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It was only a matter of time before the people in his life found out. Even if he wanted to keep it a secret, if no news articles or gossip magazines wrote on it, Detective Gumshoe was there. With him knowing, plus it being too juicy of a story for reporters to pass up on, it was only a matter of time before people found out. Maya, at least, he told himself. It was by a few broken text messages before she eventually called him herself, but he told her.
But besides her he wasn’t going to tell anyone. Larry went off to who knows where and hopefully wouldn’t get involved in any cases. His past clients, if they got themselves another murder charge, would just have to find someone else to represent them. And he had no intentions of ever telling Miles Edgeworth what had happened. Phoenix knew that at some point he would find out. The man was a prosecutor. Even if he was traveling in Europe, the news would reach him eventually. Given how Gumshoe knew, he should have known that the ‘eventually’ would be a whole lot sooner rather than later.
His concern for Edgeworth’s reaction was the last thing on his mind though. His true focus was on the research he was doing right now. After the trial he took in Trucy, his client’s daughter. Originally it was just to make sure she was being taken care of until he could find her some family to go to, but after two weeks worth of calling and searching around there was no one. No family existed for her, not anymore.
When he told Trucy this, gently letting her know how he’d help her find a place where she wanted to go, she asked him if she could stay with him. If he could be her new daddy. Seeing those earnest eyes, the slight shaking of her hands as she hide them behind her back, he had no choice but to agree.
He thought that the hardest part would be adjusting to having a daughter. He should have known it wouldn’t have been that simple. There was simply no chance of adopting Trucy. Phoenix was disbarred and jobless, the former certainty making him less than ideal for an adoptive parent. Not to mention there being concerns for Trucy’s care in his own. He’d never do anything to harm a child, but the state had seen otherwise from some people. He’d be thankful for them taking the extra precaution if it wasn’t such a barrier for him.
Hell, he was lucky they didn’t take Trucy away from him yet. It was thanks to Trucy’s tears and strong insistence that she wanted to stay with him that he was allowed to watch her until they got a place — a care home or foster family — decided. But it was only a matter of time before it happened.
The stress was definitely getting to him. It was well past midnight but he was still awake, the lack of cases mixed with his odd hours from before combing to cause terrible cases of insomnia. Despite knowing it was pointless, that there simply was nothing he could do, he still was going over every law and tiny detail he could find, hoping for something.
Phoenix wished that Zak would have left something behind, a note releasing his custody to him. That, while not guaranteeing him anything, would have made the argument slightly more in his favor. But he left nothing behind. No note nor witness. Even Trucy said that he simply told her that “the old boy can be trusted.” Certainly it wasn’t enough to hold any claim to be her father.
Tears began to prickle at his eyes and he didn’t try to stop them. Why bother? No one would see them. Phoenix’s been doing his best not to let Trucy see what he’s really feeling, wanting to be strong for her. That’s translated to him breaking down in the darkness, doubling over as the weight of everything slowly pressed down on him.
He lost everything. His job, his growing career, any possibility to become something. And now he would carry around the guilt of causing Trucy to lose the one family member she had left because he had to be stupid enough to present a piece of evidence he didn’t even find himself. Those thoughts swirled around, consuming him, becoming one with his being.
It felt like hours before he got pulled out of his thoughts by a knocking on the door. Dread sank like an anchor in his chest. This was it. Whoever was on the other side of that door was going to take Trucy away. Swallowing down his racing thoughts he got up, having just enough sound of mind to wipe his face before opening the door…
…To reveal Edgeworth. Phoenix blinked, brown eyes taking him in.
“Oh,” he said, voice sounding a little off from his earlier cries, “I’m dreaming.”
“Wright,” and he had to be. There was no way Edgeworth would ever sound that soft, that careful. “You- May I please come in?”
His body moved on instinct, shifting to let the ghost of a man in. After a moment of stillness, something grabs his wrist and — oh, he felt so solid despite being a figment of his mind. Phoenix allowed Edgeworth to plop him down on the couch, his eyes unfocused but blinking wearily. It was only once the prosecutor ran a thumb under his eye that Phoenix’s brain finally realized that he wasn’t dreaming.
Eyes widened and his body reacted, jerking to stand up and get away. He didn’t even make it a step. Shaky legs unable to bear his weight, causing him to collapse back down onto the couch.
“Wright, are you okay? You’re- you’re shaking and… you’ve been crying?”
