicle by Klavier, giving the Prosecutor directions via Google Maps as he tried desperately to not start sobbing again. Klavier turned on the radio, the noise being nothing more than a faint, low rumble in the background. Apollo stared out the window, watching the blurs of trees and other cars as they neared closer to his neighborhood. His mind wouldn’t stop running at a thousand miles per hour no matter how much he tried to distract himself.

Gazing down, Apollos’ wrist still felt the constraints of the bracelet from earlier; phantom pain still pulsating whenever he moved it. She’s been dead for ten years, Phoenix. You need to let her go. You’re not seeing anything. There’s no one there. There never has been.

A thought came across him, sprouting new tears that he struggled to keep from falling. It made him feel sick to his stomach, almost. He didn’t want it to be true, because if it was, he did not know what to do from there. 

Mr. Gavin is lying about something.

He’s lying about Mr. Wright.

Chapter Text

Mr. Gavin explained it to Trucy like a game. 

The objective was to hide the Magatama in the most secretive place she could find. Over the years, she’d hidden it under a loose floorboard, behind a painting, under her bed, in the mountain of boxes, or even in Charley's pot (just to name a few). Winning the game meant that she hid it so well her Daddy could never find it. Losing the game meant her Daddy found it and that action alone would hurt him.

She had hurt her Daddy a lot, it seemed. 

She didn’t fully understand what the Magatama was. Her Daddy once told her that it was gifted to him by her Aunt Maya: someone whom she’d never met. He told her that it was magic, and part of her wanted to believe that it truly was. He said it could let him see secrets.

“Kinda like how I can tell when people are lying to me?” She had asked.

“Sort of. Except I’m nowhere near as talented as you are, Truce. But this helped me a lot when I was a lawyer.”

But then one day, Mr. Gavin had called her home from a sleepover early. When she got there, her Daddy was in his room and wouldn’t talk to her. Mr. Gavin explained to her that something had happened to Daddy and that they “needed to be strong for him”. She was only nine and she didn’t understand what Mr. Gavin meant when he said phrases like hallucinations, schizophrenia, Risperidone, inpatient care, or Ziprasidone. She just knew that this was her Daddy’s life now, and part of her wondered if it was somehow her fault.

And so she kept playing that game for six years.

She had seen firsthand what the Magatama did to her Daddy when he found it. He’d go back to talking to the air, staying up late when he’d hope no one could hear him. He couldn’t work, couldn’t get dressed, couldn’t eat. And always, her Daddy would try to reassure her that he was okay. He’d tell her jokes as if nothing serious was wrong. He’d sneak out the house to watch her performances every night he could. He still worked behind Mr. Gavins back so he could make extra spending money for her. He still took her out on Daddy Daughter dates even though she was sixteen and supposed to be mature for her age no matter how much he reassured her that it was okay to be a kid every now and again-

Darn it. She was crying.

She let Klavi wipe away her tears and listened to Polly offering to take her back home with him until Mr. Gavin and Daddy stopped arguing. She didn’t want to leave home, even if it meant listening in on more arguments and getting no sleep as a result of it. Besides, she had to go along with the game again.

Now that she was sixteen and no longer that nine year old who had to have a crash course on hallucinations, she doubted the game. Quite a bit, actually. She doubted Mr. Gavin. She didn’t not like him- at least not all the time. When he wanted to be, he could actually be really cool to be around. He bought her expensive clothes and magic trick sets and would make her favorite foods whenever she got good grades on her report cards. 

But that was sparing. Most of the time, Mr. Gavin was tired, and he made that fact known to everyone around him. He’d complain and complain about how difficult her Daddy could be when he was in one of his “episodes”, or how worry made him exhausted over the years. He wasn’t abusive, he never withheld food or love from them (and, thank god, had never hit them), but he wasn’t the most pleasant guy to be around either. Trucy wondered why her Daddy stayed with him, but she never asked. Mr. Gavin said that there are some things that you’re never supposed to say out loud. Like telling a kid in your class that Santa wasn’t real, or your senses telling you Mr. Gavin was lying about something so much you begin to wonder if he’s the crazy one and not your dad.

Klavi gave her one more hug before she went inside, making her promise to call them in case she changed her mind. Entering the house, she could still hear Daddy and Mr. Gavin arguing. She put her hands over her ears, trying to block out the sound. They had argued before, but never like this. Never when there were people over. Never for this long.

She retreated into her room, closing the door to try in vain to block out the noise. Her room was small, but cozy, like her own little sanctuary. She had posters of Troupe Gramarye up, mainly, but she also had drawings and pictures from her youth. Pictures of her and her Daddy at a theme park. Pictures of her on stage. Drawings of how she remembered her first Daddy and her Mommy. Drawings of what she’d guessed her Aunt Maya and her Cousin Pearl looked like. Movie ticket stubs. Reminders to pick up Daddy’s medicine after school. More photos of her performances. A polaroid of Charley. You know. Typical teenager things.

She sat down cross legged on her bed, staring at the Magatama. It was faintly glowing green, but some part of her remembers its light being brighter as a kid, humming with energy. It seemed so…dull now. She turned it over, running a finger across its smooth surface. 

“Why do you keep hurting him?” She whispered, her vision blurring with tears. “What do you want from him?”

The Magatama did not respond, obviously. It couldn’t. It was just a rock. This was all stupid. Trucy hated it.

“Just leave my Daddy alone, please.” She begged. “I-I want my Daddy back to normal, so please…please just-just stop!”

She broke into sobs once again, her whole body shuddering on her bed as she squeezed the stupid thing tightly in her hands. Part of her wished she could shatter it into a million pieces. Maybe then, it would stop hurting her Daddy.

With her eyes squeezed shut, she failed to recognize the Magatama glowing brighter. With her back to the door of her room, she did not notice something materializing by the door. She didn’t know there was something else in the room with her until she heard the woman's voice.

“Oh, sweetie…are you okay?” it asked. Trucy startled, nearly jumping out of her skin as she turned around. There, by her door, was a woman. She was tall, maybe almost tall as Klavi, with brown hair and pearl earrings. She had an almost motherly expression, full of empathy and concern. Trucy recognized her, which was the scary part, considering this woman wasn’t supposed to be here. She was the same woman her Daddy had on the makeshift memorial by the front door. She was the same woman her Daddy had as his lockscreen before he changed it to a photo of her at a school talent show. She was the same woman that, ten years ago today, was bludgeoned to death by a man who broke into her office.

“Y…you’re her…” She exclaimed, her voice almost silent. 

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Trucy.” The woman smiled. She tried to step closer to Trucy, who shifted away on her bed. The woman frowned, but kept her distance.

“I’m not going to hurt you.” She reassured softly. “I can’t even touch you, look.”

She moved her hand clean through Trucy’s desk, then further tried to make her point by attempting to grab a picture from her wall, which her hand phased through as well. Trucy had seen a lot in her life, but this was by far the weirdest thing yet. Even though she knew better, she still cowered in fear. The woman looked sad.

“Okay, probably not the best thing to do,” She mumbled to herself. “But my point still stands, Trucy.”

“You’re real,” Trucy choked out. The woman smiled sadly at her. “You’re Mia.”

“Yes, I am.” She said simply.

Trucy wiped the tears from her eyes, getting a better look at Mia. She seemed like she was there, in her room, but if she stared for too long, she looked almost see through. “H-how are you…” She trailed off.

“That’s…a complicated question.” Mia sighed. “Mind if I show you?”

Trucy nodded as Mia slowly walked over to her, allowing Trucy plenty of time to say something in case she still wasn’t comfortable being near a literal ghost. Trucy had heard so many stories of Mia that, despite the odd circumstances, she still felt…safe around her. Daddy spoke so highly of her, so it was only natural.

Trucy scooted over on her bed, only realizing after that Mia couldn’t sit down on her bed. Mia laughed nonetheless, pointing at the Magatama in her hands. “Has Phoenix explained to you what this is?”

“Yeah, when I was little.”

“So what does it do?” She quizzed.

“Daddy said it helps you see secrets people are hiding.” She recalled, her voice a bit shaky. “But that doesn’t explain how-”

“It doesn’t, no.” Mia agreed. “It’s a bit confusing, like I've already said. But…I guess an easy way to explain it is that it also has another function. Under the right circumstances, it can help you talk to the dead.”

“How did he not know that, then?” Trucy raised an eyebrow. “That seems like a pretty important thing to know.”

“Has he ever told you about my sister?” Mia raised an eyebrow.

“Aunt Maya?” She guessed.

“Yes! My sister has this power, as do all the women in my family, to channel the dead. It’s what we’re known for. And your father always had her by his side. If things ever went south, she was only one ritual away from summoning me to help out.”

“That’s so cool!” Trucy smiled, stars in her eyes.

“It is, isn’t it.” Mia laughed. “But, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, Maya hasn’t been by for…some time. When it became apparent that your father wouldn’t be reaching out to her any time soon, I thought it’d be best if I made use of the Magatama’s full power.”

“And that’s how he saw you?”

“That’s how he saw me.” Mia echoed.

Trucy nodded, taking in all the information she was being told. “So Mr. Gavin’s been…lying to me?” She asked, her voice null of any emotion. Of course, Trucy had always had her suspicions. Like her Daddy always said, it’s impossible to lie to a human lie detector such as herself, but she had convinced herself that surely she was wrong. It was both a comfort and a horror to know she was right all along.

“I hate to say it, but yes.” Mia sighed. 

“I should’ve known,” Trucy mumbled to herself, guilt crashing down on her like a wave to the shore. “This is all my fault, if-if I-”

“No, no, of course not, Trucy.” Mia reassured softly. Her hand reflexively reached out to her for comfort, but she stopped short, holding it close to her ghostly form. “Kristoph is an excellent manipulator, I’ll give him that. Kristoph even made Phoenix believe him over me for a while. It’s hard to realize when the people we trust are actually hurting us.”

Trucy nodded, her lip wobbling. “Why didn’t you just show up before..?” She asked hesitantly. “I’ve had this thing for almost seven years, you know. I-I coulda helped Daddy a lot sooner if you-”

“Yeah, you could’ve.” Mia agreed solemnly. “I tried telling Phoenix that, but…you know you’re dad.”

Trucy did, unfortunately, know what Mia was hinting at. “Daddy always made it seem like you were the same way.”

Mia sighed. “I think he gives me too much credit. I’m not the same woman he knew when I was alive. But he’s also not the same man I mentored all those years ago”

Trucy fiddled with the Magatama in her hands, a pit forming in her stomach. She felt sad for this woman she had never met. It seemed like Daddy meant a lot to her. Mia continued to talk.

He told me he wanted to keep you, and pretty much everyone else from his life, separated from all that Kristoph has been doing to him. He wanted you to have a somewhat normal living.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever known what a normal life is.” Trucy said plainly. To anyone else, this sentence might have sounded concerning, but Mia didn’t seem to care. 

“I tried telling him that, but of course he didn’t listen to me. He’s been doing…okay with dealing with this…but he can only do so much on his own. It’s about time he starts realizing that.”

“...What am I supposed to do now?” Trucy asked after a while of Mia standing there in silence. “I mean, I’m only sixteen. I can’t…I can’t really do much. Mr. Gavin is a grown up, and everyone likes him.”

A fire lit up in Mia’s eyes, like she was waiting for Trucy to ask her that. “Your dads been working on a way to get out of this mess, alongside me, of course. I think there’s a way we can prove to people how awful Mr. Gavin is, and…if everything works out correctly, we might even be able to get Phoenix back into law.”

Trucy felt the breath leave her lungs at that last part. From what Mr. Gavin had told her, her Daddy was the greatest defense lawyer that Japanifornia had ever had. It caused her a great deal of pain when she was younger to think about it, seeing as it was her fathers trial that got him disbarred, but now. Now. Now, there was a chance for that to come back. Maybe her Daddy would be happier now. Maybe his smiles wouldn’t be as forced.

“Tell me what to do, and I’ll-!”

Trucy stopped talking suddenly, reflexively putting the Magatama back into her pocket as she heard footsteps approaching her door. Having talked to Mia for so long, she had failed to notice that Mr. Gavin and her Daddy stopped arguing ages ago. She looked up at the door just as Mr. Gavin turned the handle, entering her room. His posture was deflated; his shoulders sagging as though he was holding the weight of the world upon them.

“Trucy,” He breathed. “I’m so terribly sorry about earlier. Are you okay?”

“Perfectly fine, Mr. Gavin.” She put on her best performer's smile. Nevertheless, Mr. Gavin sat next to her on her bed, the mattress dipping under his weight. 

“Is there…anything you wish to discuss?”

“What’s there to talk about?” She shrugged, her eyes darting to where Mia had been previously, but the ghostly lady was now nowhere to be seen. Trucy would have focused on it if she had the time. Mr. Gavin put a hand on her shoulder in what Trucy guessed was supposed to be a comforting manner.

“Trucy…you can tell me anything, you know that, right?” He said softly. “I know tonight was anything but pleasant, especially after it seemed like your father was making such progress…so I understand if you need somebody to talk to.”

She wanted to yell and scream at Mr. Gavin. She always knew something wasn’t right about this whole situation, and she was proven right. She wanted to rub that in his stupid, smug face, but something told her that wasn’t the brightest idea. She held her tongue.

“It’s fine, really. I mean, it’s not the first time it’s happened.”

Mr. Gavin frowned, picking at the clear nail polish he always sported. “I suppose you’re right.”

“Where’s Daddy, by the way?” She asked.

“In his room. He’s…having an early night.”

Trucy pursed her lips, hugging herself. Her eyes glanced to where Mia was before, but there were still no signs of her. Mr. Gavin must have read her disappointed expression as sadness, seeing as he rubbed his hand on her back in an attempt to soothe her.

“We’re going to get through this, mhm?” He smiled at her, friendly as ever. Trucy wanted to throw up.

“I know.” she mumbled weakly.

Mr. Gavin sat back up, moving to leave her room. He stopped short, standing in the doorway as he looked back at her.

“Did you take the Magatama from him? I couldn’t find it earlier, and I could’ve sworn I saw him with it.”

“Yeah he…he gave it to me.” Trucy decided to tell the truth at least on that end. 

“Did you hide it already?”

“Of course I did.” She puffed out her chest in faux confidence.

“May I ask where?” Mr. Gavin raised an eyebrow at her.

“It’s a secret. I don’t want Daddy to overhear.” She put a finger to her lips in a shushing motion.

“Smart girl,” Mr. Gavin nodded. “Well, I’ll be back sometime tonight. I have to go run some errands for your father. If anything happens with him, though, please call me as soon as you can, okay?”

“Of course, Mr. Gavin.” Trucy said, curt in her response. Mr. Gavin left without further word, closing her door behind himself. Once Trucy heard the front door close and Mr. Gavin’s car start up, she immediately took the Magatama out from her pocket.

 “Mia? He’s gone now, you can come out.”

…

“Mia? Miaaa, please, I still need to talk to you!”

…

Trucy looked at the Magatama, but it was no longer glowing as brightly as it did when it was helping channel Mia. It was back to its dim, barely-there glow, the hums of spiritual magic waning as well. 

“Mia, please…” She pleaded, but no reply ever came. Huffing in frustration, she threw the thing on her bed, going to her closet to grab a pair of pajamas to change into. It wasn’t like anything else was going to happen that night. Might as well take after her dad and “have an early night”.

And, of course, that didn’t work either. She must’ve stared at her ceiling for hours, her mind mulling over everything she had found out in a singular night. She was stupid for doubting herself, she concluded very quickly. Of course Mr. Gavin was up to no good. She had known, deep down, for years, but it was simply easier to think that she was the crazy one for seeking truth in her Daddy's words over his. But, even if she had admitted that to herself sooner, it wasn’t like it would change anything. She’s still young, as much as she loathes that fact. Who would even believe her? Klavi idolized his brother, so clearly he was a bust. Polly would likely be one too, even if she wanted him to come save the day like he always did with her magic. Maybe if she had a sibling who had seen this all go down from the start, maybe then she’d know what to do.

When it was one AM and Mr. Gavin had still not come home, Trucy grew fed up. She was now pacing her room, stomping angrily. She wanted to wring Mr. Gavins’ neck for everything he had done. He was an awful person. What would he even gain from doing this to her Daddy? Maybe he was one of those people who liked seeing others suffer because it made him feel better about his own incompetence. Whatever the reason was, she hated him for it. She just wished there was something she could do…anything…if she could just do anything-

A thought dawned on her, right then. Maybe Klavi or Polly wouldn’t listen to her, but there was still one person. There was always this one person. He might not be of the same blood as her, but he was still family nonetheless. Screw the fact that she was sixteen, she needed her Dad. 

She padded over to his room in the pitch dark, the moonlight streaming in from uncovered windows being her only light source before she got to his room. She pushed the door open, standing just outside of the room.

“Daddy?” She whispered in the dark. Her Daddy stirred, and she could see his shadow get up with a slight hum. 

“What’s wrong, Truce?”

“...Can I spend the night in your room, please?” She asked. Her Daddy pulled down the blankets, patting the spot next to him. Hesitantly, Trucy walked over, climbing onto the bed, her Daddy throwing the covers over the two of them. Sure, Trucy was wiser than her years. And yes, she’d like to think of herself as an adult but…today was a lot. And of course, she still had a bombshell of a statement to drop on her dad. She buried her face in her Daddy’s chest, a few tears escaping her eyes.

“Truce? Trucy, what’s wrong?” Her Daddy asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I don’t know,” she lied. Her Daddy sighed, holding her impossibly closer. He rubbed circles on her back in such a way that she longed more than anything to be a little kid again.

“I’m sorry about today, Truce. I’m sure it was really scary for you.”

“It was.” she whispered, her voice wobbly with emotion. 

“I know, baby.” He whispered. “I…I promise, I won’t ever do something like that ever again.”

Trucy felt her heart seize in her chest. Her Daddy was never lying. He had every right to react the way he did, looking back on it. 

“It’s okay, Daddy.”

“No, it’s not Truce.” He mumbled back. “The last thing I ever want to do is scare you.” 

Trucy trembled in his hold, clutching onto his shirt just a little tighter. “It’s okay, Daddy. I know you wouldn’t do that on purpose.”

She felt her Daddy press a soft kiss onto her hair. “Let’s get some sleep, Trucy. It’s been a long day.”

She heard her Daddy give a long, content sigh as the room was filled with gentle silence. Even as his breaths evened out, Trucy’s mind was still racing; her stomach still in knots. She needed to tell him about Mia. She needed him to know that she believed him.

“Daddy..?” 

“Hm?” He hummed, shifting slightly. “What’s wrong, Truce?”

Ripping it off like a bandaid, Trucy decided there was no point in dancing around the statement. It was now or never.

“I saw her too.”

.

.

.

Chapter Text

.

.

.

When the words left his daughter's mouth, Phoenix Wright almost wanted to laugh. Trucy had always been one for jokes, after all. “...What are you talking about?” he had whispered, his mind reeling from the absurdity of her confession.

“Mia. I met her.”

He felt Trucy slide the Magatama into his hands under the cover. He exhaled shakily, his hand curling around it like a vice. This wasn’t some cruel joke. This was real life.

“Y-you did?”

She nodded, snuggling against him further. “You weren’t lying.”

“I would never lie to you, Trucy. You know I can’t do that.” He laughed, but it was void of any joy. He couldn’t possibly predict this happening in a million years. He thought he'd die before this would ever have the chance of occurring.

“I didn’t know you were telling the truth.” She mumbled, sounding guilty. “All this time, I thought…Mr. Gavin, he-”

His heart shattered as he heard his daughter break into sobs again. He pushed away his own emotions, because what else is he supposed to do? He rubbed her back soothingly, shushing her.

“It’s okay, Truce. You’re okay…”

"I'm supposed to be able to see through lies!" She cried. "Why couldn't I do that with him?!"

"I don't know Trucy, I wish I could tell you." He consoled.

“I believed him, Daddy.” She wept. “Bu-but Mia, she…she showed up after I went to my room and…and she told me Mr. Gavin was lying this whole time!” 

“I know, Trucy,” He murmured, trying to calm her down.

"Did you mean to give me it, then? Was that your way of telling me?"

“…I had to," He lamented. "You're a smart girl, I knew you'd guys would talk. But I…I should’ve told you sooner. I’m sorry.”

“Then why didn’t you?!” She screamed all of the sudden. Phoenix jumped slightly, sitting up in bed. She followed suit, scrubbing at her face. 

“I…” Phoenix faltered, trying his best to keep himself from crying as well. It was too late for these kinds of feelings. “...I wanted to sort this out by myself. You didn’t deserve to be caught up with all of this.”

“But I still was.” Trucy emphasized, her voice dripping with hurt. “You could’ve told me any time and you didn’t.”

Phoenix hung his head in shame. For once in his life, he didn’t know what to say.

“What really happened, Daddy? I wanna know.”

Phoenix glanced at the clock on his bedside table. 1:43 AM. “Truce…I don’t think now's a good time.”

