And Disclaimer: Ace Attorney and all characters are copyright by CAPCOM; I'm just a fan imitating. The stories presented are influenced by the multiple games as well as the comic (Manga written by Kenji Kuroda).
Nightfall
"Daddy," Miles looked over at his father while the bespectacled man started the car, "May I go Trick-or-Treating with Nick and Larry tomorrow evening?"
His father was focused on the car and sighed a little as he pushed up his glassed and pressed the gas pedal as he pulled the long black Town Car away from the curb and began to weave past buses and other cars. He said nothing.
Miles hesitated and wrung his little hands in scared silence. Dad cleared his throat.
"Miles," Dad said, "Don't you think you're a little old for it?"
Miles frowned at his hands. Last year he'd been too young. Why was Dad like that? The car stopped and Miles looked up to see Phoenix and Larry running through the intersection along the crosswalk where a fat woman wearing an orange vest and carrying a stop sign was guarding their passage. Phoenix looked at the car and waved. Dad waved back. Miles frowned.
It just didn't seem fair.
"Larry's going to come with us too," Phoenix said excitedly to his mother, "and maybe Miles too, if his dad says yes."
Mom looked up at him from where she was adjusting a set of football pads, "Honey, are you sure you want to be a Storm Trooper? I think you'd make a very cute scarecrow."
Phoenix made a face at her, "I want to be a Storm Trooper," he reiterated.
Mom gave him a small smile and continued working with the football pads, "How about a jet pilot-like in Top Gun? You can be Maverick."
Phoenix paused, eyes glittering with the idea-then he frowned.
"Mom, that movie is so old. Everyone will make fun of me."
"I won't let them," Mom said chuckling, "I'll dress up like Charlie and follow you around school."
"Mom," Phoenix leveled his glare at his mother, "You're joking right?"
Mom only laughed.
Phoenix waited beside Larry next to a tree stump across the street from the school. They watched as Mister Edgeworth drove into the school lot to drop off Miles. Miles walked away from the car with his head down and started walking toward the school.
"Come on Larry," Phoenix said.
After a moment's protest Larry followed Phoenix across the street and toward the school. They caught up Miles at the front entrance to the school.
"Hey," Phoenix said, "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing," Miles said, "I can't go Trick-or-Treating with you guys."
"Why?" Phoenix said.
"Because that kind of stuff is for little kids," Miles said and he opened the door and went into the building.
Phoenix looked shocked. Larry looked angry.
"He's probably just scared of the dark," Larry said and crossed his arms.
"But I like Trick-or-Treating..." Phoenix said in a small voice.
"My sister and her friends still go Trick-or-Treat-and she's like, fourteen!" Larry said.
"Yeah," Phoenix said, "You're never too old to Trick-or-Treat!"
"Dude," Larry said, "That's not true. If I saw Mister Ketchum dressed up for Halloween and walking around in the streets, I would freak out!"
"Well," Phoenix said thoughtfully, "We're not too old for it."
Miss Pickens was dressed up for Halloween. He couldn't tell what she was supposed to be, but her usual habiliments were certainly not present.
Miles frowned. That Jilly girl was wearing cat ears and her face had painted on whiskers. Nick kept staring at her.
Nick had pulled a white mask out of his back that looked like some cross between an evil robot and a deformed skull. Simon kept telling the class he was some kind of sorcerer named Hairy Putter-or something. It all really did seem stupid and childish. He was above all this nonsense.
So why did he want so badly to join them?
Nick still had his mask on, though he'd pushed it up so that it sat on top of his head. He sat next to Miles at the lunch table and excitedly opened his bagged lunch. Miles was poking at the green Jell-O in the corner of his tray and watching it jiggle. Larry was wolfing down the last remnants of his school lunch, and eyeing Miles' tray.
"Here," Phoenix said and handed a slightly squashed chocolate cupcake with orange icing and Halloween paper wrapped around the bottom, "Mom gave me an extra one for you."
"Sweet!" Larry said, "You're mom is hecka cool, dude!"
Phoenix smiled and pulled out a slightly squashed peanut butter and jelly sandwich and tucked in. He caught Miles looking at Larry eat that cupcake.
Phoenix swallowed a mouthful of PB&J, "Sorry, Miles."
Miles looked at him and shook his head, "Why?"
"My Mom forgot to pack one for you."
"It's fine," Miles said, "Dad says all that chocolate is bad for my teeth, and it has caffeine in it."
Phoenix took another bite of his sandwich, still eyeing Miles sidelong.
"I'll give you half of mine," Phoenix said.
"You don't really have to," Miles said, "and it's rude to speak with your mouth full."
"Hey you slow pokes can chit chat for the whole lunch hour if you want," Larry said, "But I'm going outside."
"Bye Larry," Phoenix said-with his mouth still full of PB&J.
"What is your mask supposed to be?" Miles asked timidly after a while.
"It's a Storm Trooper mask," Phoenix said.
"What's a-"
"From Star Wars?" Phoenix said incredulous, "You've seen Star Wars, right?"
"Is it a movie or a TV show?"
"Oh man," Phoenix said, "We need to fix that... How come you wont go Trick-or-Treating with us?"
"Trick-or-Treating is for little-" Miles began.
"No, really? Why don't you come with us?"
"My Dad said I can't," Miles said.
"Did you try to explain to him how epic Halloween is? Or did you just ask him once?"
"Hey!" Miles said.
"What the heck are you supposed to be!" Phoenix said when Larry entered his house.
"I'm the Scorpion King... Duh," Larry said.
Phoenix was only wearing a long sleeved black shirt and black jeans with white sneakers.
"You're not even ready yet!" Larry said, "All the candy will be gone before we get out there!"
"Relax," Mom said, "It's only four o'clock."
"Wow Ms. Wright," Larry said, "What are you dressed as? Are you a pilot?"
Mom giggled as she put the football pads she'd managed to make look like armor over Phoenix's head.
"Mom," Phoenix protested, "I can do it!"
"Oh okay," she laughed and then turned to answer Larry's question, "I'm Charlie from Top Gun."
"What's Top Gun?" Larry asked.
Phoenix felt his face grow hot but he was rescued by the door bell.
"Oh, Mister Edgeworth!" Mom said.
Phoenix finished putting on his football pads and ran toward the door expectantly. He frowned at Miles who was still dressed like he did at school.
"Where's your costume!" Phoenix said.
"Well two things happened," Mister Edgeworth was telling Mom, "My case was delayed, and this fellow here insisted that he wanted to do this with his friends."
"Oh, it's not a problem," Mom said blushing in the curly blonde wig she was wearing, "Please come in! Miles, I have the perfect costume for you!"
"Mom NO!" Phoenix said.
"I don't suppose you'd have need of another chaperone?" Mister Edgeworth said.
Mom blushed and shook her head and then nodded, "That would be very kind of you."
Phoenix slapped his hand over his face.
The evening was cool and starting to fade when they left the house.
Phoenix was a Storm Trooper.
Larry was the Scorpion King.
And Miles got to be Maverick.
A/N: Thanks for reading!
Happy Halloween! I hope you had lots of fun and/or candy!
Greg Edgeworth's Lincoln Town Car—totally inspired by the movie "Lincoln Lawyer". Because Greg Edgeworth is just that cool…
I really like Top Gun (sorry) almost as much as I like the idea of Phoenix's mom and Edgeworth's dad having a little thing for each other.