Without You
Summary: Everyday was almost just a boring routine for psychiatrist Phoenix Wright, until a certain stranger knocked on his office's door, asking for a consultation. AU where Phoenix is a psychologist and Miles is not a prosecutor.
Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine, they belong to CAPCOM.
Warning: There may be grammatically incorrect sentences lurking somewhere, please don't mind them. I'm not a psychologist, so if there are anything wrong with anything, do tell me so I will be aware. MxM sexual stuff in the later parts, so I put Rated M just in case. If you no like, you no read, you go now. Seriously, don't take it for granted. (Some minor character pairs included.)
A/N: It's the first time for me to upload a Wrightworth/ Narumitsu fic. All my attempts are in drafts, and they're a bit hard to continue. This fic was inspired by Breaking Benjamin's song of the same title because of the nostalgia I feel every time I listen to it. I recommend listening to the song, it's very beautiful.
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Everyday was almost a routine for Phoenix Wright – wake up, fix his office, prepare himself, then wait for his patients. Most of them are regulars, like Mr. Larry Butz, scheduled every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, from nine to ten o'clock AM, sometimes earlier; Ms. Adrian Adams, every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, one to two PM; Mr. Will Powers, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, from four PM to five. They can come during their designated days any time they want to, as long as it lands on their schedule, and as long as they visit him weekly.
During his free time, he would sometimes go out to have some coffee, or take his cousin Maya out for some burgers. Every now and then, some irregular clients come for a bit of consultation: ask about their state of mind, bore Phoenix to death while talking about depression caused by unfortunate series of romances, or sometimes talk about topics that are actually very important. If the luxury of time was given to him, he would sometimes ponder about the marvels of the human mind, or internally rant why in hell did he want to become a psychologist?
Phoenix was sitting behind his work table while writing certain things for his patients. He looked at his wristwatch and saw that the time was already 12:46 pm, and today was a Thursday. Ms. Adams should be here soon, he thought. He stood up and started to organise his things. The room was unexpectedly tidy today, compared to other days where some of his regular patients would jokingly complain about the mess.
As soon as he finished, there was a knock on the door. He straightened his suit and fixed his spiky hair as he strode towards the source of the sound.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Adams. Early as always," he greeted when he opened the door. "Come in." He smiled and gave way for the woman to enter.
"Dr. Wright, I am surprised to see that your office is in order." She smiled as she looked around before sitting on the designated chair. Adrian Adams has been a patient since Phoenix started, which was four years ago, when he was 23. She was a troubled young lady and she was amazed at how much she was able to cope with her problems with the doctor's help. She decided then that she has to go back for regular consultation.
"Me too. I was absorbed on my notebook and forgot the time. I haven't touched anything yet." He sat across her, the said notebook in hand. "So, how are you doing?"
"Unfortunately, it happened again last Monday, that's why I wasn't able to visit that day." Suddenly, her bright face turned grim. Phoenix nodded, focusing on her words. "I... I thought we were okay already. I went to Franziska to apologise and reassure her that we weren't going to break up." She bursted in tears and covered her face, relaxing after a few sobs.
Adrian's love story was something Phoenix could handle because it wasn't as exaggerated as the others. The woman knew that she was a homosexual even before she met the doctor. She had problems, however, and Phoenix noted that she had a hard time trusting people which made her relationships more difficult. She had a personality disorder, called "Paranoid Personality", and people that have this are suspicious, hypersensitive, rigid, envious, and self-important, but the characteristic that mainly adds fuel to the fire is the tendency to blame others for one's mistakes and failures and ascribe even evil motives to others. It seems that she blamed her girlfriend for something she did and this resulted to something grave. Franziska, according to Adrian, was very understanding of her condition. However, as we all are humans, all of the suppressed feelings surged out of her just like the tsunami that had recently hit India.
After her story, Phoenix immediately told her what to do and how to deal with the problem. They started the therapy then, emphasising the changes of situations and the re-education of the individual, along with a bit of trust assurance, and techniques to control her paranoia. After their session, the teary Ms. Adams shook Phoenix's hand gratefully and they both said their farewells. When the woman was gone, Phoenix closed the door, heaving a heavy sigh, and went back to his work table. Three minutes felt like forever when nothing, except for the recent information, consumed his mind. It was certain for people in this profession to often stress about their clients' problems as well, thinking of direct or alternate ways for a resolution.
"Great." He muttered, then looked at his wristwatch seeing that the time was half-passed two, and Mr. Powers phoned yesterday that he wasn't going for a consultation. Phoenix wanted to go home, but he kept the office open just in case. He stood up, looked around, and decided to get a cup of good ol' black coffee from the café across the building.
"Hey, Maggey. I'll get the usual." he told the bespectacled young woman behind the counter.
"Sure, Dr. Wright." She smiled gleefully. "Any additions?"
"Hmm," Phoenix rubbed his chin, examining the daily menu. "Maybe," he turned his attention to the girl, "You could recommend something good, instead?"
"Then I say the apple cinnamon pie! It's fresh from the oven and I was the one who suggested it, adapting my Grandma's recipe."
"Sure, as long as it's not too sweet." He answered, then noticed the sudden change of hues on the girl's face. "What's the matter?"
"Have you heard? An ex-convict got into trouble last night." Maggey whispered.
"Ex-convict? Where?"
"Just a few blocks from here. They said he beat up a man trying to harass him and was detained for the night. Can't blame him, though."
"Yeah, that's not so great. He may even be traumatised and stuff like that." He sighed. An ex-convict roaming the city? Can't say that's assuring. "Do you know why he was imprisoned?"
"Yeah, it was a big case five years ago. He was convicted for killing his father. All news channels and websites were focused on that, whether it be crooks or legit."
"Killed his father?" He mumbled.
"Okay!" Maggey broke the gloominess when the oven dinged. "Let me just wrap it up nicely for you. Here," she handed the take-out coffee, followed by the cake. Phoenix gave her the payment with a soft 'Thanks' and she gave her gratitude as well. "Come again!"
Phoenix was watching the cars pass by, waiting for a chance to cross, as he sighed worriedly. He took a sip of the relaxing coffee before he walked back to his office.
"Convicted for killing his father, huh?" He mumbled, setting himself on his table, before indulging in his sweet treat.
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(*) - I know I got that reference from somewhere, but unfortunately, I can't remember.
A/N: Hi! This is the first NaruMitsu fic I uploaded (but definitely not the first one to be written), and I would love to hear– or in this case, read– your thoughts about it so far. I had help from the Internet and a book we have about psychology, though I have to research more about it. Thanks for reading! :D