“I can’t sleep, Daddy.” She choked out. “You didn’t tell me anything for seven years, I deserve to know whenever I want.” 

Any father probably would have scolded their child for speaking in such a harsh, demanding tone. But, also, most fathers never had their kids thrown into such a horrific situation in the first place. And, as she most often was, Trucy was right. She did deserve to know. She had deserved to know for a very, very long time now.

He turned on the lamp in his room, both him and Trucy squinting to adjust to the lighting in the room. “Okay, then. No more secrets from me, Trucy. Whatever you want to know, I’ll tell you.” He said, slowly and shakily. “Where do you want me to start?”

“...Whenever this started, I guess?” She decided after a long stretch of silence. He nodded as he slung an arm around her, pulling her close. They both were facing his dresser, messy with never-put-away clothes haphazardly tossed on the top of it. Phoenix had lived like this for so long at this point that he didn’t even have it in his mind to be embarrassed by it.

“Alright then,” He mumbled, taking a shaky inhale of air. “Well, leading up to…everything… I don’t think a day went by without me looking into my disbarment…”

It was all too damn convenient, Phoenix noticed quickly.

As much as Phoenix wanted to mope around the first few weeks post disbarment, he had bigger and more important things to worry about. Namely Trucy, who was now officially his daughter, but, of course, talking to everyone involved with the case.

His routine was as such. He’d wake up early enough to make Trucy breakfast, walk her to the bus, send her off, investigate for the day, be back home before Trucy and Kristoph, eat something resembling a meal, then go to work. Maybe get an hour or two of sleep before starting the routine over again, but only if he was lucky.

He didn’t give up, because that’s not who he was. He was someone who would run through burning bridges for people he loves. He was someone who would take clients, fully believing in their innocence without a doubt in his mind; despite themselves already accepting guilt. He’d walk through hell and back just to get the truth out, because that is who he was. He wasn’t planning on giving up. He simply couldn’t. But very quickly did he realize that both everything and nothing at all about his disbarment was adding up. 2+2 was equaling 5, and almost as quickly as he started, he had to stop. Zak had up and left, likely fleeing the country if Phoenix had to guess. Valant was a good for nothing, poor excuse of an uncle that Phoenix was honestly glad hadn’t gotten custody of Trucy. Mr. Misham introduced him to the true diary forger, but other than finding himself in a house full of agorophobes, Phoenix really had discovered nothing else. The most he got out of his weeks of investigating was the sinking feeling that everything had to have been connected, but he just didn’t know where or how.

“Pretty much any time I wasn’t with you or at the Borscht Club, I was…out, following any and every lead I had.” He shrugged. “…It all led to dead ends, obviously.”

“But you're smart, Daddy. Your job literally was finding the truth in everything.” Trucy raised an eyebrow, her voice full of naivety that Phoenix still wished he possessed himself.

“I mean, I guess I kinda always knew Kris was lying.”

Trucy looked at Phoenix with a surprised look on her face. “About Mia?”

“No, not that.” He waved her off. “About my disbarment."

“I don’t follow.” Trucy looked even more confused than before.

“What, you thought he was lying about me being crazy for shits and giggles, Truce?”

Trucy went quiet. “...He got you disbarred..?”

“Right on the money.” Phoenix smiled in hopes it would make Trucy smile as well. It did not. 

“He’s the one who asked the Mishams for the-...” Trucy stopped talking, her breath quickening. Right, she was the one who handed him that diary page in the first place. Phoenix couldn’t begin to imagine the guilt she was feeling right now.

“I think so, yeah.” He held her closer, trying to silently reassure her that no, this wasn’t her fault. “I could never point him to the crime, though. Say what you want about Mr. Gavin, but you can’t lie and say he isn’t very put together in all he does.”

Kristoph Gavin was…an interesting man to say the least. The man was cool, calm, and collected every time he talked. He had a voice as smooth as butter, an accent cloying at each and every syllable, vowel, and consonant. That party all those years ago, when they first had met, he nearly made Phoenix swoon on the spot. Yes. When he was twenty six and still stupid to the world, Phoenix Wright was thoroughly smitten with the likes of Kristoph Gavin.

“Ew, Daddy! Gross!” Trucy stuck out her tongue.

“Sorry, sorry.” Phoenix laughed, glad at least some of the tension in the room was disappearing despite what was being discussed. “But it’s true!”

“Gag,” Trucy drawled, rolling her eyes. 

“Oh, like someone hasn’t swept you off your feet before.” he teased.

“Dis-gust-ing.” Trucy smiled with finality. “Especially someone as…awful as him.”

“Well… before that, y’know?” Phoenix tried to reason. “I mean- my feelings for him initially don’t matter. It’s just everything after that, I guess? Just put yourself in my shoes, Truce. He checked off everything I could want in a partner, he took care of me- took care of us… I wanted to deny any signs as long as I could.”

…Going back to the topic at hand.

It was maybe…three or four weeks post disbarment when the idea had plopped itself in his mind. Like stated before, Kristoph Gavin was an interesting man. He could never get a proper read of him no matter how hard he tried. Because, yes, he did love Kris at first. But sometimes he would say things that he couldn’t shake off. He knew too much of a situation even Phoenix didn’t understand. He'd make references to things Phoenix had only found out after weeks of secretly investigating his own involvement like it was nothing. It was almost like he was gloating about what he had done.

Maybe if he had actually gone to therapy all those years ago after Dahlia, he would’ve recognized the classic signs of a manipulator in a romantic relationship. Looking back on it, as he talks to Trucy now, he wonders if Kristoph had always been fucking with his head. Maybe he had always been subdued in rubbing it in his face that he was no longer a lawyer. Maybe he was always rubbing it in that Kristoph Gavin was the person who forged that paper and that Phoenix was too dumb and too in love to see that. Because, even if it was true, Phoenix had nothing to prove his involvement other than dubiously correct, circumstantial evidence.

But something in him had broken one night. He couldn’t even recall what it was, which is the funny part. Maybe they had gotten into an argument. Maybe he was reviewing the evidence he had gathered again. Maybe he had simply stayed up too late. But something in him changed, and Phoenix had accepted the fact that Kristoph Gavin was, indeed, the cause of his disbarment. The man could flirt and entice him as much as he liked, but Phoenix was no longer blind.

“Why didn’t you go to the police, then? Or-” Trucy faltered, fiddling with the ends of her sleeves. “Why not Uncle Miles? Or Mr. Gumshoe? Our Aunt Maya?”

Phoenix looked down at the Magatama Trucy had handed him earlier, turning the smooth stone around and around in his free hand. “…At first, I thought it was something I could solve on my own."

"Seriously?" Trucy huffed.

"Yes. Your Daddy's quite stupid, if you haven't noticed."

"It's been seven years." She rolled her eyes. "I feel like you should've said something to them ages ago. You always talk about them, but I don’t think I’ve ever even called them, much less seen them around here.”

“...I don’t think you have, either.” Phoenix agreed, solemn.

“Do they even know I exist..?” she asked, her voice quiet like she was afraid of the answer. Phoenix knew he was.

Ghosting Miles, Gumshoe, and Maya was never in his top ten list of things to do. Sure, he had pride for days, but even he knew when he’d need a helping hand. It was just…difficult to do so when the man he suspected had caused all of this was also the same man he slept next to every night. It was even more so when, after maybe three days, Kristoph had suggested taking his phone from him so he wouldn’t be tempted to look up all the articles being made about him.

And after that…that’s when it got bad bad. 

Everything that reminded him of his past life and who he had been just months before would send him spiraling. Who even was he if not a lawyer? He stopped cleaning, packing up everything from his "old life" (as he and Kristoph called it) into boxes. He'd make false promises to himself that he'd donate them later, but "later" never came. Phoenix wouldn’t deny the fact that he had gotten severely depressed after he had gotten disbarred. “Suffering from delusions” wasn’t what was wrong with him. He just needed to get out of the house. He needed to talk to people that weren’t his boyfriend or his daughter.

Eventually, Phoenix had taken his phone back. It wasn’t without much protest from Kristoph, but at the time, Phoenix had thought it was because Kris was concerned for him. He definitely wasn’t in the best head space after giving up on his investigations. But, oh well. He’s an adult, and he’d very much like to meet his not-actually-related little sister for coffee as they came up with crackpot theories for what had really happened.

Very quickly did Phoenix discover the true reason for Kristoph's apprehension. Turning on his phone for the first time in weeks, he had found his voicemail box had been cleared. All past conversations between him and Miles had been deleted. All of the photos of him and Maya together in court he had screenshot from articles about his trials were gone. Gumshoes number had been deleted entirely. When prompted, Kristoph admitted guilt, but simply said he didn’t want Phoenix to get triggered more by seeing proof of his old self.

“You have been hiding that part of yourself more,” He shrugged it off as if it were the most casual thing to do ever. “Look at where all their photos used to be. You’ve gone and covered them all with cardboard boxes full of their things.”

“That was probably the breaking point you talked about earlier.” Trucy chimed in.

“You know what, I don't doubt that.” Phoenix agreed.

Okay, seriously, stay focused Phoenix. Your mind is as scattered as some teen writing angsty fanfiction in their room at three in the morning.

At the time, this just made the already depressed man more of a hollow shell of himself. He knew, even then, he could’ve just called his friends. He had to have Gumshoes number memorized for work purposes, and Phoenix always had a habit of leaving his phone at home, resulting in having memorized Maya's and Miles' numbers years ago.

But a small part of Phoenix wanted them to reach of first. He knew perfectly well at that point in his life that his friends cared for him, but a little reminder would have been nice. However, the longer he waited to get another call, another text, another voicemail, the more disappointed he became.

“They’re probably busy.” Phoenix had tried to reason to Kirstoph, who had brought up how strange it was that they hadn't reached out even months after the event. Not a single word from the people he used to spend every day with.

“It doesn’t take a lot to send a text, mein liebe.” 

“One’s in another country for Christs’ sake, Kris.” Phoenix bit.

“Evidence is everything.” Kristoph mumbled. “You’re smart enough to know that, Phoenix.”

“I don’t wanna argue with you, Kris.” Phoenix replied coldly.

His heel was kicked under the table. Kristoph continued to force a smile.

“I still stand by what I said: they don’t want anything to do with you.”

"Thinking back on it, I wouldn't be surprised if he had, like…messaged them on my phone pretending to be me and said something god awful to them. It's not like any of them to up and leave me like that."

"Didn't Uncle Miles literally charter a private jet to see you?" Trucy laughed.

"Yeah. So him not doing anything has only made me think that further."

"So you just…never said anything after that. For seven years." Trucy deadpanned. Phoenix could tell she was disappointed in him.

"Yeah…probably not the brightest thing I've done." Phoenix muttered under his breath. "But, even still, I don't think it was a bad thing. None of us reaching out, I mean."

They had effectively ghosted him in turn. And yes, this hurt like a bitch. He felt alone, betrayed, and was left without any explanation as to why. But, with his mind almost fully convinced his predicament was Kristophs fault, he didn't want to put a target on their backs by reaching out.

Phoenix didn't know where to go from there. Kristoph had effectively separated him from everyone who ever cared about him. And for several months, he really had no one. Sure, he had Trucy, but she was only eight…maybe nine years old at the time. Beyond conversations about movies and school, there wasn't much else to discuss with her. And Kristoph only ever talked about horrible things with him when to remind him that, yes, he was alone, but he would always stay.

Of course, Trucy knows all about the night the "hallucinations" started. He doesn't need to go over that incident again. He'd like to forget about it entirely, if he could. It was everything after that was worth mentioning. Like how Kristoph forced him to quit his job, saying he could "never be expected to work in such a state". Or, maybe bringing up how Kristoph had him constantly switching therapists and psychiatrists so nobody could ever get his full story out. So nobody would question why a man who really showed no symptoms of schizophrenia was getting a medication switch from Risperidone to Ziprasidone. So nobody would find out what Kristoph was doing to him.

“I…honestly believed him at first.” He admitted. “I-I mean, I’ve been through so much at this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if I totally lost it.” 

Trucy didn’t seem to find his self deprecating joke funny in the slightest. "But you didn't."

"I didn't."

Trucy shifted her spot on her bed, laying down so that her head would be on his lap. She curled up, small as could be as she let out a shaky sigh. "I still don't understand why you didn't say anything."

"By the time I realized what he was doing, I figured it would do more harm than good to say anything."

"That was stupid."

"I know it was."

"But you still did it."

"Mhm."

"Why?"

Why? He didn't really know himself. be it pride, be it fear, he made a mistake, he can admit that. Kristoph was feeding poison to those around him while Phoenix sat by and…watched.

To the outside world, Phoenix Wright was a man clinging onto reality by a thread. He didn't do anything except mope around and talk to people who weren't there. In reality, he was just putting up walls. Because, if everyone assumed he was nothing more than a broken man, he bought himself more time.

He was terrified of Kristoph Gavin. This thought came about two years post disbarment.

It was so abundantly clear that he was the mastermind behind this all. And he was terrified of this realization, because he knew Kristoph had all the power in this relationship. One small slip, and Phoenix could lose what little he had left. While most of his life, was in fact, a lie, there was still truth. Phoenix was vulnerable. Happy, smiling Trucy was his light, and Gavin almost nightly would remind him that she was only ever allowed to be adopted because of him. Everything he owned was because of him. Everything he had lost was because of him.

When Mia had finally cleared up his confusion and prove to him that, yes, she is here, he poured every single ounce of energy he had into trying to take him down. Late nights spent sneaking out the house led to revelations he had no one but a ghost to share them with. Sometimes, if he stared at Mia long enough, he could almost pretend that she was still the same woman from all those years ago, alive and well and willing to throw everything away if it meant protecting the people she loved. But, of course, she still made it abundantly clear to Phoenix that he was burning at both ends. Getting someone as dangerous as Kristoph caught in the act was no task to be done alone.

"I think we're getting somewhere." She said, maybe three or four years into his disbarment.

"I think we are too." He smiled, politely agreeing.

"However," She noted. "I can't help but feel we need fresh eyes."

"Mia, I've told you, I'm not calling anyone about this."

"If you're worried about Gavin finding out, I can be your middle man. Just give me the word and I can talk to Maya about this. She can then get Edgeworth, or even Grossberg, and they could find someone-"

"I can't have anyone else getting involved." He argued. "It's too risky."

"I can only help you so much." She countered. "Why won't you just accept that maybe this is impossible to do alone?"

Maybe he didn't tell anybody because he thought he really could do this alone. Maybe he felt like there was nobody left to tell. Maybe he didn't want to leave this situation because abusive relationships were all he had ever known. Maybe he didn't tell anybody because if he were to get himself killed in the process, there wouldn't be much to mourn.

Or maybe he was crazy, just not in the way everyone thought he was.

There was still a lot he didn’t tell Trucy, and he knew that she knew. Trucy had lived, objectively, a horrible life. Being abandoned by her father and uncle only to then be “cared” for a man she assumed to be crazy for seven years…yeah, Phoenix had royally fucked up. But no matter how old or mature Trucy was, she was still always going to be his little girl; someone to be protected. Yes, this conversation was overdue, but he reasoned that it was for the best. She isn't responsible for keeping secrets as grand as these. For now, Trucy was quiet, slowly drifting off into what Phoenix prayed would be a peaceful sleep far away from Kristoph. Phoenix found himself playing with her hair, combing his fingers through it as he felt exhaustion creep into his bones. If he went to bed now, there's a good chance he might actually get some sleep in before the sun came up. He leaned back against his pillow, his eyes beginning to slip close…

“I wanna help.” Trucy mumbled after a while. Phoenix was surprised that she was still even awake.

“I don’t know if you can.”

“Of course I can.” She said matter-of-factly.

Phoenix swallowed thickly. “Okay, let me rephrase that: I don’t want you to help.”

“Mia talked to me for a reason.” Trucy mumbled. “Let me help. I want Mr. Gavin gone.”

“This isn’t something you could or should be helping me with.”

“Then get Polly to help, or Klavi.” Trucy offered, her voice starting to sound frantic.

“Do you really think any of them would believe me?” Phoenix asked, sitting up as Trucy copied his actions. He hated how he was speaking to her, but right now, he couldn’t care all that much to change his tone.

“I could-”

“No, Trucy.” Phoenix said with finality.

“So what, you’re giving up?” 

“I wouldn’t say that, no.” Phoenix shrugged. 

“Well that’s what it sounds like to me.” Trucy huffed. 

“I’m sorry, Trucy. Really, I am.”

“If you were sorry, you’d do something about it.” She said bluntly.

“I hate it here too, Trucy.” Phoenix stated, taking her hands in his own and squeezing them tightly. “I hate not working. I hate not having my badge. I hate that I don’t talk to your Aunt Maya or Little Pearls or Mr. Gumshoe or your Uncle Miles. I. Hate. Everything. About. This.”

Phoenix took a breath, trying to steady his thoughts. He refused to cry in front of his daughter. He couldn’t show her how scared he truly was. “But, and I say this as seriously as I physically can, I can’t do anything. YOU can’t do anything. Mr. Gavin is dangerous. I don’t want you being any more near him than you have to.”

“I live with him.” Trucy blubbered, tears filling her eyes. "I have to deal with him anyways."

“Yes. But he also thinks you still believe him. You’re not the one fighting everything he ever tells you.”

“You’re giving up, Daddy.” Trucy wailed. “I don’t wanna live here anymore. I want you to be happy.”

“I know, baby, I know.” He hushed her, wishing so desperately he could take all the hurt she was feeling away. 

“Why aren’t you crying, Daddy?” She mumbled, her voice shaky. “This is horrible…”

“There’s no use for me doing that, kiddo.” He whispered back. 

“I don’t know what else to do, then.” She wept. He rubbed circles on her back, trying to console her.

“I think…the best thing you can do is go to bed.” He explained carefully. “It’s been a long day for both of us. You need to calm down, sleep, and…”

Trucy nodded, pushing herself off of the bed, rubbing her eyes. Phoenix had a sinking feeling in his stomach that she was mad at him.

"Going back to your room?" He guessed.

"Mhm…I really just wanted to get you to know about…" She gestured, pointing at the Magatama, which had been put on the bed at some point during their conversation.

"Okay, then." Phoenix nodded. "Try to get some sleep, Truce. We can talk more later."

"We better." She grumbled, leaving his room and shutting the door behind himself. He sighed, putting his head in his hands and rubbing his temples. He felt like a complete asshole right now.

After a good, healthy dose of self pity, he moved to grab the Magatama again. he held it close, knowing that there was a good chance that, in the morning, Kristoph would find it and he would once again be cut off from the one person who really understood him. He whimpered, a pathetic display of the adult man he was supposed to be as he laid down, squeezing his eyes shut.

“You heard her, Phoenix.” Mia croaked, suddenly appearing from behind him. He flinched, despite knowing better. 

"A hello would have been nice." He spat.

“You should listen to your daughter, Phoenix.”

“I know.”

“Let me tell Maya.” She offered. "Maybe then you'll finally stop your bullshit."

“I'd rather you not.”

“Phoenix-”

“How about this. I’ll tell her. I’ll tell her right now.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” She challenged. Phoenix grabbed his phone from the nightstand, typing in her number into the call button. He had deleted it ages ago in hopes Kris would never find a way to contact her. He hesitated, but finally clicked the call button, staring directly at Mia, who seemed shocked he was finally doing something.

It rang exactly once before going to voicemail.

Chapter Text

For the first time in her life, Trucy Wright was telling a very grave, and very serious lie. As far as Mr. Gavin and her Daddy were concerned, she was performing at the Wonder Bar, as she did every night. What they didn't know was that she had gone in the exact opposite direction; hopping on the bus as soon as it arrived at the stop.

It had been almost a week since her and her Daddy had their "talk" about…everything. Part of her was still angry at him for hiding it all for so long, and another, even smaller part of her thinks she always will be. It makes her feel gross to think of her Daddy in such a way, but she figures he deserves it. She tugs at her top hat, trying to avoid the other passengers' gazes. If she was lucky, no one would be questioning why a sixteen year old is riding a bus en route to the middle of LA alone.

"Your dads' gonna be really pissed at me if he finds out about this." Mia chastised. Trucy tightened her hold on the Magatama.

"He'll understand." Trucy mumbled, trying to speak quiet enough so no one would think she's talking to herself. Her Daddy does that enough for the both of them.

"Yeah…keep telling yourself that." Mia rolled her eyes.

In the days that had since passed, her and her Daddy agreed that Trucy should keep a hold of the Magatama; only giving it to her Daddy when they knew Mr. Gavin wouldn't be home. It's how she was able to sneak out with it, after all. Not only that, but it allowed for a lot of late night conversations with the ghost when time allowed.

Mia was like the cool aunt she never had. She was smart and kind, just like Daddy had always described her to be, but she had this certain, biting edge to her. She was headstrong and determined, and completely willing to divulge any and every embarrassing story she had about her Daddy. Because of this, Trucy had (somewhat) easily persuaded her into thinking her sneaking out.

