Disclaimer: I don't own the Phoenix Wright series or any of its characters. This is purely for nonprofit enjoyment. Besides, if you sued me the only thing I could give you would be nuclear pizza. Not much in that…
A/N: I asked one of my best friends for a Phoenix Wright prompt, and she asked me to write about Phoenix being Mia's understudy. It…ended differently than I'd planned (and she'd wanted), but I still hope she enjoys it.
This does have one-sided Phoenix/Mia (yay, office crushes!), but it's nothing the people who aren't fans of the pairing need to get all in a tizzy about.
Mild spoilers for GS3, more hinted than plainly said.
Enjoy!
Likeness
It shouldn't have surprised her. She'd suspected it since the end of his case, but still couldn't help but blink in surprise when he showed up at the door to Fey and Co. Law Offices. His face had the lost the kicked-puppy look, but his eyes still held the spark of liveliness; she could only hope it didn't go hand-in-hand with the ridiculous naivete he'd had...was it really over a year ago?
"Hi. Um...'m not sure if you remember me, Ms. Fey--"
"Mr. Wright."
His face brightened. "You do remember!"
"It's not a case I would soon forget." Her lips twisted wryly as his face flushed. "Come in. Would you like some coffee?"
"Yes please." Phoenix straightened his black tie, pretending he hadn't just tripped over the threshold.
"How did you find me?" she inquired. "I just set this office up a few months ago."
"I uh--yeowch!!" Phoenix set the coffee cup down and fanned at his mouth, then blushed again and stopped. "I went to Mr. Grossberg's office first, and he gave me your address."
She nodded. "What can I do for you? You're not in legal trouble again, I hope?" Mia leaned back and folded her legs at the knees, sitting straight and proper with a comfort gained only through experience.
"No no! I er...I passed the bar exam."
"So you did," she replied, not unkindly. "Congratulations."
"Th-Thank you!" he chuckled slightly, rubbing the back of his head and eying the gleaming gold badge with pride. "But I was wondering if you would...erm...take me in...as an understudy."
"Hmm..." Mia tapped a finger to her lips. An eyebrow quirked. "And why should I take you as my understudy, Mr. Wright?"
He leaned forward. "I can do anything you need me to!"
"Anything?" It certainly would help...all the paperwork, interviewing witnesses...when he stands on his own it'll generate income for the office, too... She caught his furious blush and barely restrained herself from smacking her face with her palm. Good lord...he could be more subtle about it. I dearly hope this isn't the reason he became a defense attorney. "You realize, Mr. Wright, this is a lot of work."
"I-I know! But..."
"...yes?" she prompted.
He looked up, and she caught in his dark brown eyes a determination Mia had only seen in the post-trial time with him in the Defendant's Lobby. "But I became a defense attorney to help someone."
"Help...or save? They're two very different things, neither of them easy."
"I'm not sure," he admitted, looking at his hands. His head snapped up and he met her gaze again, unwavering. "But I have to see, and I have to try!"
She should turn him away, by all rights. She shouldn't give him false hope, shouldn't allow him to become so emotionally invested in helping or saving someone. "Defense attorneys are not superheroes, Wright. We cannot help everyone, and sometimes we protect and even acquit criminals, because we must believe in our client's innocence at all times. We are no better than prosecutors, who condemn to death the innocent along with the guilty."
There was a man, ferocious in appearance but not in nature, swallowing the trinket that would seal his fate, and the face of the prosecutor, shocked that the defendant was doing his job for him--
Phoenix was hanging on her every word, and Mia was sharply, painfully reminded of herself asking for a position in Grossberg's office. "Do you understand?"
"I...I think I will with time, Ms. Fey."
"Well then." She stood.
"M-Ms. Fey?"
"I have a lot of work to do, Mr. Wright." She paused and watched his face twist in confusion. "I'll need help if I'm to get it all finished today."
His face lit up and he jumped to his feet. "Yes, Chief!"
He was overall an average guy, she discovered over the next few months. He wasn't especially dumb or brilliant, but Phoenix did work hard as he'd promised. He attended every court case Mia was in, watching with rapt attention. He organized Mia's files so attentively that his own desk was soon swallowed by personal papers left unattended, and he swore to her up and down he'd get to them...just as soon as he finished watering Charley. And calling back the next potential client. And making more coffee. And making a lunch run. And...
Sometimes he would rush into the office late, tie askew and shirt half untucked, stammering apologies, and she'd shake her head and smile, sending him off to clean his desk, "For real this time, Phoenix."
Of course, the mountain of papers only grew.
"Phoenix."
"Yes, Chief?"
"I need to meet with my client." Mia shuffled some papers and slid them into her briefcase, thinking of the last-minute phone call she'd just received. I'm getting so close to White, so close.
"...hold down the fort?"
"Hm? No, not today. There's a potential witness the prosecution may have missed. I'd like you to go and get a statement from him. Here." She handed him a red silk tie, a piece of paper attached to it.
"A...tie, Chief?"
"It'll look nicer with the blue suit than your black one. More...professional. The paper has the witness's contact information."
He smiled, looking like a little boy at Christmas, and took the gift. "Th-Thank you, Chief. I'll get right on it!"
She smiled fondly at him and shut the door behind her.
"Your client is who?!" Phoenix's fingers fumbled with the keys to Fey and Co. Law Offices. He finished locking up and turned to his mentor's surprised face.
"His name is...Harry Gutz?" She pursed her lips -- don't go down that road now, Phoenix, focus -- and turned her eyes to the ceiling tiles as if they held the answer. It was a gesture he was now quite familiar with and one of his mentor's more endearing faces...not that he would admit that aloud. "He spent most of the time weeping and going on about how he was alone and worthless without his girl," Mia continued, snapping Phoenix out of his tangent.
His stomach sank. "Please." It was hard to speak around the lump in his throat, but he forced himself to do so. "Please let me take this case."
She was obviously startled. "The trial is tomorrow, in less than twelve hours, and you haven't read the case file--"
"Please, Chief!"
"I need to take this case, Mr. Grossberg."
"My dear, we don't even have all the information, and you'll be up against the Rookie Killer--"
Her hand slammed against his desk. "My client is innocent, so it doesn't matter!"
"Why do you need to do this, Mia? Do you know the defendant personally? Or is this another matter?"
"...it's for Diego," she said finally.
Is he the reason you became a defense attorney?" It was hard to believe that sobbing oddball of a man would be responsible, but Phoenix had definitely surprised her before.
"Sort of," he admitted quietly. "Larry's not the main reason, though. But he could lead me to the other person."
"This Mr. Wright could lead me straight to Diego's killer."
Mia sighed,
handing the file out for her to take.
Phoenix reached out, fingertips
brushing against the folder
before opening it and flipping
through, skimming, leaving the
heavy reading for later.
She looked up, giving a tiny smile. "Thank
you, Chief."
Grossberg sighed.
Mia nodded.
Mia was slumped against the wall unmoving, dark liquid -- blood, Phoenix, we don't have the nicest profession, you know -- dried in her hair. Dead, dead, Mia's dead she's not coming back she'll never see me through another case-- I never told-- finished...sorting those papers...on my desk...I still need to water Charley, too...
"This scarf?" Mia ran it through her fingers, and there was a look of pain, of love, of all things bitter and wonderful that Phoenix regretted asking immediately.
"It was from someone...special. He's dead, now."
"Isn't it painful?"
"As long as I wear it, I know he's still with me...that I'm not alone."
Phoenix looked at Mia's lifeless form, ran a finger over his red tie, and realized he had never felt so empty in his entire life.