No. This was all wrong. It had to be a trick. Perhaps he’s sleep walking or so stressed out he’s hallucinating. How else could he explain Edgeworth being here, not only in LA but also acting so caring. Gentle hands stayed on his shoulders, keeping him grounded to the couch as flint eyes searched his face.
Shaking his head Phoenix did his best to deny it. Tried to claim that he was fine. The words didn’t come out, instead being replaced by a hiccup. He couldn’t, he can’t cry. Not in front of Edgeworth. Body shaking he tried to control himself, head twisting away as he tried to hide his shame.
“Wright, please look at me.”
That tone… something had to be wrong. Perhaps Edgeworth was disappointed at how he’s acting and—
“Phoenix?”
All thoughts got cut off at the sound of his name. Edgeworth leaned into him, breath against his ear causing him to shiver. Although with how much his body was shaking it wasn’t even noticeable.
“Something’s wrong. I already know that- that you’ve lost your badge, but there has to be something else. Please, tell me.”
Like an instrument being played by a skilled hand, Phoenix sung. Between the hitches and sobs he couldn’t hold back anymore he told the prosecutor everything. How he presented the forged diary page, stood before the Bar Association and handed in his badge, failed to find any family for Trucy, had CPS tell him that he can’t take custody of Trucy no matter what the girl wants, and how he feels so lost.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
The room was silent, and it took his remaining energy to not breakdown again. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder.
“What if I help?”
Phoenix looked up, the expression on Edgeworth’s face unreadable.
“H-Huh?”
“What if I help adopt her?”
He didn’t say anything. How could he even respond to that? Within the chaos of his last trial, standing in front of the bar association to now, his mind did wander to what Edgeworth’s reaction to the news could be. Anger, frustration, disappointment, nothing. Never could he imagine Edgeworth seeking him out, checking in on him and offering something like this.
“W-What, Edgeworth? I can’t ask you to do that.”
“What if I want to? Wright, you’re trying to help a child who could be put into a harmful situation. You deserve to be supported.”
“Edgeworth, I don’t know what glowing recommendation you could try to give, but the state made it clear that I can’t adopt Trucy.”
“And how about us?”
“Huh?”
“If you and I both adopt Trucy, would they agree?”
Phoenix blinked, not believing what he was hearing. There could be no way. This had to be some hallucination. A stress induced fever dream. Never in a thousand years would he ever think Miles Edgeworth would be asking him if he wanted help adopting a child.
“Edgeworth, adopting a kid isn’t simple. Especially given my case. Even if you adopt her on the papers, they’re going to do check ins. What happens when you’re off in Europe when they come?”
“And who said I’m staying in Europe?”
Phoenix could only stare at the man. All this time, all this time of him running and running and only coming back for short bursts of time, and the thing that could keep him in LA is a child. A child that he’s offering to adopt with him.
“Even still,” he began slowly, not wanting to shatter the moment but needing to lay it all out, “taking care of a child isn’t easy. Hell, I did some research before the state told me I couldn’t and there’s so much to consider. School, all her medical records, if she gets sick, all the paperwork to—”
“And it will be easier together.” No words. Blue eyes trailed down, locking onto where the prosecutor took his hand in his own. “I won’t pretend that I am fawn of children, but I’d be willing to try. As long as you want me to.”
When was Edgeworth going to realize that there was very little he didn’t want to do with him. Wiping his eyes before any tears could fall, he nodded.
“Okay. Yeah. I want to do this. Are you sure though? I know you said that you enjoy studying and working in Europe.”
“There’s nothing stopping me from traveling there for a week if needed. Besides, I think Trucy might enjoy it during the summer.” Squeezing his hand, the prosecutor continued. “We’ll get a joint bank account set up, buy a condo or something to fit all of us, figure out all of Trucy’s schooling and medical stuff together. After all, you’re very good at making the impossible happen.”
The tears were inevitable at this point. Phoenix felt himself crumbing. All this time he was worried about how to make it happen, how people would think of him, what would come next. Somehow Edgeworth was still with him. He wasn’t leaving him behind.
He found himself surrounded by warmth, the scent of tea and wood polish and something else.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. Not this time.”
At a later point they could talk about this. About what this means to each other and what it could be. For now Phoenix allowed himself to be encompassed in the feeling of love, of trust he has in the man he’s known since he was nine.