"Do you remember where to go?" Trucy asked.

"I roughly know the area. I'll know the house when I see it, though. It's kinda funky looking on the outside."

Trucy hummed. "Artists always have weird style choices."

"Your dad used to be an artist, did I ever tell you that one?" Mia made a nudging motion towards Trucy. Trucy likes to think Mia did brush against her shoulder instead of phasing through her.

"No, but I think I found his portfolio once." Trucy giggled. "It was…something alright."

The plan was to go visit people Mia had called The Mishams. She said that when her Daddy had visited them all those years ago, neither of them had divulged much of anything of importance.

And, sure, there was a good chance they'd never answer the door. Or talk to her. Or maybe they didn't even live there anymore. But Trucy was willing to take that chance. She'd be willing to do just about anything if it meant helping her Daddy. And, to be fair, it wasn't like he was doing much for himself. As she predicted, it seemed like whatever fight he had with Mr. Gavin during dinner that one night had zapped what little drive he had left in him. Maybe if she came upon something new, his spark would come back. Maybe he'd be willing to fight for his freedom again. Maybe he'd be happy.

Maybe.

"Get off here." Mia commanded, looking out the window. "I think this is it."

"Okay! Lead the way, Miss Ghost Lady!"

"I'm going to take that as an insult." Mia smiled, walking with Trucy off the bus into the dark and rapidly cooling night.

—

Somehow, and some way, Apollo had been convinced by Ema and Klavier to go out for the night. Ema swore up and down that she "knew a place" in the middle of LA that had decently good Korean food that wasn't whitewashed to all hell. The three of them were currently driving circles around some random parking structure in an attempt to find parking because god forbid people try to get out the house on a Friday night.

Following the…eventful evening at Mr. Wright's, Apollo had been more closed off. It wasn't like he was ignoring Klavier per se, but he also wasn't jumping at the opportunity to see him so soon. Apollo couldn't help but have a sinking feeling appear in his stomach whenever he saw the prosecutor. He knew Klavier could tell, considering how fucking nice he was being the whole car ride.

"You excited, Herr Forehead?" Klavier asked, glancing at him in the rear view mirror. Apollo tried for a smile.

"I'm excited to get out the house, at the very least."

"Especially since you're with your two bestest friends in the whole wide world?" He smiled.

"Calling you a friend is being generous." Apollo deadpanned.

"Amen to that." Ema joked, turning around in her seat to give Apollo a high five, which he returned gratefully.

"Jeez, remind me to never drive you both ever again."

"What, and have you lose access to objectively the hottest person you know?" Ema teased, rolling down her window so she could stick a hand out, feeling the wind on her arm.

"I wouldn't want that, you're right." Klavier responded, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

Apollo found himself laughing at his friends' banter with each other. For the longest time, he genuinely thought that Ema hated Klaviers guts judging by the way she complained about him whenever he hung out with her. When Klavier had mentioned hanging out with Ema as an after work activity for himself, Apollo almost choked. It proved even more shocking considering just how frequently Ema posted about hanging out with Klavier on her story. The two seemed to go out for drinks or to random clubs almost every week.

But, pushing his shock aside, it was nice. Them all somehow managing to be friends allowed for hangouts such as these. Klavier and Ema were good people, even with their strange quirks. As much as he'd like to act annoyed towards them, they were genuinely good people.

"Allllright…" Klavier said, drawing out the word as he finished parking. "Let's go, everybody!"

—

"You're right." Trucy said. "This place is funky."

With the last bits of sun sinking below the horizon, Trucy could still plainly see the gaudy shade of yellow the house was painted, complete with a bright red door and lawn full of garden gnomes and plastic flamingos.

"The gnomes weren't here the last time." Mia pointed out with a laugh.

"How long has it been?"

Mia put a finger on her chin, thinking. "Hm…well, your dad first came here pretty much the week he got disbarred, if my memory serves me right. But us together? I don't think we paid them a visit until maybe…shoot, I dunno, maybe two years after?"

"So it's been…a while." Trucy mused.

"Anythings worth a shot, Trucy." Mia surmised. Trucy nodded, skipping up the steps towards the house, but stopped short of the door when she felt a buzz from her phone. She took it out from her pocket, feeling a bit of dread fill her when she realized it was a text from her dad.

Dad that stepped up

Dad that stepped up or smth

hows the show going truce?

rlly sorry i couldnt take you there, but gavins leaving rn!

i can pop over when hes gone

maybe get some dinner after?

Trucy swallowed thickly, looking at Mia. "Crud, what do I say?"

"You dug your grave, Trucy. Now lie in it." Mia said ominously.

"That's a lot scarier coming from a ghost." Trucy shuddered.

"I told you it wasn't a good idea coming out here."

"You also said that coming here might do some good." Trucy bickered.

"While I think that, yes, this could help, I also still think you should've told your dad. Y'know, if I was still alive, he'd kill me if he found out about this."

"Well, good thing you're a ghost, then!" Trucy beamed, typing up a quick lie in her texts.

Dad that stepped up

Trucy

full house tonite srry

no more seats

Dad that stepped up or smth

aw shoot i really missed that??

im so sorry truce

Trucy

not ur fault

gtg shows starting

Dad that stepped up or smth

are you sure you dont want me to at least meet you outside?

Trucy

its nife

*fine

Dad that stepped up or smth

:( if you say so

be safe trucy ill see you in a bit. i love you

Right as she was typing a response, her phone shut off, the screen displaying a "charge battery" symbol. She huffed in frustration, stuffing it back into her pockets. Hopefully her Daddy wouldn't worry too much.

"Ready?" Mia asked her.

"Ready." Trucy's frustration quickly melted away, her face breaking into a smile as she walked up to the front of the house and rang the doorbell. This better be worth it.

—

"Don't worry about splitting the bill, I got it." Apollo announced, taking out his wallet and handing his card to the waiter. Apollo couldn't lie and say that he wasn't pleased with how the night was shaping out to be. Dinner was, surprisingly uneventful, if you can disregard Klavier getting noticed by some fans sitting at another table, but that's always to be expected with him.

"Are you sure, 'Pollo? I don't mind paying." Ema offered.

"It's fine." Apollo waved her off. "I have some extra cash to spare after last weeks trial."

"Way to rub in your victory, Herr Forehead." Klavier butted in.

"Aren't you literally salaried, you glimmerous fop?" Ema pointed out.

"I plead the fifth." Klavier smiled, taking a tentative sip from his drink. Ema narrowed her eyes before getting up from their table.

"I'm gonna use the bathroom before we go." She explained. "I'll meet you guys outside, 'kay?" Apollo nodded whilst Klavier gave her a thumbs up.

Once it was them two alone, Klavier leaned back in his chair, stretching. "You having fun, Herr Forehead?"

"Oh- uh, yeah, I guess."

"You guess?'

"I mean," Apollo faltered, beginning to fidget with his bracelet. "I like being with you guys. We should do this more often."

Klavier nodded. "I do as well, Herr Forehead."

The conversation lulled between the two friends for a moment, Apollo nervously glancing around everywhere but in Klaviers' general direction. Allergic to silence, it seemed, Klavier cleared his throat.

"Is…is everything alright?" The musician asked. "You've been more, erm, cagey than normal."

Apollo felt his mouth go dry. "Uhm…yeah. Everything's okay."

"Are you sure? I know…- Scheiße, ich bin nicht gut darin-" Klavier muttered that second part under his breath. "I know last week was…a lot, and I'd understand that if you'd want to…talk more."

With perfect timing, the waiter came back with Apollo's card and his receipt. Apollo thanked her before both him and Klavier got up and left the restaurant, Apollo purposefully avoiding Klavier trying to steer them both back onto the topic at hand. Apollo was infinitely more relieved when Ema joined back up with them. As far as he knew, Ema didn't even know who Mr. Wright was, and likely knew little about Mr. Gavin. At least with her around, he could pretend things were still normal and Klavier couldn't do much of anything about that.

"Ready to go?" Ema asked. The two men nodded, following her as she led them down the sidewalk.

…It wasn't like Apollo didn't want to confront what had happened that night at dinner. It was downright horrifying, and his mind had tried desperately (and failed) to come up with any logical conclusion as to why his bracelet reacted the way it did. But, it was plain as could be, as much as he wanted to deny it. Mr. Gavin had lied about something.

He had tried to text Trucy about it, but the girl was seemingly ignoring him. He thought, if anything, Trucy would be able to explain it. It was her fathers sanity that was on his mind; the truth (or lack thereof) of her fathers' partners' words. Just as his mind was beginning to spiral in a plethora of "what if" scenarios, Ema had stopped in her tracks, turning to look towards a building. Judging by the noises coming from inside, Apollo figured it was a club of some sort.

"Oh my god, I love this song!" She exclaimed in what might possibly be the happiest Apollo had ever heard her. "Can we go in to dance? No drinking, I swear."

Klavier shrugged. "I'm down. Herr Forehead?"

"It's not like I'm doing anything else," Apollo conceded.

"Well c'mon, then, before the songs done!" Ema begged, grabbing onto Klaviers wrist before dragging the man inside, Apollo following close behind.

—

Trucy stood there, expecting any form of a reply, but nothing came. The lights were on inside, so clearly someone was home. She rang the bell again.

"Hello?" She called out. "Hello?"

"They're both kinda recluses." Mia informed. "Probably should've warned you about that."

"They'll open up." Trucy smiled confidently, now beginning to knock on the door. "Mr. Misham? I'm-"

"Go away!" A mans voice called out from behind the door. "We don't want what you're selling."

Trucy frowned, only then noticing one of those no loitering signs bolted just above a garishly red mailbox.

"I'm not selling anything, pinky promise!" She replied in a singsong voice. "I just wanna talk, please?"

Silence.

"Please?" Trucy begged. "I just wanna ask a few questions, please."

"I-I don't do interviews!" He yelled. "…Not anymore, at least."

"It doesn't have to be an interview." Trucy rocked back and forth on her heels, feeling herself get antsy. She looked towards Mia for some form of guidance.

"What do I do now?" She whispered.

"He should remember Phoenix," Mia muttered, seemingly to herself. "Try mentioning your dad to him. It might make him more willing to talk."

"Or he'll hate me." Trucy noted.

"That too," Mia agreed.

"Mr. Misham?" Trucy knocked again. "I know you're not…really big on talking to people. I get that! I have a friend who's kinda anxious, so…I understand, kinda."

Trucy took a breath before rambling on. "But you know things that I need to know. Does the…does the trial of Za-…Shadi Enigmar ring any bells? O-or maybe you remember my Daddy, Phoenix Wright? He was the attorney for that case, and um-"

There were a few footsteps before the door was cracked open. From the small part of the man she could see, she could make out fluffy grey hair and a paint smeared jacket. He was short and kind of gaunt of the face, but nothing else about him stood out too much.

"How do you know those names?" He asked, wide eyed and terrified. "Who are you with?"

Trucy took a step back. It wasn't like she was scared of this guy, but…Okay, she didn't really have an excuse, but that's besides the point! At least she's talking to him face to face now!

"Um, I'm not with anyone." Trucy mumbled, fiddling with the ends of her cape. "T-the defendant, um, he was my dad. T-the lawyer, that, um, got disbarred…he's my step dad now."

"What do you want from me?" He asked, his voice quiet.

"Just to talk, Mr. Misham." Trucy smiled politely. "About anything you know. Like the forgery, maybe?"

"I already told your stepdad everything I know…" He said, shaking his head.

"Maybe you did. But he hasn't told me anything. So, who better to go to than the source, right?"

Mr. Misham sighed, looking behind himself before he swung the door fully open, walking further inside his house. Trucy (and by proxy, Mia) followed behind him, shutting the door on their way in.

—

Apollo stayed seated at the bar, nursing one of the few non alcoholic drinks the places had to offer. He had been watching Klavier and Ema from where they were on the dance floor; both of them seemingly having the time of their lives. Ema had on a sparkly dress, ending just above her knee, that glittered in the club lights as she was spun around by Klavier. It made him happy to know his friends were having a good time.

After people watching alone for a considerable amount of time, Apollo noticed Klavier walking back to where he was. At some point in the night, his hair had come undone, loose blond curls falling just below his collarbone. Klavier smiled, sitting at a chair next to Apollo.

"How come you're not with Ema?" Apollo asked.

"Ach, that woman has too much energy even for me, I fear." Klavier laughed. "My feet were starting to hurt."

Apollo looked back at the dance floor where Ema could still be clearly seen dancing with some random person, her smile as bright as the sun.

"Why don't you go join her?" Klavier asked, nudging his arm.

"Dancing's…not really my thing." Apollo mumbled. "Or clubs, for that matter."

"We didn't have to come here!" Klavier said, panicked. "Herr Forehead, you ought to learn to speak up for yourself more."

"It's not that big of a deal," He shrugged, taking a sip of his drink. "I like hanging out with you guys. Besides, it looks like Ema's having fun."

"Yeah, she is." Klavier said wistfully, resting his head in one hand as he watched Ema from where he sat. Apollo sat there, idly stirring the straw in his drink as he noticed how…soft Klaviers expression had gotten. He had been like that almost any time he wasn't trying to steer Apollo onto a conversation about last weeks dinner fiasco. He knew that look on Klaviers' face; starry eyed and looking like a lost puppy.

"You like her, don't you?"

"Hm?" Klavier hummed, his mind seemingly elsewhere.

"Ema." Apollo clarified.

"Is it really that obvious?" He sighed.

"A bit," Apollo cocked his head. "It's kind of funny, I guess. I always thought she sort of hated you."

"Oh, I'm sure she does." the rock star laughed in self pity. Apollo awkwardly pat Klavier on his back.

"I think you two would make a good couple."

"Ah, don't give me false hope." Klavier whined, plopping his head on the sticky bar counter. "I cannot take it."

Apollo rolled his eyes. "Calm down…I'm sure if you told her, it would all work out."

"Herr Forehead you are far too sexually repressed to be telling me what to do with my love life." Klavier cried out with an air of drama.

"I'm just saying-"

"Nope. Not having it."

God. This guy is impossible.

—

Visiting Mr. Misham was the worst mistake Trucy could have ever made. She's realizing this now.

Sure, he told her a lot. He talked about how that diary page truly, never existed. Whoever commissioned it had sent only a copy of Magnifi's handwriting and an already typed out document of what was expected to be forged. And yes, he did talk about how he was paid an absurd amount of money for the forgery. And yes, he did talk about how he never made that forgery. It was his daughter who had the real talent.

But these were things Mia had told her that her Daddy already knew.

"I will say," The ghost said, walking around the room they were seated in. Some weird amalgamation between a living room and an art studio, it seemed. "I don't think your dad ever did find out who commissioned the girl. He has his assumptions with Gavin, of course, but it's just speculation. We technically have no real proof. Maybe try getting Vera to talk."

And Trucy did try. Really, she did. But Vera seemed to be even more of a nervous wreck than her dad was. She stood there, stiff as a board for most of the time, nibbling on her nails as Trucy tried desperately to prompt her into saying…well..anything.

"You do paintings? That's so cool! My Daddy used to be an artist!"

"I love your hair color! It's so pretty! I like the color blue, too!"

"Hey, I know getting almost kidnapped surely was traumatizing for you, but I'm only sixteen. Realistically, what the heck am I gonna do to you?"

No matter what Trucy tried, Vera still did not talk.

At some point, she started to lose her patience. Trucy would like to believe she was an easy going person. She liked talking to people! She liked asking questions and solving puzzles and mysteries, but even this was getting excessive. At some point, she huffed in frustration, asking Mr. Misham for his phone.

He handed it to her with some confusion, but Trucy didn't even bother explaining herself. She went into Google, typing in Mr. Gavin's name. It wasn't hard trying to find him, considering he had been in some pretty major trials over his years as an attorney. She clicked on a photo of him, showing it to Vera.

"Listen, I know you don't trust me at all, and that's fine!" She explained. "But I really need your help. Does this guy look familiar at all to you?"

And at that moment, Vera's entire demeanor changed. She paled, holding a fist to her chest in an almost animalistic, protective manner.

"I'm sorry," She whispered. "I-I can't say anything."

"Why not?" Trucy probed. "Why can't you tell me?"

"You'll think I'm stupid," She whimpered, beginning to chew on her nails.

"I won't, I promise." Trucy assured, smiling as convincingly as she could.

"…The client, he gave me something. I-I, um…I don't like going outside. It scares me. But-but if I wanna go outside, he gave me this charm. He-he said that if I don't…if I don't say anything to anyone about him, then it'll always work. It'll always protect me if I need to go outside."

"That's a pretty powerful charm, then." Trucy nodded. She glanced at Mia's direction, hoping that maybe she knew anything about this charm; could offer her some guidance, but…she wasn't anywhere to be seen anymore. She was met with only air and empty space. She looked back at Vera.

"I-…I never used it before." Vera whispered, impossibly quieter. "I'm scared to…"

"Can you at least tell me what the charm is? I'm sure that doesn't break the rules."

Vera looked at her dad, who simply shrugged. Wordlessly, she got up, going over to a little desk off to the side of the studio. From there, she procured a glass nail polish bottle, a delicately shaped hand formed at the top. It was beautiful, expensive looking, and most definitely something Trucy could see Mr. Gavin buying. Vera handed it to Trucy, fidgeting with her hands.

"So…whoever this client was gave it to you?" She asked, turning it over. "That was nice of them."

Vera nodded, quickly taking the bottle back. "He said he understood being…being scared. He said if I wear it, nothing bad will ever happen to me when I'm outside."

"…Is there anything else you can tell me about him? Anything at all?"

Vera shook her head fearfully. "I can't. I'm sorry. I made a promise."

Trucy sighed. This will have to do for now. "That's okay."

Trucy handed Mr. Misham back his phone before she got up from the couch. Just as she was making her way to the front door, Vera spoke up once more.

"Wait-! Um, Trucy?"

"Yeah?" She spun on her heel, facing Vera once more.

"Um…" The anxious girl ran her fingers through her hair, likely in an attempt to self soothe. "This-this might be a weird question…but, um…do you…are you a fan of Troupe Gramarye?"

"…Why do you ask?" Trucy asked.

"It's just, um." Vera blushed. "You kinda look like Thalassa. In your costume."

"Are you a fan?" Trucy pressed.

"The biggest." Vera smiled. "They're so cool!"

"I took her to a show when she was little," Mr. Misham filled in. "Why don't you show Trucy your stamp?"

Vera nodded, seeming to finally have an emotion other than fear on her face. She ran back to the desk, trading the nail polish bottle for what might be the worlds smallest picture frame. Inside it was a stamp of Troupe Gramarye. Uncle Valant, her first Daddy, and Thalassa, all smiling. Trucy tried not to cry upon seeing it.

"I…um." Vera stuttered, handing her the frame. "…That client. He gave me this."

"He seems like a nice guy." Trucy said plainly, not believing her own words in the slightest.

"I think…I think he might've been the Devil. Or an angel." Vera whispered so quietly Trucy almost missed it entirely.

"What do you mean by that? Did he have a mean face?"

"No, no not at all." She smiled softly. "He had a really kind smile. But…but when he handed me the charm, I saw it. I saw the devils face."

Trucy had nothing to say about that. She wish Mia were still there to prompt her. She just smiled politely, handing the framed stamp back to Vera.

"Thank you, Vera. This means a lot to me."

.

.

.

Desperately trying to retrace her steps back to the bus stop, Trucy felt herself nearing panic before Mia flickered back into view. She was more transparent than Trucy had ever seen her before, almost like she was barely clinging onto reality.

"Trucy!" Mia exclaimed.

"Where where you?!" Trucy immediately yelled at her, thankful nobody was around to see her.

"I-I'm sorry." Mia fretted. "I…I don't know what's happening. I was with you one moment and then I was-"

"Back in the afterlife?" Trucy guessed.

"Something like that." Mia shrugged.

"Has this happened before?"

Mia hesitated. "I…yes. Yes, it has. I think whatever power the Magatama has left is running out. It needs to be recharged, soon. Honestly, I'm surprised it's lasted this long."

"Like a battery," Trucy whispered to herself.

"I don't think I can stay here much longer. I need to preserve whatever magic it has left. Do you know your way back?"

Trucy shook her head no.

"Okay, that's okay." Mia soothed. "Here, I'll tell you and you can write it down on your phone."

"My phone's dead."

"Of course it is," Mia muttered, exasperated. "Okay, try to remember this."

Mia rattled off directions that Trucy desperately tried to remember, and, as quickly as she appeared, she disappeared. Like she never existed. Trucy followed Mia's instructions as told, but somewhere along the way, she forgot what came next. Was she supposed to go left or right? A few wrong turns later, and Trucy didn't know where she was. Everything was just a blur of people, bright lights, and weed and alcohol.

Lost in LA. Nobody with her. No phone. Barely any money on her card. Yep. She's screwed.

It was about then that she started crying.

—

As a group, Apollo, Klavier, and Ema came stumbling out the bar, all laughing at some joke that, in hindsight, wasn't even that funny. They all walked together (or, in Ema's case, hobbled due to her shoe deciding to break at some point in the night), trying to make their way back to the car.

After Apollo failed to coax Klavier to ask Ema out, they had all linked up back together, spending the better part of their evening dancing together; Ema none the wiser to Klaviers crush. Klavier, thankfully, seemed to finally understand Apollo wasn't going to be talking about the Dinner incident any time soon, and hadn't tried bringing it up again for the rest of the night. Overall, the time spent with his friends had been very pleasant. More than pleasant. Maybe even perfect.

So, of course, something had to mess it up.

It was hard to make her out in the dark, at first. But, up ahead, Apollo caught the glimpse of a familiar top hat and blue cape. She was walking around, her arms wrapped around herself tightly. Apollo didn't see Kristoph or Mr. Wright by her, which alarmed him.

"Trucy?" He called out. The teen looked at the three of them with wide eyes. She wiped her eyes, looking scared. Apollo and Klavier immediately ran towards her, Ema following them closely behind. Klavier took off his jacket immediately, wrapping it around Trucy's shoulders.

"Fräulein! What are you doing here?"

"Uhh…." Was the teens eloquent answer.

"Where's your dad, Trucy?" Apollo asked. Her mouth pressed in a thin line as she looked away from them, clearly feeling guilty.

"So, funny story-"

"Did you sneak out?" Klavier asked accusingly.

"Klavi, you probably sneaked out a buncha times when you were younger." Trucy huffed, crossing her arms. Klaviers' face went red from embarrassment. "It's not that big of a deal."

"Trucy, you could've gotten hurt!" Apollo yelled.

"I didn't though." She shrugged.

"Come with us, Fräulein." Klavier commanded. "I'll take you back home."

"Wait, no, no-" Trucy exclaimed, panicked. "You guys aren't gonna tell my dad, right?"

"Depends. What were you doing out here?" Apollo asked. Trucy paled.

"So…what if I can't tell you-"

"Trucy!" Apollo groaned.

"God forbid a girl have secrets." Trucy shook her head. Apollo could hear Ema try to suppress laughter. It seemed like, only then, Trucy realized she was there.

"Who's this?" She asked, gesturing to the detective.

"Um, Trucy…this is Ema. Fräulein Detective, this is Trucy. She's a friend of mine and Herr Foreheads." Klavier whispered. Apollo watched as Trucy's face went from confused, to shocked, to downright horrified.

"Wait, like- Ema Skye?"

Ema glanced uncomfortably at Apollo, who shrugged.

"…Yeah..?"

"Your a friend of my dad's! Or, where- I dunno if you guys still are."

Ema looked confused. "I don't think I know anyone who has a kid-"

"Phoenix Wright's her dad." Apollo filled in. Now it was Ema's turn to look horrified.

"Mr. Wright's a dad now?!"

"Has been." Trucy nodded. "he adopted me, like, seven years ago."

"Holy shit," Ema whispered, breathless.

"Language, Fräulein." Klavier mumbled.

"Shut it." She stuck out her tongue. "Let's get you home Trucy. Knowing your dad, he's probably worried sick."

They get in the car after that, Klavier and Apollo in the front with Ema and Trucy in the back. Ema was asking Trucy question after question about Mr. Wright. How he was doing (not good), what he was up to (nothing much), was he still talking to Mr. Edgeworth and Mr. Gumshoe (unless he's been seeing them behind my back, no). Apollo fiddled with his bracelet, glancing behind himself.

"I didn't know you and Mr. Wright knew each other."

"Years and years ago we did," She waved dismissively. "He was my sisters lawyer."

"Lana's?"

"Do I have another sister, dumbass?" She deadpanned. Trucy giggled.

"So you seriously can't tell us what you were doing in LA alone at night?" Apollo tried again.

"No can do, Polly." Trucy said.

"We're you sneaking out to see a boy?" Apollo accused.

"Ew!"

"A girl?" Klavier joked.

"Gag."

After that, the ride was mostly quiet, maybe interrupted once or twice with Ema asking Trucy more questions about Mr. Wright. From what it sounded like, Ema had no idea about anything that had occurred past his disbarment. It seemed like she barely even know he was dating Klaviers brother. By the time they got to Mr. Wright's apartment, it was nearing eleven thirty.

"I'll take her up, you guys stay here." Apollo explained, unbuckling himself and getting out the car. Trucy looked panicked, slipping out her seat as well.

"Please don't tell my Daddy, Polly." She whined. "He's gonna get mad."

"Maybe then you'll learn not to do stupid shit like that." Apollo grumbled. Maybe under different circumstances, Trucy would have made a joke about Apollo swearing and ruining her perfect image of him, but instead, the magician just looked like she was about to cry.

After climbing up all the steps, Apollo knocked on the door. Mr. Wright opened it almost immediately. He looked scared, but upon seeing Trucy, he relaxed.

"Trucy! Where were you? Why weren't you answering my calls? I was worried sick!"

"My phone died." She shrugged. Mr. Wright hugged her, looking up at Apollo.

"What're you doing here, kid?" He asked.

"Well," Apollo started. "I was out with some friends, and we found Trucy. Alone."

"I couldn't go to her show tonight, kid." Mr. Wright explained. "I was-"

"She was alone in the middle of LA, Mr. Wright. Me and Klavier and…another friend of ours found her."

"Polly!" Trucy cried.

"Are you kidding me?!" Mr. Wright let go of Trucy, making her look up at him. "Trucy, go to your room. We'll talk in a minute."

"But, Daddy-"

"Now, Trucy." Mr. Wright said sternly. Trucy shot a dirty look at Apollo before going inside.

"Thank you," Mr. Wright sighed. "I, I didn't even know she was-"

"it's alright, Mr. Wright." Apollo shrugged.

"I told you, you don't gotta call me that." Mr. Wright laughed sheepishly.

"Maybe when you stop calling me 'kid' I'll reconsider."

"Nah." Mr. Wright shook his head, beginning to close the door. "You should get yourself home, kid. It's late."

"Um, wait!" Apollo called out. Mr. Wright stopped, raising an eyebrow.

"…I wanted to ask you something. About, uh, about dinner last week?"

Mr. Wright grimaced. "Everything's fine, kid. Go home."

"Is everything alright? I mean, between you and Mr-"

"Goodnight, Apollo." Mr. Wright said with finality, shutting the door. Apollo groaned before sulking down the stairs back to the car. Inside, Klavier and Ema seemed to be in some sort of argument.

"-don't care for your brother, but, c'mon dude!" Ema yelled, hitting the headrest of Klaviers seat. "I've told you about Mr. Wright. That dude is like, part of the reason I'm even still alive."

"My brother doesn't like me talking about it." Klavier bit. "I respect his wishes, no matter who knows or doesn't know Mr. Wright."

"Dude, you're like. One of the only people I've ever told about my sister. You're a dick for keeping that to yourself."

"Am I interrupting?" Apollo deadpanned. Both Ema and Klavier clammed up as he sat back down, Klavier starting the engine up and getting back on a main road, seemingly driving back to Ema's house first.

"And what took you so long?" Klavier scoffed, glancing at Apollo. Great, of course this guys in a mood. Apollo can't stand the guy when he's like this.

"I was just talking to Mr. Wright."

"Hm," Klavier hummed, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.

"Not everyone's out to get your brother, Klav." Ema snapped.

"What were you two even arguing about?" Apollo asked, shooting Ema a glance.

"It's not your concern." Klavier spat.

"His brother and Mr. Wright." Ema huffed. "Hey, Apollo, you think that, if your friend tells you about how this guy, like…saved her sister from the death penalty, and that guy JUST SO HAPPENS to be dating your brother, you'd tell your friend? Since, you know, you guys share literally EVERYTHING ELSE WITH EACH OTHER."

"Fräulein, I swear to god, I'll drive us all off the road right now." Klavier barked.

"Go ahead!" She yelled back.

"Both of you guys are driving me insane right now." Klavier fumed. "You," he pointed at Apollo. "Have been an actual pain in my ass all night. I've been worried for you! And you! Are not saying anything to me! My brother did nothing wrong! He just made an honest mistake! Stop shaping him to be some kind of villain!"

Klavier looked behind at Ema. "And you! Have you even bothered reaching out to Mr. Wright since you got back in the states? No! I don't owe you an expla-"

"Eyes on the road!" Apollo screamed suddenly, grabbing ahold of the wheel, jerking it to the right abruptly to avoid colliding with a car in the left lane. The tires screeched awfully against the road as Klavier slammed on the breaks, but thankfully, nobody was hurt. The car got deathly silent.

"Shit, shit-" Klavier cursed, his voice frantic. "Fuck, I'm sorry-"

Klavier immediately turned on the hazards to the car, pulling off towards the curb and parking the car. He sat frozen in his seat, knuckles white as his hands gripped on the wheel, his breaths heavy and loud.

"I'm sorry! I-is everyone okay?"

"Yeah, are you good?" Apollo asked, maybe a bit too harsh with his tone.

"I shouldn't have yelled, I'm sorry." Klavier fretted.

"Yeah, you shouldn't." Ema goaded.

"Ema, not now." Apollo glared at her. She looked out the window, sighing and crossing her arms.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Klavier repeated. "I'm not actually mad, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Klavier." Apollo forgave, patting him awkwardly on the back. "Just, um…maybe don't get us into a wreck. Please."

Ema made a noise of pity. "I'm sorry, Klav-"

"I'm sorry, Ema." The rock star whispered.

"It's alright, just…maybe let Apollo drive the rest of the way." Ema said. Apollo nodded stiffly.

"I have my license. I can get us back home."

"You have a license and not a car?" Ema laughed.

"In this economy?" Apollo joked back.

"That…might be a wise decision." Klavier whispered, ruining any comedy the two of them were sharing. He turned to his left, checking his mirror before quickly getting out the car, swapping seats with Apollo.

The rest of the car ride was pretty silent after that.

Chapter Text

"I'm not mad," her Daddy started, entering her room.

"But you're disappointed?" Trucy guessed, fiddling with them hem of her cape. Her Daddy nodded, his expression ebbing on distraught before he hugged her tightly.

"What were you thinking, Truce? Do you know how stupid of an idea that was? What if Apollo hadn't found you? Or what if someone tried to hurt you?" He said, panicked.

Trucy inhaled deeply, trying to force away the lump in her throat that was beginning to form. "I'm sorry, Daddy."

"Why did you do something like this?" He asked, now holding her face in his hands. Trucy saw tears well up in his eyes. God, she felt so guilty right now. "This isn't like you, Truce."

"…"

"Trucy, please." Her Daddy begged. "You know I'm not good at…any of this, really. You've always been a smart kid- a good kid. Why, Trucy?"

"I didn't…" She mumbled. "…I knew you wouldn't want me going there."

"Trucy, if I don't want you going somewhere, I'm positive it's for a good reason."

"Not this place," She shook her head. "I-I just wanted to help, Daddy, I promise. I just-"

"Trucy, I already told you, I'm not mad at you. Just tell me the truth, okay?"

Trucy was quiet for a long, long time. Every time she tried to start to speak, her throat would close up. She didn't tell her dad where she was going for a reason, after all. After several minutes, she finally spoke.

"…It was my idea. Me and Mia went to visit the Mishams. To talk about…um…what happened seven years ago."

As expected, her Daddy's face fell. "Trucy-"

"It wasn't like you were doing anything about it on your own." She argued. "I just want to see you happy again, Daddy. I only wanted to help."

"And like I told you already, Truce." He said, beginning to pace the room. "This isn't something you can help with. I don't know what I'd do if something had actually happened to you."

"But nothing did." Trucy replied cheekily. "C'mon, Daddy. Can't you at least compliment my ingenuity?"

"Not really in this situation, no." He sighed.

"…Don't you at least wanna know what they talked about?"

"Wait, they?" He sounded surprised. "You got Vera to talk?"

"Mhm!" She smiled. Perfect! He was intrigued!

Her Daddy looked to be debating something internally before he sighed, sitting down on her bed right next to her. "You've got my attention, Truce."

And so Trucy proceeded to tel him everything. She talked about Mr. Misham's reaction upon hearing his name. She talked about how it was Mia's idea to talk to Vera. She talked about Vera's odd, but damning, reaction upon seeing the photo of Mr. Gavin. She talked about Vera's charm, her fears, and of course, The Devil. The only thing she failed (or more, neglected) to mention was the Stamp. It didn't seem that important, and if anything, it was her secret. It felt a bit wrong to bring up her past family to her current one.

After a good thirty minutes spent of her rambling, and her Daddy asking questions, the tension in the room mellowed out. It was nearing midnight at this point, but Trucy didn't feel all that tired. Her whole body was thrumming with what she assumed was leftover adrenaline from getting lost earlier.

Her Daddy was fidgeting with his hands, the room otherwise silent before he broke it, looking at her. "There's one thing I'm confused by."

"What?" She asked.

"How'd you end up getting lost if Mia was with you?"

"Oh." She took out the Magatama from her pocket, handing it to her Daddy. "She straight up, like, disappeared while we were at the Misham's. She came back for a bit to give me directions back home, but she said something about the Magatama needing to be recharged, or something."

Her Daddy turned the Magatama over in his hands, studying it intently. "I guess it has been a few years since it's…" He trailed off.

"…Does this mean that it's gonna stop working soon? The Magatama?" Trucy asked, a bit fearful.

"…I would assume so, yes." He replied in a voice much similar to hers. His posture deflated as he hunched over. He whispered so quietly, Trucy could barely hear him. She wasn't sure if she was even supposed to.

"God, Mia, please…" He whispered. "I can't do this alone."

Trucy hugged her Daddy, because what else was she supposed to do? He sat up a bit straighter, hugging her back. It was then that the Magatama grew brightly, signaling Mia channeling herself again. He let go, holding the Magatama with both hands.

"Oh- look, she's saving my ass again." He laughed mirthlessly, looking up at where Trucy's desk was. There was a bit of silence, which Trucy assumed was Mia talking. This was one of the annoying things about the Magatama. It seemed like whoever was holding the rock was the only one who could see or hear the ghost being channeled. Trucy wished it wasn't like that. It would've made figuring out Mr. Gavin's lies a lot easier a lot earlier on.

Her Daddy nodded after some time, holding the Magatama between herself and him. "She wants to talk to us both."

She placed her hand atop of it, her dads below. Mia flickered into view, looking not to fond of her Daddy at the moment.

"You guys talked, I presume?" She looked at Trucy, who gave a thumbs up with her free hand.

"Mhm!"

"Alright, so what now, Phoenix?" The ghost asked.

"What do you mean by 'now', Chief?" He looked at her, confused.

"Gosh, Phoenix. Were you always this dense?"

"Uh-"

"Don't answer that." She deadpanned. Trucy giggled to herself. It was sort of funny. The way they bickered really hammered in the fact that they were old friends.

"You just got actual proof that it was Gavin who did all of this in the first place." She explained. "

"It wouldn't hold up in court. It's still considered circumstantial. I don't even think Vera would agree to testify in the first place."

"You could make a criminal case out of his abuse. Or, at the very least, a civil case." Mia offered.

"I wouldn't call it ab-"

Both Mia and Trucy shot him an accusatory glance. He looked away.

"Phoenix. What he's done to you is quite literally the textbook definition of medical abuse." Mia deadpanned.

"…Either way," He continued, ignoring her comment. "I still don't think it'd hold. He'd very easily be able to pull a narrative that I'm mentally unstable and don't know what I'm saying and I know that you know the courts would believe him over me any day."

"…You could always try to get Edgeworth to help, or Ma-"

"Nope. Not a chance."

Mia groaned. "Oh come on, Phoenix."

"I tried calling Maya the other day, if you'd like to remember." He fought. Trucy doesn't think she's ever seen her father this mad before. "I'm almost positive she has me blocked. The call went straight to voicemail."

"Then let me explain everything to her. Y'know, like I've been asking to do for the past seven years."

"Never gonna happen, Chief."

"Then what is your plan for all of this, huh? Is everything we've tried to uncover over the years for nothing?"

"What we've found is circumstantial at best, and downright illegal at worse. It's scraps of a story I don't understand, Mia. I don't know what man you think I still am, but I hate to tell you that he's dead and gone. I don't have the drive in me to do this any longer." He admitted, his voice cracking. Trucy saw a few tears begin to fall down his face, to which she looked away from. "I'm sorry, Chief. I gave up long ago, and it's time that you do as well."

"Okay, if not for yourself, then for your daughter." Mia lashed out. This seemed to strike a nerve with her Daddy, who yelled right back at her.

"Mia, you don't have any right telling me-"

"No, I do actually." She said, putting her hands on her hips. "How long is it going to take for you to realize that you can actually do something about this if you finally just accept some god damn help in your life for once?"

"Mia-"

"No, I'm not done." She stuck out a hands towards him to signal him to stop talking. "I know you want out of this too, Phoenix. Even if you don't want to save yourself, even if you think you're not worth it, there is someone that thinks you are. There's someone who your only job is to protect."

Mia gestured to Trucy, who wanted nothing more than to tune this all out. Realistically, all she had to do was let go of the rock. But she didn't. She didn't know what she was doing anymore, honestly.

"You can tell me all you want that you've given up. You can tell me that Defense Attorney Phoenix Wright has chosen death. You can shut out everyone you love, but I'm still going to believe that that headstrong rookie I met all those years ago is still in you. Because I know him, and I know that nothing stands in his way. No bridge, no mountain, no poison, person, or lack of evidence has ever stopped you before. If not for yourself, then do it for Trucy. She deserves a normal life, Phoenix. Please, please tell me you won't give up."

Mia was frantic and seemingly on the verge of tears as she continued to beg. Her Daddy seemed like he was trying to do a poker face, but it crumbled rather quickly as he silently cried, not making a single sound. Mia looked down at him, with pity or contempt, Trucy wasn't sure.

"Figure it out, Phoenix. You're better than this." She concluded before disappearing, the Magatama going back to its dull, translucent green color. Her Daddy let out a breath, rubbing his eyes. Trucy hugged him tightly once more, her dad unmoving as silent tears continued to run down his face.

"You should listen to her." She whispered after a while. She felt him nod, taking a shaky gasp of air.

"I know, Truce, I know."

"So why don't you?"

Her Daddy stayed silent. Trucy wanted to scream. She saw her Daddy glance at the digital clock she kept in her room. 12:27 AM. He rubbed his eyes again, getting up from her bed as he slipped the Magatama in his pocket.

"You should get to bed, Truce." He mumbled, his voice still gruff with emotion. "I'm sure you don't wanna stay awake with your old man crying right by you."

Trucy felt like he wanted her to laugh at that, but she couldn't bring herself to. She simply nodded. "Okay."

He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, ruffling her hair afterwards. "Sleep tight, Truce."

"Daddy?" She asked, just as he was starting to leave her room.

"What's up?"

"…Can you please think about what Mia said? Please?"

"I will." He said almost immediately.

"But are you actually going to?" She pressed.

"…She was right." He said noncommittally, looking away from her. "…As much as I hate to admit it. I have to keep going at this."

"And you'll try talking to Mr. Edgeworth or Aunt Maya?" She added. She didn't want her Daddy lying to her anymore.

"Maybe not yet." He sighed. "It's…complicated with them. But I know someone else who can help me. Someone who I'm doing this all for."

He looked directly at her. She beamed.

"You mean it?"

"Tomorrow, Trucy. For now, just go to bed." Her Daddy smiled softly.

"Okay."

—

Three Weeks Later.

When her Daddy said "tomorrow", Trucy was naive enough to think that he meant they were running away, or something. To where? Well, she didn't think that far, which might've been a good thing, seeing as "tomorrow" meant going through the boxes in their living room.

Trucy never understood why her Daddy kept so much of his things in boxes. It wasn't even like he owned a lot, or was hoarding (as much as Mr. Gavin tried to convince her that the latter was true). As her Daddy went through the different boxes, Trucy quickly discovered most of them were almost completely empty. Sure, some of them housed old photos or decor from what Trucy assumed were for his old law office, but that seemed to be the minority.

There was one box, though, hidden in plain sight that caught her attention. It was buried under three other ones that all looked full, but in reality, didn't house much. Inside that particular one, however, it had written down testimonies and photographs. Jotted down addresses and scribbled out theories. This was the evidence her Daddy and Mia were talking about, it seemed.

"How the heck did Mr. Gavin not realize these were here?" She asked. Her Daddy laughed.

"How did you not notice it was there?" He playfully shoved her, to which she did the same back to him.

"'Cause there's always been boxes." She shrugged.

"Exactly. It's hidden in plain sight." He smiled. "So, anything we find together, we put in here, okay?"

"But what if Mr. Gavin decides to start cleaning this place out and he finds it?"

"He hasn't done it in the past seven years, I doubt he's gonna start now. If anything, our living room looking like this only further pushes his narrative."

And so, everything did.

They hadn't gone back to visit the Misham's, but her Daddy said that they should probably leave them alone for a while. "Don't wanna miss anything from someone else" or something like that. So, on the days that Trucy didn't have school (or, performances she wouldn't feel too bad skipping), they'd go out behind Mr. Gavin's back to find anything and everything they could about his disbarment.

It proved tiresome and, like her Daddy had mentioned it might be, rather redundant. Maybe that's what happens to cases that should have been researched almost a decade ago. Things go cold. But it was still something that she was helping him with. And, Trucy couldn't lie, it was nice seeing her Daddy somewhat happy again. She could tell his brain was hardwired for things like this. Like how Klavi was meant for the stage, or how she was meant to do magic tricks, her Daddy was meant to fix things; to seek and bring justice.

And that was what they did for three weeks. It was an easy enough routine to find themselves into; adding a bit of thrill into otherwise boring weeks of Trucy's life. It cut through the monotony of school, performances, and Friday night dinners with Mr. Gavin.

Friday night dinner just so happened to be tonight, of course. Trucy was, to be honest, kind of pissed about it. Her Daddy had mentioned about trying to get back into contact with her Uncle Valant. As angry as she was at him for not keeping contact, she was excited at the thought of talking to her old family again. Of course, Mr. Gavin's ill timed dinner plans had to ruin it.

They never had anyone over for dinner following the whole fiasco that took place a month prior, so it was just the three of them that night. Life with Mr. Gavin had gotten more…tense since Mia and her Daddy told her the truth about him. Every time she saw him, she wanted nothing more than for him to die right then and there. Every conversation she had with him made her feel physically dirty and gross. How could someone so cruel act so kind? How could he do something this vile, and still serve the best food she's ever had with a smile on his face?

She was trying to eat her pasta as quickly as she could, wanting to get as far away from him as fast as humanly possible. Of course, Mr. Gavin had to point this out.

"How come you're eating so fast, Trucy? Did you not eat at school today?" Mr. Gavin asked. She talked around a mouthful of pasta.

"They were serving those gross pinwheels." She explained, a boldfaced lie. "Didn't wanna poison my body."

"Trucy, please don't talk with your mouth full." Mr. Gavin chastised.

"Yeah, what slob raised you?" Her Daddy joked, ruffling her hair.

"I'll never understand you two," Mr. Gavin sighed, shaking his head as he took a sip of wine.

"Too bad," Her Daddy shrugged, taking a bite of his food and talking, also, with his mouth full. "Your loss."

Mr. Gavin wrinkled his nose in disgust before he looked back at her.

"So, Trucy, you've been awfully busy these last few weeks." He mused.

With practiced ease, Trucy smiled, humming. "Yeah. I think people are finally realizing how great magic shows are again."

Of course, that was also a lie, but Mr. Gavin didn't deserve to know the truth. He didn't deserve a lot of things, Trucy had come to realize.

"Is that so? But you haven't been performing at the Wonder Bar, have you? You've been taking the bus to downtown LA, am I not mistaken?"

Again, Trucy nodded. "I think I'm really making a living for myself out there. There's bigger crowds than the Wonder Bar."

"And you've been joining her, yes?" He turned to look at her Daddy.

"Mainly to make sure she's okay," He shrugged. "I don't know the areas she's going to, so better safe than sorry."

"I can always take her." He offered.

"I'd rather you not."

"I care for her too, Phoenix." Mr. Gavin said gently.

"Never said you didn't." Her Daddy mumbled, taking a small bite of his food before pushing his empty plate away. "Cut me some slack here, okay? I don't get out that much except for going to her shows."

"Not without reason," Mr. Gavin said under his breath.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Her Daddy pressed.

"Nothing at all, dear." Mr. Gavin smiled. "Just that, at times, it can be hard for me to trust that you're making the wisest of decisions, given your mental state."

Seemingly fed up, her Daddy huffed out a breath, turning to look at Trucy.

"Truce, go to your room, please." He ordered. Cautiously, and not entirely wanting to listen to him, she got up. Mr. Gavin gestured her to sit back down. For some god forsaken reason, she followed his command.

"What was it that you told me the other week? She can stay because 'whatever you needed to tell me was so urgent you couldn’t have waited the two hours this whole thing would’ve lasted without starting a fight'?"

"This is my house, Kris." her Daddy reminded. "I can do whatever I damn please."

"And who has been paying for the utilities these past years?"

"Who payed off the apartment in the first place?" He bit back. "I can play this game all day. Kris."

"You're insufferable." The blond spat.

"I'd like to think that's one of my more redeeming qualities." Her Daddy smirked.

"Why are you being so snippy with me today?" Mr. Gavin asked, readjusting his glasses.

"You started it."

"We are not school boys, dear." Mr. Gavin sighed. Trucy noticed her Daddy put one of his hands in his pocket, his face completely neutral. Belatedly, and with terror, she realized that he still had the Magatama. He never gave it back to her since that night she had visited the Mishams. Suddenly, she felt very afraid, especially considering her Daddy and Mr. Gavin seemed to be heading straight into a fight.

"You know, Kris," Her Daddy started. "We've been dating for, what, seven years? Eight? And you wanna know the crazy thing, I still don't understand anything about you."

"I feel this is hard to believe," Mr. Gavin noted. "I'd like to think I'm an open book to you, dear."

Trucy felt fear begin to cloud her mind. What was her Daddy doing? What was he talking about? Sure, she knew he had a tendency to bait Mr. Gavin into anger for the fun of it (what joy he got out of it, she didn't understand), but…surely he's not…

"All this time, and I genuinely can't understand if you love me, or if you want me dead." Her Daddy looked at Mr. Gavin, narrowing his eyes.

"…Daddy, what are you talking about?" Trucy asked, her voice timid. What was he even thinking, bringing this up?

"I'd like to know the same thing, dear." Mr. Gavin said, looking at her Daddy. He simply stood up, grabbing all of their empty plates and putting them in the sink to deal with later.

"But…during these seven years, you know, there has been one thing on my mind."

No, no, no, please not now. This isn't how this is supposed to go.

"What are you getting at, Phoenix?" Mr. Gavin stood up as well, putting a hand on her Daddy's shoulder. He flinched away from his touch. "I'm getting very tired of our little tête-à-tête we're having right now."

"Kris." He said plainly.

Please, not now. Stop it.

"Phoenix?" Mr. Gavin raised a brow. Her Daddy looked away from him.

"I just want to know. Why? Why are you doing this to me?"

"You're going to have to be more specific than that, Phoenix." Mr. Gavin scoffed.

"The lying, mostly."

"What lies have I told you?"

"You tell me." Her Daddy replied, smug. He fiddled with what Trucy knew was the Magatama in his pocket. It seemed like Mr. Gavin realized this at the same time that she did. He looked scared, if even for just a brief moment, before that fear turned into anger.

"Are you serious, Phoenix?"

"It's just a question." He responded. "Nothing more."

"…You were doing so good, love."

"No, don't start that bullshit with me." Her Daddy spat. "You know I don't believe you. You've known that for a long while; you're not stupid. I'm just asking. Why? Why lie about my-"

Suddenly, an open palm smacked across her Daddy's face so hard his head physically turned. He let out a yelp of pain, reflexively dropping the Magatama. All the arguing stopped at once, her Daddy bringing up a hand to his cheek where Mr. Gavin's palm had made contact. Mr. Gavin didn't even spare her Daddy a second glance, instead dipping down to pick up the Magatama.

"I'm a good person." Mr. Gavin had the audacity to say as he held the Magatama in his hand. "I know you want to paint me out as some awful person, but for all intents and purposes, I'm a good person. I don't lie to you. I've done nothing but cater to you all these years."

As her Daddy cowered, Mr. Gavin walked closer.

“If you must know, I let you keep this here because I’m a good person. I let you keep her because I’m a good person.” Mr. Gavin stated, holding out the hand he held the Magatama in towards Trucy. "I am a saint for having put up with you all these years, really."

"And you could have left at any point." Her Daddy reminded him, blinking away tears. "You've always had an out."

"But I didn't." Mr. Gavin said. "Because I care about you, everyone in our lives knows this. You don't know what's good for you, Phoenix. You always choose the worst situations to get yourself into."

Mr. Gavin grabbed her Daddy by his shirt, pushing him. He let out a whimper as Mr. Gavin pressed him against the kitchen counter, his back digging uncomfortably into still drying utensils from cooking earlier. Even still, her Daddy tried to make grab for the Magatama.

"What do you get out of this, Kris?" He asked. "What's the point of all this?"

Mr. Gavin smiled a horrible, awful smile. It was devoid of any join. It was the thing of nightmares. The Devil.

"I don't know, Phoenix." His smile stretched impossibly wider. "Maybe because I am an evil human being. Isn't that enough?"

"That's not an answer," His voice wavered. Mr. Gavin slipped the Magatama against her Daddy's hand, but still held onto it so that he couldn't just take it from him.

"Ask me again," Mr. Gavin said, polite as ever.

"Why do you do this me? Wh-why are you adamant on this?" Her Daddy rasped. "…You were the one who-"

He stopped talking, dead in his tracks. His eyes went wide, seeing something that Trucy could not. Something told her that it wasn't Mia he was seeing, but something else…what was the other thing the Magatama could do?

"You're crazy." Her Daddy spat.

"But to the world, you're the one who's mad. And you will always stay that way." He said, as cool and as calm as ever. "You need to learn to leave well enough alone, dear."

"Kris, just give it back to me." Her Daddy begged.

"When have I ever listened to you before?" He asked, his voice sickeningly sweet. "Please, dear, do this for me. After all I've done for you, please grant me this one mercy."

"You haven't done shit for me." He hissed.

"But who else has stayed with you all this time? All your other friends have gone and left you." Mr. Gavin pouted. "But I stayed here because I love you. I care about you. They never did. If they did, they would have stayed despite who you've become."

"You're lying…"

"Then where are they? Why don't you call one of them now, see who responds?" He answered playfully. "You've let this thing control you long enough. Don't you want to be happy now? With your daughter? With me?"

"I have not been happy once with you, Kris." Her Daddy yelled.

"I recall differently, but whatever you say, Phoenix." Mr. Gavin started. "I should've done this a long time ago. Maybe, then, you would have listened. Maybe you would have realized this situation for what it is. Complete, and utter, nonsense."

"What are you talking about?" Her Daddy asked, now sounding gravely serious.

"Why do you let this stupid little thing control you?"

"Why are you doing this to me?" Her Daddy whispered, his eyes filling with tears once more.

"Aw, dear." Mr. Gavin cupped her Daddy's face in one hand, making sure to press his hand uncomfortably into the bruise that was beginning to form on his face. "Don't worry, everything will all be okay soon."

By the time Trucy realized what Mr. Gavin was doing, it was already too late. Like time itself slowed down, Trucy watched in horror as Mr. Gavin raised his hand, slamming the Magatama against the tile of the kitchen as it shattered into dozens of little glass-like shards. As her Daddy shoved Mr. Gavin so he could get to the ground, trying to collect the broken pieces, Mr. Gavin screamed.

"Trucy!"

And for a solid second, all she did was stand there. Her legs felt glued to the floor, watching as her dad audibly sob for what might have been the first time since he'd gotten disbarred. Mr. Gavin was visibly shaking from anger, his normally pale and pristine complexion red with fury. He looked back at her, furrowing his brows.

"Trucy," He repeated. "You say anything about this to anyone-"

Trucy didn't stick around long enough to hear the rest of his sentence. You know what she did instead?

She ran.

She ran as fast as her legs were physically able to move, and then some. She put her shoes on the wrong feet in her haste, slamming the door so hard it rattled the walls. She skipped over steps, going down two, three at a time. And she kept up that pace even as she jaywalked across intersections, narrowly avoiding getting hit by cars several times. Even as the cold night air stung her cheeks and made her ears so cold they physically hurt, she kept running. Her vision was blurry, but from exhaustion or from tears, she couldn't tell. She just knew she needed to keep going. She needed to get far away, and she had a place in mind that could be a safe harbor.

She had the address in her mind. She did not need a map or a guide. She had committed it to memory the day he had given her that stupid card, back when he didn't know anything about her or her Daddy, but he still chose to care for her because he was a good person and that's what good people do. He was like the brother she never had, and right now, a brother was the person she needed. Not a dad who was too scared out of his wits to do anything to save himself or her. Not the man who drove her Daddy insane and had done the unthinkable to him, claiming to be the only person to have ever loved or cared for him. She didn't need some shattered remains of a ghostly lady she never should have met. She didn't need a rock star turned prosecutor or her dads old friend or anyone.

No. She needed her big brother.

Chapter Text

Several poor life choices made over the course of his career led to Apollo having Ema and Klavier at his house. The three of them were laying on the floor in a mess of pillows and blankets as Ema fiddled with a lighter, trying to light the end of a joint. After several failed attempts, Klavier took over, lighting it effortlessly.

"I could've gotten it," Ema huffed, wrapping her arms around a pillow.

"It was a bit sad to watch." He admitted ruefully, taking a small puff.

Apollo laid down on the hardwood floor, letting out a content sigh. Since the whole argument that they had in the car, the group of them collectively decided to ignore it. Going into work on Monday, Apollo never once acknowledged it to Ema when he saw her at a crime scene, or to Klavier when he had to stop by the precinct for an autopsy report. It was something that this group did best, it seemed. Ignore all their problems because sometimes the reality of situations would put too much strain on something that's better if they all just forgot about it.

Honestly, Apollo always assumed that Ema and Klavier were his best friends, and not the other way around. They were both much cooler than him, after all. But through everyone's complete and utter disregard to what had happened just a few weeks ago, Apollo was starting to think he had been wrong. Klavier and Ema both seemed just as intent keeping things the way that they were. This trio they had formed over the past few months was tight knit and forever withstanding, even if one of them was way too cool to be hanging out with the rest of them, and the other was a rock star. They all felt as though they only had each other.

So sure, things went ignored and unsaid when they most definitely should not have been, but sometimes pretending was better than confrontation. At least this way, he could keep his friends the way they are. Which, at the current moment, was watching them get stoned.

"Put it to your lips, like this." Klavier guided, gently placing the joint upon Ema's lips. She held onto it from there, but Apollo didn't miss how her hand lingered on Klaviers for a moment longer. She took a puff, followed by laughing out a good portion of the smoke. Apollo saw, with minute disgust, how Klavier was looking at Ema as though she were starlight itself. Honestly, Apollo was starting to bet with himself on how long it would take for Klavier to finally grow a pair and ask her out (or, the more likely scenario, Ema to finally realize that no, Klavier is normally not that coy, but still ask him out anyways).

The three of them talked quietly for a few minutes as Klavier and Ema seemed to both fade into a pleasant high. Ema had moved so that her head resting on Klaviers' lap, blowing smoke playfully in his face whenever she took a puff. Klavier carded his fingers idly through her hair, holding comfortable conversation with Apollo was was about halfway through eating a bag of chips. When it was Klaviers turn, he instead showed the joint to Apollo.

"Are you sure you don't want to try?" He asked. By that point, Apollo hadn't smoked a single bit. It wasn't like he was against it or anything, he was more so entirely neutral about it. But, any resolve he had was weighing thin by this point. If his home was going to smell like weed for the next couple of hours, he might as well be part of the problem.

"Why not," He stuck out his hand. Right as Klavier was going to give the joint to him, there was a knock- no- pounding at the door. Confused, Apollo got up from his spot on the floor, looking through the peephole of his door. To his surprise (and shock), Trucy was standing there; hair windswept and cheeks bright red.

"Holy shit," He exclaimed, causing both Ema and Klavier to look up at him. "Guys, put that out. Now."

Hearing how panicked his voice had gotten, Klavier complied immediately as Apollo opened the door. Trucy wasted no time rushing against him, slamming her full body weight into him as she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. From behind himself, he heard Ema let out a gasp.

"Trucy, what are you doing here?" He asked frantically, moving her by the shoulders so he could take a closer look at her. She had tears and snot running down her face, her breathing heavy and erratic. Her skin felt ice cold to his touch, likely from her running in the cold October night without a jacket on.

"You-you always told me if-if something…something happened I-" She coughed, her words catching on her breath as she struggled to get air in. Apollo watched helplessly as Trucy dissolved into breathless, audible sobs, her whole body shaking. Klavier got up, moving to where they were. Within moments, he and Trucy were both seated on the ground with him hugging her tightly, trying his best to calm her down as she cried and cried into his shirt.

"Herr Forehead," Klavier said, looking up at Apollo. "Go make yourself useful and get her some water."

Apollo nodded stiffly, filling up a cup with tap water before hurriedly making his way back to the living room. By now, Trucy seemed to have calmed down, even if just slightly. Ema had made her way over to her, wrapping her in one of the blankets that they had on the floor and patting her head. Apollo could tell she was too out of it to do anything else, but its the thought that counts.

"You guys smell awful," Trucy admitted, laughing mirthlessly.

"Sorry about that, Fräulein." Klavier chuckled. "Just, um, maybe don't tell your dad about this. Or my brother, for that matter."

With the mention of those people, Trucy began to cry even more. Klavier panicked.

"Fräulein! W-what happened? Did I say something wrong?" Klavier asked as Apollo handed her the glass of water. She shook her head vehemently no as she took a shaky sip.

"I-I don't-" She tried to say, but her voice died out as she started crying again.

"Hey, hey kid, you're okay," Ema comforted, patting her head even more. The three of them managed to calm her down again after a couple of minutes. By then, she had clambered her way back to Apollo, who was hugging her with stiff arms.

"Trucy, why'd you come here alone? Where's your dad?" Apollo questioned. Trucy shook her head again and shot a look at Klavier and- god, the fear in her eyes. The poor girl looked petrified of him. Apollo's concern only grew from there.

"Would it be better if you talked to only one of us?" Klavier offered, clearly misreading the fear in Trucy's eyes as something different. Trucy nodded.

"I wanna talk with Polly."

"Okay, then," He said, helping her stand up with him. "Let's go to my room."

He led her down the hall, closing the door behind themselves when they entered his room. It was nothing much; just a twin sized bed next to a bookshelf full of comic books and action figures that were definitely from his youth and not bought with his last paycheck. Trucy all but collapsed onto his bed, her body still wrapped tightly in the blanket Ema had handed her. Apollo sat on the edge of his bed, looking at Trucy as he fiddled uselessly with his hands.

"Alright, Trucy. It's just us. What happened?"

"You're not gonna believe me." She sniffled.

"I'm a defense lawyer, try me." Apollo tried for a joke. It did not land.

"Promise?"

"I promise, Trucy."

"…After the dinner that we had with you guys, I found out something. And-and I didn't tell you guys at first 'cause I didn't think you guys would believe me-"

"Trucy, just get to the point."

"…Mr. Gavin lied to us, Polly. He-…Daddy isn't…none of it was real; what Mr. Gavin said was never real."

Although Apollo had expected as much, the confirmation of it all shocked him to his very core. He felt his heart sink into his stomach, suddenly feeling very nauseous.

"…Everything about your dad," He said for clarification. "He was…your dad's-…nothing was wrong?"

"No." She laughed wetly. "He lied the whole time, Polly. Daddy wasn't seeing anything. I met her, too."

"Met who?"

"Mia. The girl Mr. Gavin said he was hallucinating."

Apollo put his head in his hands, trying desperately to make sense of this situation. He could barely believe what Trucy was saying. "What do you mean-"

"It's a whole thing," She said, very helpfully. "But it doesn't matter anymore. Mr. Gavin broke it. She's gone."

"What do you mean he 'broke it'? What did Kristoph do?"

"…We-we were eating dinner," She started, her voice as quiet as a mouse. "And Mr. Gavin and Daddy, they-they started fighting- and they sometimes do that, it's nothing new, I mean you saw it at dinner last time."

She took a shaky inhale before continuing on.

"Bu-but then, Mr. Gavin he…Polly, he hit Daddy." Trucy broke into sobs once more. "An-and they started fighting even more, and then he…Mr. Gavin took that rock-thing Daddy gave me at dinner and he broke it. And, and then he yelled at me and I-"

Saying that phrase seemed to have broken Trucy, who started crying again. "Polly, I don't know what to do anymore. I'm so scared. I don't know what to do anymore! I-I always was good at knowing when people lie to me, I-I don't know why I didn't know and-and now Mia's gone and Daddy's really, really upset and-and I feel so awful-"

Trucy wept, hiding her face in her hands as Apollo…he just stood there, and tried to keep himself together, because what else was he supposed to do?

But when her cries didn't stop, he hugged her, because what else was he supposed to do? There's no guide on how to help a kid who just divulged that their dad is being medically and physically abused by their partner.

And she cried, and cried, and eventually he did too, because what else were they supposed to do?

And then he offered to drive her home; to check on her dad, because what else was he supposed to do?

And then he asked Klavier for his car, because for the last time, he couldn't afford a car right now. And. Again. What else was he supposed to do? He can't just walk her back. The sky is getting darker than dark. It most definitely was going to rain soon.

And then Klavier let them borrow the car, because he's nice like that. And then he asked why.

Why do you need to get going so fast?

What happened to Herr Wright?

Why is Trucy still crying?

Why are you crying?

And then.

And then…

And then he boldfaced lied to Ema and Klavier about what had happened, because what else was he supposed to do? Tell the truth? Fuck no. Absolutely not.

No, nothing was okay.

Nothing is right.

Mr. Wright isn't right.

Something happened,

I don't know.

Maybe.

Maybe he just had another episode.

Yeah,

Yeah, that's it.

Your brother tried to help, Klavier,

But you know how Mr. Wright is.

And yes, Ema, that's out of character for him.

But you don't really know his character, do you?

You haven't seen him at all in the last seven years.

You went to Europe, then back home. Then back at school. Failed a test. And now you're here.

Now you're trying to gain entry again.

Yes,

Yes, I know.

I know he saved Lana.

But maybe he just can't save himself.

And maybe you can't help him like he did you.

…

…

I'm sorry.

That was too far.

I need to go now.

I need to take my sister home.

And yes. Ema,

I'll check on Mr. Wright.

I'll send your regards.

You guys, please feed Keko when I'm out. About 2/3 of a cup should be good.

But please don't be here when I get home.

Because I'm afraid-

I'm afraid that I'll tell you what really happened.

And I know

That you know

You won't take it well.

I know you guys know that I'm lying.

It's written so fucking clearly on my face.

I sort of feel like I'm about to vomit.

Because what else am I supposed to do?

…?

What?

Oh yeah, the car.

See you guys later.

Hopefully you're so stoned that you don't remember this.

But I don't think no amount of weed could ever make you forget this night.

—

He walked to Klaviers car with haste, Trucy sliding into the passengers seat. After ensuring that she was buckled in, he drove off. It was silent in the car, spared for the occasional sniffle or hiccup from Trucy. He's sure he was going above speed limit at some points, but he couldn't find himself to care all that much. At some point of the drive, rain began to slowly drip down from the sky. Under different circumstances, he would have found the weather calming. But right now, he had different concerns than being comforted himself.

Pulling into the parking lot of their apartment complex, Apollo didn't know whether to be relieved or scared that Kristoph's car wasn't anywhere to be seen. They both got out the car quickly, making their way up the stairs and into the house. Trucy didn't even need to take out her keys to open the door, as it was concernedly unlocked.

As it always was, the apartment was dark and cluttered. Apollo didn't bother taking off his shoes this time, Trucy doing much of the same. For a few moments, she hesitated. Her mouth opened and closed, akin to a fish, as she tried to find something to say to him.

"…Polly…can you be the one to check on him?" She asked, quietly. "I…I don't-"

"It's fine. Just go to your room." He waved her off, thankful that the darkness in the room could mostly hide the evident disdain on his face. He really, really hoped Trucy knew how much he cared about her to deal with her dad on his own. Even with the (alleged) knowledge that Mr. Wright wasn't crazy like Mr. Gavin had painted him out to be, the man was still off putting. He really didn't want to be alone with him.

As Trucy went off to her room, he went towards the kitchen, which seemed to have a singular light on. Sure enough, Mr. Wright was in there. He was on the ground, holding shards of what looked like green glass in his hands. He looked…awful, and that's putting it lightly. His hands were scrapped up and bloodied, and he had what looked to be a nasty bruise beginning to form on his cheek, no doubt from Kristoph.

“Mr. Wright, your hands-” Apollo exclaimed breathlessly. The man in question startled, flinching as he looked up at Apollo. He had tear tracks on his face, but he seemed to be crying almost completely silently. He didn't even at all seemed to relax when he recognized who he was.

"W-What are you doing here?"

"Trucy literally ran all the way from here to my house." Apollo sat down on the floor, still a considerable distance from Mr. Wright. He could see Mr. Wright had seemingly tried to piece together the glass shards into an odd shape. Vaguely, he recalled it being the remnants of that weird rock thing he had given Trucy all those nights ago at dinner. Several chunks of it were missing, no doubt the smaller shards being stuck in his hands. "Did you seriously not notice?"

"I knew she ran but I was more occupied making sure Gavin didn't follow her." He shrugged, looking a bit guilty. "Sh…She's okay, yeah?"

"She's in her room." Apollo answered. "What about Kristoph? Where is he?"

"Hell if I know." Mr. Wright snorted. "Why's it matter to you?"

"I feel like the fact that he hit you is enough reason to worry. A-are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," Mr. Wright mumbled, wiping away the last of his tears as though they were nothing at all. "Doesn't really hurt all that bad. He can't really pack a hard punch; he's too skinny for that."

"I hardly think that's something to joke about…" Apollo trailed off, sighing.

"I digress," Mr. Wright said, waving Apollo off with a bloodied hand. "Thank you for helping out again. I'm not…I don't know why this keeps happening. I'm not a bad dad, I swear. But, um, it…might be best if you go home now. I got things covered from here."

"Yeah, something tells me you don't." Apollo glared at him. Mr. Wright had the audacity to look smug.

"You really don't like me, huh, kid?"

"I don't know and that's what pisses me off." Apollo mumbled.

"Either way, it's…it's over now, I hope. I don't know. I don't know where Gavin is or what he wants from me anymore." Mr. Wright admitted, choking up, but his tears never falling again. "I appreciate you checking in, I guess, but…nothing else much you can do."

"So there's nothing you have to say?"

"Not really, no."

This is what he hated about Mr. Wright. He cleverly danced around every confrontation he received. Screw this, he's going to be rude and blunt about it, since clearly, Mr. Wright won't respond to anything less he's backed into a corner.

"Mr. Wright, Trucy told me what happened." Apollo snapped. "All of it."

"She exaggerated it, I'm sure." Mr. Wright bit back. "It was just an argument. Shit happens."

"No, no, not that." Apollo explained. "Listen, she came running into my place telling me about how Kristoph's apparently been lying to everyone, and that you're not…"

Apollo waved uselessly in the air. Mr. Wright's expression went from mild annoyance to shock, then faded into nothing at all.

"Well, what do you make of all of that?" Mr. Wright asked, his voice and expression emotionless.

"I trust Trucy." Apollo answered almost immediately. "I don't know why I do, but it's true. So…I guess that means-"

"That you're buying into a mans delusions. That you're believing a sixteen year old over basic logic and reasoning. That's a dangerous game you're playing, kid." Mr. Wright finished his sentence.

"Mr. Wright, I'm being serious. I believe-"

"I assume you're gonna tell Gavin? Tell him that I managed to drag my daughter and almost yourself down with me?" He laughed bitterly.

"Mr. Wright!" Apollo yelled. "Stop joking around! For the last time! I'm serious! I don't…trust you, or like you, or even care about you, but I trust Trucy. I don't know why, I just do."

He sighed in frustration, rolling up his jacket sleeve to show Mr. Wright his bracelet. Ever since the dinner with his family a few weeks prior, he had refused to take it off even once.

"I don't know how, but-but this thing helps me see things other people can't. Peoples tells when they're lying, or- something like that. I don't know how it works, I just know that it does. But-but then I met you, and now nothing makes sense! Y-you say things sometimes that should be true, but it sets it off! And then, that dinner with you guys- Kristoph said something. I don't know what, but something set this thing off and now-…now I don't know what to think! I don't know if he's telling the truth, or if Trucy is, and that scares me because I hate not knowing what's going on! It freaks me out, if I'm being completely honest. Because either my boss is lying to me, or my friend is! But, I am a lawyer, and my job is to look at facts to come up with conclusions and reasoning. So, I'm not asking you because I care, I'm asking you because it's my job. I need you to tell me I'm not going fucking insane over nothing. I need you to tell me if Kristoph is lying to me and that Trucy is right."

"…Well, that would've been useful to know when I met you." Was all Mr. Wright had to say.

"Oh my fucking god," Apollo huffed, putting his face in his hands.

"Listen, kid- Apollo," Mr. Wright corrected. "Give me a minute. Let me…let me wash off my hands, and-and talk with my daughter and…and I'll explain everything. No jokes, no bullshit…at least from me. Whatever you want to hear, I'll tell you."

Oka-"

"But," Mr. Wright held up a finger. "You so much as say anything to anyone about this, so help you God, I will…"

Mr. Wright faltered.

"Okay, I'm gonna be honest, I probably won't do anything, but I can't stress how much I don't want this getting out, okay?"

"Alright, fine." Apollo replied, annoyed. Without much decorum, Mr. Wright got up from the floor, walking down the hallway and turning on a few lights as he did so. He could faintly hear the man talking to Trucy, then the sound of tap water running. His eyes kept drifting back to the shards of glass still on the floor, a dull green that Apollo faintly remembers being brighter, somehow. He reached out towards it just as Mr. Wright reentered.

"Don't touch that!" He yelled, sudden and alert. Apollo whipped his head around just in time to see Mr. Wright drop a box to the floor as he ran to where the shards were. Apollo recoiled away, seeing clear panic written on the mans face. After ensuring Apollo hadn't moved a single shard, he visibly calmed.

"…It's probably not gonna work anymore, Daddy." Trucy mumbled, picking up the box from the ground. She seemed to have dried off her face and brushed out her hair in the time he and Mr. Wright were talking. She didn't look better, per se, but she did look much more put together; no longer a cracked clay pot trying to hold water.

"I know that, Truce, I just-um…I'll figure something out." He sighed, getting up. Mr. Wright got up, going to the dinner table where Trucy was setting down the box. With a movement of his head, Mr. Wright signaled for Apollo to sit down with him and Trucy, which Apollo did.

Mr. Wright hesitated for a few moments before he opened the box, laying out its contents across the table. There were stacks and stacks of papers and photographs; some stapled together, and some not. It was like looking at a deconstructed conspiracy board, almost.

"What am I looking at?" Apollo blurted out. He was already deeply regretted his decision of staying to hear what was likely to be some unintelligible rant from the ruined attorney.

"Evidence that I've been trying to gather for the last seven years."

"Plus help from me," Trucy butted in.

"Plus help from Trucy." Mr. Wright smiled.

"For what?"

"My disbarment." He said plainly. Apollo watched as Mr. Wright sifted through the papers, grabbing one of them containing a photocopy of the diary entry that started it all; alongside some photos of a weird looking man covered in paint, plus a child with blue hair and her thumb in her mouth.

And from there, Mr. Wright explained everything. The day he had gotten disbarred, how he became Trucy's dad. How Kristoph had likely sent something to the people he cared about and how they no longer called or visited. How he sneaked out to find evidence. His fears, his suspicions. He talked of spirit channeling and women with the last name Fey and of a feared Demon Prosecutor. Everything was told in blips. It was so, so eerily similar to how Kristoph had explained what the past seven years were, but with an obvious truth behind it. While Kristophs words were perfect and poised, Mr. Wright stumbled and swore, backtracking multiple times just to get his point across. he was happy and sad and every emotion in between. It felt genuine and made Kristophs' recollection feel manufactured.

But the thought of Kristoph lying to him for all these months made him feel completely sick to his stomach. Because if Kristoph had lied, that meant that he had committed several crimes in doing so. He had lied to Trucy and to Klavier-

Klavier. He was the prosecutor for that case, was he not? Did he even know what he did? Was he in on it too? Was Apollo friends with someone secretly so sinister he aided, willingly, with the downfall of an innocent man? Oh god, he was a terrible person and even though earlier had been a perfect time with his friends he now felt disgusting and awful and horrible and-

It was about then that he had to shoot up from his chair to throw up in the kitchen sink. Mr. Wright made a noise of sympathy, getting up as well and rubbing his back in a parental sort of way. His touch felt burning on his skin. This only made Apollo feel worse.

"This is crazy," He whispered under his breath when he had finished.

"Never said it wasn't." Mr. Wright said. Apollo dry heaved.

Trucy had gotten him a cup of water, sliding it to him when his stomach had calmed down. She smiled kindly and knowingly. She's likely had these thoughts already, too.

"…I believe you, Mr. Wright. I don't know if that was obvious by now." He muttered once he had rinsed out his mouth."

For maybe the first time ever, Phoenix smiled at him. "A bit, but it's the thought that counts."

"W-What are you planning on…doing with this?" Apollo gestured to the papers scattered across the table.

"Well-"

"Arresting Mr. Gavin, obviously." Trucy smiled mischievously. "Right, Daddy?"

"…If I ever get enough to prove it was him, yes." he nodded. "I mean, Apollo, you can tell. None of this could realistically hold up in court."

"You could get him charged for assault." He pointed out.

"If I'm gonna get him caught, it's gonna be for everything he's done, not just this." He gestured vaguely at his face. "As for the medical abuse stuff…I mean, everyone in the court system likes Kris, and a lot of people there really don't like me. They'd take his word over mine any day. I have to be careful about this."

"We have to be careful." Trucy corrected.

"Truce, this is something I have to do myself-"

"It doesn't have to be." She smiled. "Polly knows now, so he can help."

"I…can." Apollo said before he could stop himself. "Listen, Mr. Wright…I still don't really like you-"

"Completely unjustified." Phoenix joked.

"But I'm not…I can't just let something like this go. I can try to help as best as I can, but I'm not sure what all I can do."

"You can start by taking the evidence." Trucy suggested.

"Trucy!" Mr. Wright exclaimed.

"Daddy, think about it. Mr. Gavin probably thinks you're up to something now, after everything that happened. Wouldn't it be a smart idea for Polly to hold onto it all? It's not like Mr. Gavin's gonna be going to Polly's house anytime soon."

"Klavier does, though. Quite often." Apollo noted.

"To get high?" Trucy giggled. Phoenix snorted.

"No! Just…I mean, we hang out a lot is what I'm saying. What if he finds it?"

"Klavi's kinda stupid, I don't think he will." Trucy smiled playfully.

"Trucy, he passed the bar when he was seventeen."

"I don't think he's smart enough to play evil mastermind with Mr. Gavin is what I meant." Trucy stuck out her tongue. Phoenix nodded.

"I at least agree with Trucy on that front. Klavier was seventeen during that trial. I wouldn't be too surprised if Gavin had set him up and he doesn't know what really happened."

"I can tell him-"

"Absolutely not." Phoenix held up a hand, signaling him to stop talking. "Even if he wasn't working with Gavin, that's still his brother. He most definitely would believe him over us."

"Is there anyone else I can call, then? A brother, or sister, maybe? Any family? Friends?" Apollo asked. "Anyone else you can trust knowing this? I don't feel comfortable holding onto this for you."

Phoenix looked away, seemingly debating something in his mind. After a few moments, he nodded.

"I've got one person, I guess…" He mumbled. "But, I-I don't think she'd…"

Trucy gasped. "You mean Aunt Maya?"

Phoenix nodded, a sad smile coming across his face. "Yes. She's Mia's sister; a bit older than you Apollo. I…she hasn't… we haven't talked in a while. I don't even think she'll pick up. Honestly, I'm almost convinced she has me blocked."

"Is she the only person you can call?"

"Yes."

There was a tug on his wrist from his bracelet, but Apollo didn't have the energy to press him on it.

"Okay, then," Apollo tried his best to not sound completely done with Phoenix. "Can I have her number? Or address? Or something?"

"Hah!" Phoenix laughed. "If you want her address, you better be ready for a couple of hours on a train to the middle-of-nowhere-norcal."

"Or you can not be an asshole to me and just give me her number." Apollo deadpanned. God, he hated this guy.

"Right, right, sorry." Phoenix said, sounding very much the opposite. "I'll have Trucy text it to you."

"Mhm!" Trucy beamed brightly, seemingly happy to be of help.

"Thank you." Apollo nodded. It was silent for a few moments as Phoenix absentmindedly tapped his fingers on the table.

"…I don't know when Gavin's coming back. You should get going. Now, probably."

"I don't think it's smart leaving either you or Trucy alone with him." Apollo mentioned.

"I promise, at the very least, he won't do anything to Trucy." Phoenix laughed mirthlessly.

"And I'll make sure he doesn't do anything else to Daddy!" Trucy added.

Apollo swallowed nervously, changing the conversation. "…What you did tonight was really stupid, Mr. Wright."

"I'm aware." Phoenix glanced at Apollo. "I learned my lesson. Besides, you know the truth now, right?"

"In a backwards way, yes."

"So it wasn't completely for nought."

"And now we're all working together!" Trucy cheered. "Everything's gonna work out now, right?"

Apollo shrugged, while Phoenix just smiled. The ex attorney patted him on the shoulder.

"Get yourself home, kid. And, um…if…" Phoenix paused, clearing his throat. His voice was full of emotion when he next spoke.

"If Maya does call back…um…tell her Charley's been taken care of."

"…Try to get some sleep, Mr. Wright." Apollo mumbled a bit confused as he headed to the door to leave. He didn't bother with a goodbye, because something told him that this odd family was about to become so, so much more intertwined with his life.

Getting back in Klaviers car, he must've spent a solid five minutes sitting in the car, staring blankly at the steering wheel. Nothing made sense anymore. A horrible part of Apollo sort of wish this was all a dream. Not for Trucy or Phoenix's sake, but for his own. Because life really, truly, would have been easier if Phoenix simply was crazy. A life without spirit mediums and ghosts and Magatamas and crazy bosses and Wright's and Gavin's and Fey's would be so, so much better. It would be so, so much easier.

But fate seemed to hate him. It made him now become part of this stupid scheme to try and get his boss indicted on…something alongside a magician he met by complete chance, and her dad that he didn't even like all that much. He surely didn't like Phoenix enough to help with something as crazy as this. He was sure this was illegal somehow, someway. Maybe Phoenix was going to drag him down with him to the lowly level of a disbarred defense attorney. That would really be the nail in Apollo's coffin. But, then again, Apollo wasn't that lucky. This was his life, and unfortunately for him, his life sucked.

Knowing that Mr. Gavin could come home at any minute, he decided to finally start driving home. The rain was beginning to patter down on the roof and windshield of the car hard, making it a bit difficult to see. He drove reckless, running multiple reds in vain that some divine intervention would kill him on the spot despite the streets being mostly empty.

…Was he really such a bad person if he wished another car-experiencing the same difficulty-were to slam into his and kill him on the spot? To hell with this. He didn't want to make that call. He didn't want to help. he didn't want his boss to be a bad person. He didn't want-

Oh, look, he's already home.

He parked the car along the street and walked up to his houses' door, unlocking it. Thankfully, it was completely empty, spared for Mikeko munching on her food. He made a half promise to himself to drop the car off at Klaviers in the morning, hopefully when it wasn't so rainy. But for now, he was going straight to his bed to collapse upon his shitty mattress with vain hopes to not wake up in the morning.

Chapter Text

4:15 AM: wake up to shower. Try to forget about how your hair is graying and thinning prematurely.

4:30 AM: Get dressed. Ignore how your heavy robes make movement impossible.

4:40: Wonder if He is watching the same sky as you right now. He always did struggle with sleep in the colder months.

5:00 AM: head to main gardens for group prayer. Try to be as quiet as possible so Pearl won't hear you leave.

6:00 AM: help the Sisters with breakfast. Or try to. You're "too important" to do "lowly" work like that.

7:00 AM: Wake up Pearl for breakfast. Gosh, she's gotten so big now. Time really does fly.

8:00 AM: Open the gates for visitors.

8:15 AM: Get to the main channeling room. Prepare for your knees to ache from kneeling on the hardwood floors.

??:??: Enjoy the state of not being in your body. Relish how you technically get to be away from it all, if only for a little bit.

3:00 PM: Leave the main channeling room. Go to the foyer to bless guests.

6:00 PM: Close the main gates. Try to get everyone out as quick as possible.

6:15 PM: Dinner time. Pretend your eating at the old noodle cart instead.

7:00 PM: Group prayer. Ignore how much your feet ache.

7:15 PM: Answer any questions the trainees have. Don't laugh at their dumb questions.

8:00 PM: Try (and fail) to have time alone.

8:15 PM: Get whisked away by the Sisters to do random crap. Don't complain.

11:00 PM: Make sure Pearl is asleep. Get ready for bed simultaneously.

11:30 PM: Ask Edgeworth if he can call. End up falling asleep before he responds.

.

.

.
Rubbing sleep from her eyes, Maya sluggishly made her way to the showering chambers. Despite the access to a plethora of high end brands that smelled of roses and jasmine, she had no desire to pick any. She never ran around anymore; so there was no buildup of dried sweat or dirt on her scalp or back. The temperature here was predictable and stagnant. It wasn't the insanity of LA's dry heat or the whipping winds from Santa Ana. Water would be just fine cleaning her body. She never had the chance to get it dirty in the first place.

And as her hair fell out in concerning clumps, she watched as they swirled down the drain. Dark black and prematurely silver, she felt like a sick patient instead of the 27 year old she actually was. She missed the days of her youth where she'd spend hours styling her hair in fun, different ways. Instead, her entire look was hand selected and predestined by hundreds and hundreds of years of a tradition she never was supposed to inherit. Even after she had finished showering, she stayed standing in the bathroom, wanting to delay the rest of the day as long as she could. She lasted about three minutes.

Stepping out from the bathroom into the cold changing room, she allowed the Sisters waiting patiently for her to put on the layers and layers of ceremonial robes on her. They dabbed creams and lotions on her arms and legs and face; others beginning to brush and dry her hair with careful hands. She fell into a state of disassociation as they tied the last part of her robes together, failing to ignore how none of the Sisters could meet her eyes. It wasn't allowed, after all. She was the most revered women in all of Kurain. A symbol of power. A symbol of everything they wanted and nothing she wanted.

Prayer and breakfast passed by without any issues, which meant today was going to be as boring and as mundane as the day before. And the week before that. And the month before that. And the past seven years before that.

As she walked down gracefully towards the channeling chambers, she remembered a scarier, yet paradoxically, simpler time. When she had people who visited her, not just the location. When people would pull her away from her duties because of plays and court dates and-

Nope. Stop that thought. That's not her life anymore. Her life is here in secluded mountains spent with people who visit her for things they desire. Her powers. Her stupid fucking abilities. Abilities she wish never came about. Abilities she'd carve out of herself if she could.

So, as they do every day, guests came in for channelings, and then her body was no longer hers. She watched, in some weird state between beings, as families and lovers and friends reconnected. During this time, she saw a brother channeling his younger sister. He smiled and cried and held her tight. He said how much he missed her and despite her best efforts, Maya felt like screaming at them both and stopping the channeling early. No one missed her here. No brother came to visit her, at least not anymore. It wasn't fair.

Maya had no friends up here. She was lonely and her work was tiresome. Sure, she had the most important role of Kurain, but it wasn’t her. None of this was. Maya Fey was loud and impulsive. She liked to run around the house reenacting scenes from Steal Samurai. She liked going out to eat shitty diner food with her old friends. She liked calling Edgeworth when it was three AM her time and twelve PM his time. But no. She wasn't allowed to be that anymore. She hadn't been that girl for a long, long time.

When the channelings where finally over, Maya once again tried to delay the rest of her schedule. Pearl found her hiding in an empty room, meant for guests spending the night. The teen sat quietly with her for all of ten minutes before she regretfully told her that there was a line of tourists out the door that wanted to see her.

Back where she was "supposed" to be, she was kneeling down on uncomfortable wood floors, a sea of tourists looking up on her from where she was perched. A few Sisters and Trainees were standing on either side of her; solid like statues. She faked smiles and repeated gestures of blessings as people of all sizes, ages, and backgrounds asked her for guidance and questions. It made her incredibly sad whenever they did, especially when a good portion of this crowd consisted of people who were older than her; wiser. They shouldn't be turning to her for life advice. She didn't even have one of her own. She had no personality, no autonomy, no desires or wishes or goals anymore. All she was now was the Master of Kurain.

The Master of Kurain had to be cool, calm, and collected. She had to know what she was doing and where everything and everyone was at all times. She could never stumble, stutter, cry, or rage. She was meant to be emotionless. A vessel. A symbol of power. She had no time for friends or random visits to LA. She couldn't play the role of co council. She couldn't fantasize about leaving this all like her sister did. She had no brother and was expected to live in a house and not a home. She was never allowed to be simply Maya Fey.

But there was once a time.

.

.

.

7 years ago.

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was a residence in Los Angeles. Inside a cramped two room apartment, lived Maya and Pearl Fey alongside their friend Phoenix Wright. That man ran the best fucking law firm in the west. Maya would know. He represented her twice.

Nick was one of the nicest people Maya had ever met. Now, don't get her wrong, Nick could be a real asshole sometimes. His words could oftentimes be soaked in sarcasm, and it didn't take much to rile the guy up, but that's besides the point. Nick was a genuine, honest to god, nice person.

Like, he was one of those people who would genuinely start crying at those puppy shelter ads on TV. He'd take the time to stop his bike so he could help animals get safely across the street. He defended people pro bono more times than he didn't, because he "knew what it felt like not having anyone in your corner". Then, of course, there was the fact that he just…allowed for her and Pearls to stay, no questions asked. And, more than that, he treated them like family. He bought Maya ice cream and chocolate when she was on her period because he was "repaying his debts of being a man". He bought Pearl dollar store dolls because, even though he didn't have the money to buy her Barbies or Monster High dolls, he still wanted her to be a kid. He took them to movies and dinners and shows when money allowed. When it didn't, he'd find his way through Savers toy sections to find board games and DVDs to play at home. He was overworked and underpaid but he rarely complained. He was just that kind of guy. He never did things for recognition. He just did it because he was simply that nice of a person.

Even though she loathed the idea of becoming the Master of Kurain, part of her hoped that she could one day repay everything he had done for her over the past three years. Maybe with a nice house, or a car. Maybe expensive clothes or at least a different colored suit. But, she's sure if she had actually told him that, he would've said:

"Oh nooo, stop Maya, you're too nice and awesome and amazing and I'm so lucky to have you in my life."

…Or something like that. And then she'd be like:

"no you stupid idiot I'm going to buy you everything you could ever want so sit your butt in the car, we're going shopping."

And then he'd probably quote something from Mean Girls, and she'd make fun of him, and he'd make fun of her, and they'd laugh so hard their stomachs hurt because that was what friendship with him was like. Joyous and serendipitous, she loved the man like a brother.

So when it came time for her and Pearl to leave that two room apartment in Los Angeles, she wasn't all that sad. Yes, she'd miss late evenings with Nick, or early morning coffee runs, but…everything would still be there when she came back to visit for the holidays. They always were. And so her and Pearl leaving Nick at the train station to head back home wasn't sad. It was hopeful. Hopeful that one day, Maya could pay back Nick tenfold. That she'd be able to send her brother up to see her whenever he wanted to. That her family would always stay the same. That nothing would come between them.

Which is why the news of State V. Gramarye hurt so much.

When it hit her, she was so inconsolable the Elders had to cancel her training for the rest of the week. She probably speed ran the stages of grief in the span of five minutes before she began sending Nick a barrage of texts.

—

 

St Nick

Today, 08:05 PM

Maya

dude i heard what happened what the actual FUCK is everything ok???

the news is saying you forged evidence and now ur like. up for review or whatever

lotta posted an article saying you might get ur badge taken away

but thats not gonna happen

ur phoenix fucking wright

nothing bad happens to you

but like

maybe call me yeah?

please

i know ur probably talking a lot about this but jfc like my stomach actually dropped when i heard the news. if i can help lmk i WILL come down for you if need me

nick???

nick pick up your phone

like seriously

i wanna help

—

Every day. Every fucking day she was texting him or leaving him voicemails. And every. Fucking. Day. He'd leave her on delivered. And sure, she gets it, he was probably getting bombarded from everyone else in his life, but also what the fuck was wrong with him? They were family. Family sticks together even in the worst of times. Her panic and concern quickly grew into hurt and anger around the two week mark of no responses.

—

 

St Nick

Today, 11:26 PM

Maya

nick. seriously i dont even know what to tell you anymore. i wanna help you out but i cant fucking do that if you dont respond to me at all. just give me some fucking sign that ur reading these or that you like. even want anything to do with me anymore. i mean cmon dude were family. i wanna help you out just for once in ur god damn life can you fucking accept that?? everything ive heard about you is from some shitty news source or from fucking lotta. i hate lotta. she lies all the time and even shes turning her back on you but i know you would never do these things. ur smarter and ur better than that and i want to hear this all from you. i wanna know what actually happen becausse i dont trust anyone saying anything about you because they dont know uyo. theyre making you into some kind of like. fucking demon or monsster or somertnthg. i swear if i hear someoene call yoiu the fallrn turnabout terror one more time im going to fucking jumpmfro m these emountains to my death because thats not you so please just pick up ur fucking phone for fucks sake oh ym fucking god ive never sworn this much in my life but im so angry just pick up ur fucjifng phone.

—

And several days went by before she got her response. The nail in the coffin that was her friendship with one Phoenix Wright.

—

 

St Nick

Today, 08:00 PM

Phoenix

maya, stop blowing up my phone.

Maya

holy shit ur actually alive

are you okay?? why the hell werent u responding??

Phoenix

maya, i still dont want to talk about this. stop calling me.

Maya

pick up your phone asshole

Phoenix

maya, we arent discussing this.

i made a mistake.

and now i dont have my license.

and thats that.

Maya

no way in hell ur giving up

you dont give up

Phoenix

well i am now.

Maya

what about the firm?? or ur apartment??

Phoenix

i dont care anymore.

stop talking about this.

Maya

dude ur fucking with me

like ur actually fucking with me

why are you sounding so weird

pick up your phone i wanna hear ur voice

Phoenix

maya please stop talking to me.

im tired of this.

Maya

what do you mean

ur making no sense nick

Phoenix

dont call me that.

Maya

nick

nicholas

st nicholas wright you have always been nick to me

why are you acting so fucking weird??? i just wanna help

Phoenix

maya. for the last time. were not talking about this. i dont want to even think about what happened and talking to you is making it worse. im going to be honest, youve always annoyed me. all these years ive been trying to pretend your mia but youre not her. youve only held me back and im giving up and youre not going to convince me not to. if its meant to be, itll be but right now, i dont want to talk to you ever again.

Maya

nick

what thw fuck

what tthe fucj is wrong with you

you d dtno mean that

Phoenix

im pretty sure i do.

stop texting me.

Maya

nick answer the facetime

tell me tha t to my fuckign face

tell me you hatre me right now tou fucking coward

ur an asshole your eth efucking worst

you dont gett to ssay mias nanme like that

shed fujcking kill you rifhgt now if she coudl how coudl you ffucking say that

sehs dead havfe somee dufcking decency yorure the fuwcking worst go ffucking jump off a cliff cfor all i care.

—

And Maya sent Nick text after text after text. She insulted Nick and said some of the most horrible, vile things to him that even now, after all the hatred she had built up for him over the years, she regrets. She screamed and cried until her voice was hoarse and gone, and then some. After yelling at him over text for an hour, she blocked him entirely, because genuinely, what the hell? What the hell was wrong with him?

Pearl found her sobbing on her bedroom about an hour later. All the Polaroids she and Nick had ever taken together had been torn down from her walls and were torn to shreds; littering the floor like confetti for the worlds saddest pity party. But as quickly as it happened, Maya had to move on. Kurain needed its Master, after all. And that role was hers to fill.

It sucked. All of this sucked. She was hurting so badly but she couldn't focus on it because she was too busy with everything that a nineteen year old girl shouldn't be concerned with. And just when she thought she was forgetting the incident about it, Edgeworth had to ruin it (as he so often did).

—

 

yaoi plug

Today, 03:42 AM

Edgeworth

Miss Fey.

Maya

hello to you too edgeworth

whats up

Edgeworth

Have you spoken with Wright recently?

Maya

trigger warning on that name please

Edgeworth

I'm being serious.

Maya

ok and so am i

were not friends anymore

Edgeworth

What do you mean?

Maya

we got into a fight

hes a dick

im not talking any more about it

whyd you wanna talk about him anyways

Edgeworth

I'm worried. I think something's deeply wrong with him.

When did you guys have your falling out? He sent me something really concerning a few weeks ago and it did not sound like him at all. I haven't been able to reach him since. I wonder now if, maybe, the times match up.

Maya

i dont know and i honestly dont care

hurting or not he said some really fucked up shit to me

i cant forgive that.

Edgeworth

Okay then, it's alright.

Forget I asked.

—

And that was the last time they ever talked about Nick together.

As the years went on, Maya never really could shake off what Nick said to her. Realistically, how could she? But as she aged from a teen to now a young adult, she just…stopped thinking about him. She had to. But like a double edged sword, it hurt her either way. It hurt to think about him, and it hurt not to.

But, the Master of Kurain didn't have time to dwell on the past. She only had to keep up fake smiles and pleasantries and maybe, only then, could that nagging feeling that something is truly and deeply wrong go away. Maybe then, Edgeworth's words wouldn't keep her awake on cold and lonely nights.

something's deeply wrong with him.

.

.

.

Her hand gave the faintest of trembles as her mind came back to from reminiscing, and several Trainees came to her side in an instant. She smiled, waving them away. Nothing was wrong. She was happy here. She didn't let her past haunt her.

The crowd in the room had lessened greatly, but that in no means meant the room was empty. Oh, how she longed for a clock in this room. Surely it was time for everyone to leave soon…

Unknown to her, Pearl entered the room from its back entrance, silent and unassuming. Her hair was covered with a white veil; something the Elders made her do ever since she went behind their backs and dyed sections of it pink. She climbed up the steps to Maya, kneeling down next to her, a hand covering her mouth as she whispered to her.

"Mystic Maya, someone's asking for you on the phone."

Maya spared a glance at Pearl. A quiet 'why should I care' being expressed in looks alone. The younger girl looked worried, and Maya could see her struggling to keep her nail away from her teeth; a habit she had broken years ago.

"It's from your actual phone. He knows your name. He said it's urgent."

"It can wait, Pearls." She whispered back.

"I don't know, Mystic Maya." Pearl fretted. "Please, come outside. It's time for everyone to leave anyways."

Well. You didn't need to tell Maya twice. She stood up, hiding the grimace that crossed her face as her joints protested after being still for so long. All the guests and Sisters and Trainees looked to her and with a simple wave of her hand, everyone began filling out the room. Pearl took her hand in her own before guiding Maya out through the backdoor once more.

The outside air was cold and biting, sending goosebumps all over Maya's arms. Away from the public eye, Pearl shed off her hood, throwing it to the ground without a care. Maya noticed, then, that Pearl had left Maya's phone on the steps, the screen showing it was on a call. The teen grabbed it for her, looking nervous. Maya could see some number she couldn't recognize. Maya pressed the device to her ear.

"Hello? Who is this?"

Silence.

"Hello?" She tried again, getting annoyed.

"Uh, shoot-" A mans voice said from the other line. "I'm speaking to Maya now, yes?"

"That's Mystic Maya to you." She bit. "How did you get this number?"

The man cleared his throat. He sounded nervous when he next spoke. "Um…I was…asked by uh…do you know a guy named Mr. Wright? Phoenix?"

"Oh my god," She exclaimed out loud, her voice sounding distressed.

"H-he, uh, made it seem like you guys weren't on the best of terms, but you we're the only person he asked for so-"

"Is he okay, what did he do now?" She asked before she could stop herself. "What- what hospital is he in? Did he-"

"Hey, hey," The man said, sounding about as freaked out as she did. "He's-he's fine- well, uh, maybe not. But he's not-in-the-hospital fine."

Maya sat down on the steps, Pearl watching her with a scared look on her face.

"Why the hell is he asking for me, then?" She demanded. "H-how do you know him? Who even are you?"

"I'm Apollo Justice!" He filled in. "I, uh, I'm a lawyer, and-"

"SparkNotes this for me, Apollo." Maya sighed. "Nick wasn't wrong when he said we're not on great terms right now. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't hang up right now."

And boy, did Apollo did.

"This isn't going to make a lot of sense, but are you familiar with the name of Kristoph Gavin?"

Ew, that guy? Nick told her it was a one night stand.

"Mr. Wright thinks that he…he's the person who got him disbarred."

Wait- what?

"For the last seven years, Mr. Wright has been medically abused by him. Kristoph's gone and made everyone think that he went crazy after getting disbarred."

Something's deeply wrong with him.

"I…I don't know how to explain this, if I'm being honest. There's a lot I'm not saying. It's all really confusing. But…listen, it's gotten to a point that we're trying to build a case against him to get Mr. Wright and his daughter out of this. He…he said you're the only person he can-"

"Wait, wait, daughter?!" Maya practically yelled.

"I told you, it's confusing." Apollo sighed. "All I know is that he's asking for you."

Maya stayed quiet, staring at her sandals. Pearl had since sat down next to her, waving off any Sisters who tried to approach them with an angry look.

"May- Mystic Maya?" Apollo asked. "Are you still there?"

"…Yeah, yeah I am."

"Look, I get it if you don't want to help. You can say that and I'll leave you alone."

"You'd seriously do that?"

"Yeah." Apollo took a deep breath. "Listen, I'm not that close with Mr. Wright myself. I only know the guy so well 'cause…well, a number of reasons. But he's off putting, and I don't really like him a whole bunch, if I'm being honest with you. He scares me.

"And I'm also not gonna act like I know what happened between you guys. That's not my business, so if he did something really messed up, then don't feel…I don't know, obligated? I already have other people I think can help us, so…seriously. I get it if you wanna say no."

"I mean, h-he did say…some really awful things to me," Maya mumbled. "But you're saying Gavin, uhm, is…fuck, I-I don't even know what to say-"

"You don't have to give me an answer tonight." Apollo reassured. "Honestly, it's better if you don't. But…whatever decision you choose to make, I'm positive you're making the right one for yourself."

"Okay." Maya nodded. "Um…I'm gonna hang up right now. I think."

"That's alright."

"Talk to you soon."

"Have a nice night," Apollo replied as the call ended. Maya heaved a big sigh, rubbing her temples.

"Is everything okay?" Pearl asked, looking up at her with big grey eyes.

"I don't know, Pearly."

Pearl fidgeted with a bracelet on her wrist. "…Do you want me to leave you alone?"

"That might be a good idea." She smiled softly. "Go tell the others to eat without me. I gotta do some things right now."

"Okay!" The teen smiled, getting up from her spot while simultaneously grabbing her hood and putting it back on. She ran back towards the main temple, leaving Maya alone in her solitude… where she promptly cried for the next half hour as she tried to figure out what to do. The fact that she even had to think about it made her feel awful. This was her best friend, who also hurt her and left her high and dry in a place she hated. This was the man who literally risked his life to save her. But this was also the person who told her that he never even liked her in the first place.

Something's deeply wrong with him.

Maybe…maybe what was wrong was that wasn't him.

Maybe she should call Edgeworth. He always knows what to do.

Or maybe she should block Apollo and forget everything she had just learned.

But no. There was someone she needed to reach first.

With shaky hands, she scrolled through her pitifully short list of contacts. After all these years, she couldn't bring herself to delete his number, even after blocking him. With a few taps, she hit call. It rang about three times before picking up.

"Nick," She said plainly.

"My," replied a voice full of emotion. Any progress Maya had made into stopping herself from crying immediately went down the drain.

"W-we need to talk." She replied, her voice shaky. It hurt hearing his voice again after so long.

"…Yeah, yeah we do." He sobbed. "…God, I've missed you so much, My."

Chapter Text

Curled up in an empty bathtub, Phoenix held a bag of frozen peas smushed against his cheek in one hand, and his phone in the other. It was silent and blissfully empty in the house, a rare occasion for him.

"You sure you can keep calling?" Maya asked from the other end. "I don't want Kristoph getting…y'know."

"He's at work." He said plainly. "We're fine."

The call from Maya had been a shock to say the least. He knew Apollo was going to call her, but a good portion of him thought it wouldn't amount to anything. He didn't have an inkling as to what Kristoph had possibly told her, but considering they haven't spoken in almost eight years, he doubts it was anything good.

To put it simply, he wouldn't have blamed Maya if she never wanted to talk to him ever again.

But here he was, on a call with her that had already spanned the better part of two hours. Hearing her voice again was like music to his ears as she flip flopped between questions of "You seriously used the Magatama to talk to sis?" and "You have a daughter now?" to more simple ones like "Do you still go to that old noodle stand by your house?"

He rolled on his side, putting his phone on speaker so he could lay his head down. They had thoroughly exhausted the topic of all the abuse Gavin had put him through at this point, which left him a little emotionally spent. It seemed like Maya was leading the conversation now.

"So he…all these years, Nick, he was…doing all of that to you?" Maya asked for clarification.

"I think that's everything, yeah."

"Oh, Mother," She cursed. "Nick, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." He smiled. "I'm tryna get out of this, yeah? It'll all work out."

(He didn't really believe that it would, but he knew that Maya needed the reassurance).

"What about you?" He asked, changing the subject. "You never told me what exactly he did to you."

A beat of silence. "You'll think I'm stupid for believing you'd say this." Maya said, sounding very guilty.

"Scouts honor I won't." Phoenix said, putting his hand out in a salute that he hoped Maya could somehow telepathically sense.

And so, Maya explained everything. Phoenix felt all the breath leave his lungs as she seemed to repeat, verbatim, all the awful things Kristoph had texted her under the guise of her best friend. If before, he wanted to wring Kristophs neck, then now, he wanted the guy to die only the slowest and most painful of deaths for hurting his little sister in such a way.

"Just…um…it hurt, y'know? I-I mean, when I was a younger, I was so, so scared of not being 'as good' as Mia was. So for you- him to tell me my worst fear…that even you wished I was her…it hurt." She finished saying, her voice trailing off. When Phoenix next spoke, his voice was full of emotion.

"Maya, you know that's not true." He said, his voice pained. "That will never, ever be true."

"Well, duh, I know that now." She mumbled. Phoenix could almost imagine the sour face she was making by her voice alone. "But at the time I-…Nick, I already felt so alone up here. I don't have anyone here."

"My," He breathed. "Maya, don't say that-"

"I was so lonely," She began sobbing. "S-so for Gavin to…to do that, everyone else up here sees me as Mia's replacement, so it made sense to think you did too."

"I'm sorry My," He kept apologizing, sounding like a broken record. "But I promise you, I would never even think that about you. I should've…called, at some point. I knew for years that Gavin had done something but I…"

"I did think about calling you." She interrupted. "If anything, to give you a piece of my mind."

"The blames not on you. If anything, it's on me." Phoenix said.

"I know why you didn't."

"I know."

"I'm sure you were probably feeling worse than I was." Maya acknowledged.

"This isn't a pity contest, My. You were hurting too."

"…Edgeworth was worried about you too." She brought up suddenly. "Did Gavin also..?"

"I don't know." He cut her off. "I-I really, really don't know what he did or-or didn't tell Miles. He deleted all our conversations by the time I got my phone back from him."

"Do you want me to tell Edgeworth what happened?" Maya asked. "I know you said earlier you're not that…comfortable texting us anymore, so long as Gavin's around, but I can be like…like a middle man, or something."

Phoenix physically ached for Miles- had desperately done so for the last seven years. Miles always knew what to do. Even when Phoenix was falling apart, splitting at the seams, Miles always knew a way out. How many dreams had he had now of Miles suddenly coming back to his life and saving him from this dumpster fire he'd found himself in?

But forever there was that same fear he held with Maya, even now as he called her. The sneaking suspicion that everything he did and said was being watched. That every connection he had was just another unnecessary risk. Every friend he made and talked to now had a target on their back simply from coexisting with him; for sharing a space with him. Sure, Miles could probably save him from this, but then who would be the one to save Miles if something went horribly wrong?

"I'd rather you not," He finally said. "I…I don't think it's safe to."

"You're talking to me," Maya stated.

"But that's…" Different? Not in the slightest. His heartbeat had been drumming like crazy since this call first started, like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. "…Not now. Later, but not now."

"Fine." Maya settled. "But then you'll have to agree on something else."

"What?"

"You let me and Pearls help." She said. "We can come back down literally as soon as this weekend."

"Maya, I don't-"

"Think it's a good idea?" Maya finished his sentence, then laughed. "Nick, that kid who called me scared the shit out of me. I can't just sit by when I know you're…quite literally going through hell."

"Me and Apollo can figure something out." Phoenix tried to reason. "I don't want you getting in the crossfire of-"

"I don't care." She said with finality. "You're my brother, Nick. You've helped me through…a lot when I was a kid. I gotta do the same for you."

"You're not obligated to, My. I had a job, and-and that was protecting you, so…don't feel like…you have to out of guilt, okay?"

Phoenix didn't know why he was still trying to talk Maya out of this. Yes, he wanted her safe and far, far away from Gavin…but damn it, he missed his little sister.

"This isn't guilt speaking. I wanna help. I'll come down as soon as I can, and it'll be like old times, okay?"

"…Yeah," He agreed quietly. "I can try to coordinate setting you up in a hotel-"

"Pshhh, I got estate money to burn. I can do it myself."

"They'd seriously let you do that? The elders?"

"I'm technically their boss now, Nick." She reminded. "Besides, some of them still remember you. If I told them it was to help you out with something…like…seventy percent of them would let me."

"Oh God," He felt his face heat up. "I only ever visited like…three times, how do they-?"

"I dunno Nick, you're kinda the talk of the town up here," She teased. "Some of them still ask me when the hot lawyer's coming back."

Phoenix groaned as Maya giggled. She stopped suddenly, and he could hear a voice he didn't recognize on the other line. Maya replied with some sort of protest, but sighed and gave in.

"Listen, Nick, I gotta go." She explained quickly. "One of the trainees needs help, but I swear I'll come down asap, okay?"

"Aye aye, captain." He smiled. "Love you lots, My."

"Love you too, Nick." She said before hanging up the phone. Phoenix had all of three minutes to cry happy tears over the thought of seeing Maya so soon before he heard the front door open.

"Phoenix?" Kristoph called out. "Where are you?"

"Bathtub," He called out plainly, dread beginning to fill his body.

"Bath- what?" Kristoph sounded genuinely confused as his light footsteps padded towards the bathroom. He stood in the doorway for a second, raising an eyebrow. Phoenix waved at him.

"Hey there."

"Why are you in the bath..?" Kristoph asked, looking down at him. Phoenix shrugged, grunting as he sat up.

"Got bored."

"Really?" He narrowed his eyes.

"I dunno what you want me to say." Phoenix pursed his lips, looking at him. Kristoph studied him intensely.

"You look as though you've been crying." Kristoph said as he offered him a hand, helping Phoenix stand up and climb over the rim of the tub. "Are you okay?"

shit, shit, shit-

"Just one of those days," He settled on saying. Kristoph frowned.

"I'm sorry, Phoenix." He whispered, his words sounding genuine, but Phoenix knew better. "If it's of any comfort, I'm home for the day. I'm all yours, least until Trucy gets home from school."

Phoenix nodded tersely just as Kristoph wrapped his arms around him in a hug. Every inch of his body- no, every fiber of his being was screeching at him; alarm bells sounding. He needed to get out- to get away from this monster. How dare he hurt Maya in such a way? Forget what he had done to Phoenix himself, but his little sister? That's out of line.

"You seem tense," Kristoph noted.

"'M not," Phoenix mumbled, wrapping his arms around Kristoph in turn. Deflect. You can hate him all you want when you've got him locked in a prison cell. But for now, he's your boyfriend, so you have to keep playing the role of a man who's lost his mind.

Kristoph eventually pulled away, guiding Phoenix to the living room with a vague promise of "helping him out", only one thought remained in the mans head.

Maya, truly, couldn't come fast enough. He couldn't get away from Kristoph any quicker.

.

.

.

Apollo Justice was sure that he would regret this in the coming days, but he hoped Mr. Wright would understand.

Yes, he knows that Mr. Wright made it seem like there was no one else to contact, and yes, he knew Mr. Wright was scared shitless about someone finding out about their hunt against Mr. Gavin, but Apollo also knew better. He felt it in his bracelet: saw how Mr. Wright's hands found themselves tucked away in his sweater pockets, his tell. He was lying. There is other people. There always was other people. Mr. Wright was just too stubborn to accept it. But, there was someone equally as stubborn as Mr. Wright that Apollo knew could help.

And that is how he found himself on the doorstep of the home to one Ema Skye. Mr. Wright could yell at him all he wanted for getting her involved, but it was better than the alternative.

Mystic Maya and her little cousin would be coming via train in just a few hours, and he was in charge in getting himself, Mr. Wright, and Trucy to the station, then back to the hotel. Apollo had tried to bring up the fact that he had neither the money to get them an Uber to and back from the station, or a car to simply drive them all there, but Mr. Wright gave him a noncommittal "Oh well, you'll figure something out kid" before hanging up the phone.

Normally, he'd have just asked to borrow Klavier's car. The two of them were close enough now where the rock star trusted him to not crash the damn thing, but the cherry on top to this whole situation was that Mr. Gavin was not supposed to find out. Knowing Klavier, he'd pester Apollo on where he was going, who he was meeting with, why he need the car so urgently, and if Apollo told even a shred of the truth, the blond would just blab everything back to Mr. Gavin, inadvertently ruining everything.

So, comparatively speaking, Ema was their best choice. Sure, she was rude at times, but she wasn't a liability the way Klavier was. Besides, he'd figure she'd like to see Mr. Wright again. She spoke rather fondly of him when she last brought him up.

He knocked on Ema's door, awkwardly messing with his bracelet with his forefinger and thumb as he waited for her to open up. After a few seconds of standing around, she opened the door, looking at him with a surprised look on her face.

…And in a shirt that he's almost positive Klavier wore only a week before.

For a minute, his brain short circuited, trying to put two and two together. There's no way. There's no fucking way-

"My eyes are up here, asshole." Ema said dryly.

"Are you-…Klavier and you-" He stuttered, looking from her eyes, to her shirt, eyes, then shirt. "…Isn't that his shirt?"

"Why do you wanna know?" She questioned.

"Is he with you?!" Apollo was now scared. Oh dear god this was just his luck.

"Not right now," She placed a hand on her hips. "Why's that matter to you?"

"That's a loaded question." Apollo said, very helpful.

"Whaddya want, then?" She asked, sound very annoyed with him. "It's not every day you come by unannounced."

"…I need you to drive me somewhere." Apollo said.

Ema looked unamused. "Take the bus."

"Uhm. And I also need you to drive Trucy. and Mr. Wright." He added cautiously.

"Hold on, Mr. Wright?" Her eyes widened, any sign of discontent fading in an instant. "How come? Did something happen?"

"…You could say that-"

"Spit it out Apollo!" She yelled.

And, as commanded, he did. About a third of the way in, Ema grabbed her car keys and a jacket, all but running to her car with Apollo on her heels. A fifteen minute explanation later and Ema had practically speed ran the stages of grief all while driving. Apollo had tried to explain things lightly- but there's no beating around the bush when it comes to the topic of abuse. By the end of it, Ema's grip on the steering wheel was so tight that her knuckles were white.

"Okay," She sounded possibly the most serious he had ever heard her. "So your boss is evil."

"Incredibly so." Apollo agreed.

"And I am directly going behind his back by driving to pick up Mr. Wright and his kid."

"Pretty much."

"And I can't tell Klavier because he'll most definitely tell his brother in turn?"

"Sorry about that," Apollo mumbled sheepishly, but it's not like he could've ever predicted the two of them actually getting together, or-…whatever it was that they were. Dating? Friends with benefits? Either way, it was too awkward to ask about it now.

"How do you even get caught up in this, dude." She shook her head, making a left to get onto Mr. Wright's street. Apollo sighed, glad the worst of the conversation was over.

"Wait, crap, Kristoph isn't there, right?" Ema asked. "'Cause I swear to God, I'll throw hands right now."

"No, no." Apollo reassured. "Mr. Wright made sure the the girls came on a day Mr. Gavin'd be busy. I think he's out of town for the weekend, or something."

Ema hummed in response, pulling up to the curb of Mr. Wright's apartment building. Him and Trucy were already waiting outside, the older man holding a palm to his cheek. Apollo wasn't sure what Ema's reaction to seeing Mr. Wright for the first time in ten years was going to be like, but he supposed he can't blame her for promptly unbuckling her seatbelt and getting out the car, running to him and crushing him with a hug.

Mr. Wright stood frozen for a second, Trucy's mouth making an 'oh' shape as she side stepped to give them some room. It took a few moments, but Mr. Wright soon reciprocated the hug. Apollo kept his window closed. Better to give them privacy than to invade, he figures.

.

.

.

Phoenix, in all his years of living, could have never predicted seeing Ema Skye again. He didn't see her after Lana's trial, only keeping in contact through sporadic Emails since she had spent a decent amount of time in Europe. Last he'd heard from her, she was still studying for her test to become a forensic scientist. He can't imagine what the girl was up to now.

She pulled away from him after a considerable amount of time, her eyes shinning with yet-to-fall tears. She looked up at him, tilting her head as a hand raised to the ugly looking bruise on his face.

"Don't tell me he did this." She mumbled.

"I won't, then." He replied, giving her a squeeze on her shoulder. "…It's nice to see you again, kiddo."

Ema nodded tersely, turning away just as he saw a tear fall down her cheek. "C'mon, Mr. Wright, Trucy. Let's get you guys to the station."

Phoenix and Trucy stepped into the car, his daughter choosing to sit in the middle seat so she could rest her head on his chest. He wrapped an arm around her just as Apollo glanced at him in the rear view mirror.

"Yeesh," Apollo hissed, gesturing to his own cheek. "That looks awful."

"It hurts more than when he actually hit me." Phoenix groaned. "It literally hurts in tempo with my heartbeat."

"Ouch." Ema commented. "You should kill the guy."

Phoenix laughed dryly. Seems Ema got more cynical as she grew up. "If worse comes to worse, Apollo here's worth his salt. He can write it off as self defense in court."

Apollo made a noise that was some odd cross between a groan and a whimper, sinking in his seat.

"Please don't put me in that situation."

"Only teasing you, kid." Phoenix sighed.

"So, who exactly are we picking up again?" Ema asked.

"Maya and Pearls," Phoenix tried for a smile.

"There's only one seat left." Ema pointed out. "Shit, I should've asked Gumshoe to borrow his mom van."

"Sorry, Gumshoe drives a mom van now?" Phoenix gawked. "I thought he drove an Accord?"

"Yeah, dude's got like…four kids or something like that. He drives this banged up highlander from like…the 2000s. Whole detective unit gives him so much shit for it, but it comes in handy for stakeouts."

Phoenix snorted. "He and Maggie got married, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah," Ema nodded. "Think it was like…five years ago?"

"Jesus! Four kids in five years?"

"They had triplets after their first." Ema giggled.

"That…actually checks out, albeit being unfortunate." He reminisces Maggie's string for bad luck. Hopefully motherhood was treating her decently enough…

From there, they fell into a conversation trying to summarize the last ten years between them. Phoenix was eternally grateful that Ema steered clear from asking about his disbarment, which he tried to reciprocate by not asking about Lana. At some point in the ride, Trucy had nodded off against him, drooling slightly on his hoodie as Apollo sat in the front seat, scrolling on his phone as he pretended not to be listening.

They reached the station in about an hour and a half, which is fantastic timing given LA traffic. Phoenix sort of wished they'd taken longer, seeing as they now were standing in the station waiting for the train to arrive. Ema had the idea of taking a face mask from her glove box, giving it to Phoenix to wear so he could cover up the bruise on his cheek.

"Just so we don't freak out some workers or something. Bruises on the face are pretty telling of DV"

It was done with good intentions, of course, but even the soft cotton of the damn thing felt uncomfortable on his face; his bruise now throbbing when it so much as rubbed against it. He tried not to focus on it too much, instead, diverting his attention to flexing and un-flexing his fist, a bit of a nervous habit of his. Trucy, (who had, obviously, woken up) seemed to notice his anxiety. Always perceptive, she was. She squeezed his hand, which was a bit sweaty, but she didn't mind one bit. She smiled wide.

"I'm excited to meet Aunt Maya." She narrated. "And I'm sure she's excited to see you too, Daddy."

"What're you, reading my mind or something?" He teased, squeezing her hand back. In almost no time at all, the train rolled into the station, He inhaled sharply, waiting. A wave of people flooded from the train, all of them being greeted by loved ones and friends and family.

"I think I see her!" Trucy gasped excitedly, waving her hands wildly in the air. "Aunt Maya! Over here!"

How Trucy saw her from so far away, Phoenix had no idea, but he soon spotted Maya pushing through the crowd, running over as fast as she could. She wasn't any taller than he remembered, but her hair now reached almost down to her knees. Her robes were longer and heavier-looking now that she was Master, but she stilled threw all her weight into the hug she launched his way.

"Nick!" She screamed as he spun her around as best he could, which wasn't much to be honest. He wasn't in the…greatest shape anymore, which of course, she commented on.

"You look…uh." She snickered. "…I'm liking it? It's very, uhm hobo chic meets Adam Sandler."

"Can it, sis." He sighed as she squeezed him again. He sighed deeply, any anxieties leaving as she rubbed his back soothingly. She pulled away far too soon, crouching down a bit to look at Trucy.

"And you must be Trucy." She smiled. Trucy, uncharacteristically shy, hid behind Phoenix, looking at Maya with wide eyes.

"Hi, Aunt Maya." She whispered. Phoenix laughed, pushing Trucy in front of himself.

"You're okay, Truce." He soothed. "Your aunt doesn't bite, promise."

Trucy giggled, accepting a hug from Maya, who only then seemed to notice Apollo and Ema standing off to the side, talking among themselves. She snapped, pointing at the detective.

"Uh…shoot, Ema, right?"

"The one and only." Ema cheekily grinned.

"Then I'm guessing you're Apollo?" She pointed to the lawyer.

"It's, uhm, nice to meet you, Mystic Maya!" He yelled, bowing stiffly. Maya barked out a laugh.

"Oh! Uh- you don't have to…never mind."

When Trucy parted from her hug with Maya, Phoenix was right back at her side. Apollo looked amused.

"Y'know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you guys were actually related."

"What do you mean? We totally are." Maya teased.

"I feel like I'm getting gaslight."

"Nah," Phoenix waved him off, then looked to Maya. "Where's Pearls at?" He asked, craning his neck to see over the crowd for a familiar faun brown updo.

"She told me to go find you guys while she got our bags." Maya smiled. "Let's go grab her, she's probably a bit overwhelmed by the crowd. 'S been a while since we've left the village, after all."

The five of them weaved through the crowd back to the front entrance of the train. There, carefully guarding three bags sitting at her feet, was…was…

“Hi, Mr. Nick.” A quiet voice called out. When Phoenix looked up to be greeted by the sight of Pearl, he almost immediately started sobbing. The last time he saw her, she was still so, so tiny. When she was younger, she could easily be lifted into his arms; baby soft hands wrapping around his neck for stability. But now? Now, she came up to just below his shoulders, her hands long and slender. Her wrists adorned bracelets beaded with bright colors and letters; her hair with streaks of purple. She smiled shyly, rocking on her heels.

It suddenly hit him all at once how much time had truly passed. Tears immediately welled up and fell down his face.

“Oh, oh,” Phoenix whispered. “Oh…my baby, come here.”

Phoenix closed the distance between himself and Pearl almost instantly, wrapping her tightly in a hug. Emotion making his knees gave way, he slowly sank down to the ground with her, pressing kisses to her hair through his mask.

“Look how big you’ve gotten,” He cried. "You're all grown up, Pearls…"

"Stop crying, Mr. Nick." She mumbled wetly into his shoulder. "Y-you're gonna make me cry, too."

He felt more arms join the hug. Looking up, he saw Trucy and Maya by his side, shortly joined by Ema as well. Apollo let them have their moment for a few minutes before clearing his throat.

"We should, uh, probably head back to the car. rekindle from there, and all." Pearl nodded, wiping her eyes as she went to grab the bags, but Apollo stopped her.

"I got it, Pearl."

"Thank you, sir!" She smiled, grabbing onto Phoenixs' hand just like she would when she was little. Trucy held his other hand as Maya walked awkwardly behind, her arms wrapped around his neck.

This was probably a weird sight for passerby's, but Phoenix couldn't find it in himself to be the slightest bit bothered by that. He'd waited seven years for this.

They all walked back to the car, Ema popping the trunk so they could all sit in or around it. Trucy and Pearl clambered into the backseat, already making friends with each other as the adults talked quietly among themselves. Away from the crowd, Phoenix took off his mask, hissing as he gingerly brought a hand back to his cheek. Maya's eyes widened.

"Gosh, Nick, that looks awful."

"Yeah…doesn't really feel that great either."

"I'll get you a baggie of ice when we get to the hotel." Maya nodded.

"Speaking of," Ema brought up. "How are we all gonna get there? I can only fit five people in my car."

"We'll just squeeze Polly in the trunk!" Trucy called out, causing Pearl to giggle.

"No! We are not!" Apollo squawked.

"It's okay," Maya waved her off, taking out her phone. "I'll call an Uber and we can meet you guys over there."

"You sure? I'm not all that opposed to putting Apollo in the trunk." Ema smirked.

"Excuse me?" The lawyer looked annoyed as Maya got an Uber in place. 10 minutes away she announced as she pocketed her phone.

"So…what now?" Phoenix asked, looking at the group of them.

"Me and Pearly are here for the next two weeks." Maya smiled, rubbing his arm in a comforting manner. "We can help out with anything during that time, but after we leave our helps gonna be…limited. Still haven't gotten around to getting good WiFi in Kurain."

"Well, we're not building an entire case in two weeks, I can tell you all that right now." Apollo stated.

"But we can and will make progress." Ema reminded.

"We better!" Maya jabbed Phoenix at his side. "We're gonna make Gavin sorry he ever decided to mess with my brother."

Phoenix smiled warmly at Maya's confidence.

"Of course, we gotta keep that hidden from him until then." Apollo reasoned. "You have my number saved, right Mystic Maya? If you need to reach Mr. Wright, you can go through me."

"Or me!" Ema chirped. "I'll give you my number when we get to the hotel."

"And, of course, don't let Klavier find out either." Phoenix added to that statement.

"Who's Klavier? Maya asked.

"Gavins brother." Phoenix supplied.

"Only the greatest musician ever!" Trucy corrected, clearly still eavesdropping.

"Red tape aside, we're gonna rule." Maya said wistfully. "We're gonna get you out of this mess, okay Nick?"

"Okay, My." He whispered, already feeling himself beginning to choke up again. As Maya hugged him for the umpteenth time, teasing him gently for being such a crybaby, Phoenix felt a strange emotion come over him. One he hadn't felt in seven years.

For the first time in a long time, Phoenix Wright felt hope for a better tomorrow.