Dedicated to Ingthing who's lovely elderly Phoenix and Miles piece inspired this work of mine, with grateful thanks. :)
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A/N: I do not own Phoenix Wright, Miles Edgeworth, Trucy Wright, Klavier Gavin or Apollo Justice; they belong top CAPCOM. However, the plot and Trucy's husband and children and Klavier & Apollo's adopted sons, are mine. Inspired by a piece that Ingthing did on a livestream on Tumblr this morning. Thanks! :)
Thank you also to my beloved husband, DezoPenguin, for the title. Thanks, Sweetie! :) *kiss* Love you!
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Miles and Phoenix are making a scrapbook for their daughter, Trucy's, birthday next month and reminisce over the events of their life together as they choose which photographs they will include...
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I must admit to feeling quite sentimental today. I was on Ingthing's livestream this morning and was inspired by her lovely piece to write this fic. I asked her if I could write a fic based on her piece and she said I could. So I did... and this is the result. Thank you, Ingthing, for the lovely piece that inspired it and for permission to use it. :)
I would love to see more elderly Phoenix and Miles pieces since there is a definite lack of them for the most part. It's wonderful to see them together over the years and so happy together.
Hope you enjoy!
Thanks to my readers and all those who have favourited, reviewed, story alerted, favourite author or author alerted me. I appreciate it more than I can say! :)
Special thanks to my beloved husband, DezoPenguin, for all his help, support, advice, the title, nagging (when necessary) and encouragement! I appreciate it more than I can say! Love you!
Comments are appreciated and constructive criticism is welcomed.
Rated Teen, male/male relationships, Phoenix x Edgeworth, Klavier Gavin x Apollo Justice
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September 25, 2068
Phoenix Wright x Miles Edgeworth Residence
8 P.M.
Miles and I sat on the couch in the living room that evening after dinner, the red leather album spread out on the coffee table in front of us. We had glue and scissors already on the table and the pictures we wished to include along with a few newspaper clippings that we had collected over the years were also ready at hand.
It had been a long summer filled with various activities with family and friends and, judging from the stack of photos we had piled on the table beside it, we would have our work cut out for us this evening. Cups of tea steaming in separate corners and our favorite comforter spread over our laps, we began the long, though enjoyable, task of choosing pictures to include.
Miles picked up a stack and brought them over to his side where he placed them in a neat pile beside the open album spread out over the table. His eyes misted as he looked over each one and I leaned over to see which ones he was looking at and felt my heart skip a beat.
It was the pictures of our wedding forty-three years earlier that Trucy had taken with her automatic camera. We went through them, memory after memory coming to our minds.
She'd been nineteen at the time and was thrilled when Miles and I announced that we were planning to get married after dinner that evening. She'd thrown herself into the planning of our wedding with an enthusiasm that surprised both Miles and myself since we'd planned on going to City Hall and simply getting married there with Trucy and Apollo as witnesses but she wouldn't hear of it. NOTHING was too good for her Papas and, despite initially being chagrined, we'd both acquiesced with grace and let her take the reins in hand. We had to admit that we were impressed.
"Do you remember when we stood at the fountain?" Miles asked, his voice soft, a smile spreading over his face as he looked at the picture he held in his hand. "And Trucy was trying to get the perfect picture?"
"I remember," I replied, a grin tugging at the corners of my mouth, chuckling deep in my throat. I'd teased my daughter about this for years and it had gotten to the point years earlier where it became a standing joke between us and a story that both Miles and myself relished in telling, and retelling, much to her chagrin.
She'd had us standing in front of the cascading water fountain that stood in front of the reception hall and was trying to maneuver around the base when her foot slipped and she'd tumbled right into the cold water, pulling in Apollo who'd tried to help her keep her footing.
She'd emerged, dripping and somewhat abashed, with the most curious expression on her face. After a moment of stunned silence and making sure that she was all right and hadn't hurt herself with her tumble, both Miles and I had burst out laughing along with our other guests who had witnessed her dunking. We'd laughed until our sides were sore and the sheepishly enraged expression on her face only added another degree of comedy to the already ridiculous situation.
"Very funny, Dads," she'd groused, accepting the hand that Apollo held out to her in order to help her out of the fountain as he clambered out after her and walking past us with offended dignity. We were hard pressed not to giggle at the squelching sounds that accompanied her as she marched by which only added to the general merriment and the reception went on without a hitch.
She'd refused to speak to us for a day or two after that but we weren't worried; we knew that she would come around eventually and she did, coming over a couple of days after our wedding. She forgave us although I still couldn't resist needling her about her perfect picture while she merely rolled her eyes and ignored me which amused Miles to no end.
She'd been over with her husband, William, their three grown children and three grandchildren a few days ago which had coincided with the visit of Apollo and his husband, Klavier Gavin, and their two adopted sons and their families which thrilled Trucy and William to no end; it had been some time since they had seen them last and wanted to know how they were doing. It had been a pleasant visit full of reminiscing with more good natured needling about her perfect picture. Since Klavier had not attended-he was out of the country at the time on tour-he wanted to know what had happened and we launched into the story with relish while Trucy gave us all evil looks.
I took Miles' hand in my own, squeezing it tenderly. He smiled at me, leaning over and laying his head on my shoulder and closing his eyes. We sat in companionable silence for some time, enjoying each others closeness and the scintillating sounds of the evening outside of our living room window, each thinking our own private thoughts.
"We've been lucky, haven't we Phoenix?"
"Yes." I squeezed his hand and reached for my own stack that was within easy reach, placing it on my side of the open album before sitting back again. "We have."
"Do you think that Apollo and Klavier's oldest will go into law?"
I thought a moment. "Maybe. He certainly seems to have the aptitude for it and he enjoys a good argument so, if I were a betting man, I'd take odds that he eventually will whether it be as prosecutor or defense attorney remains to be seen."
Miles chuckled. "That will be something to see. He's very articulate and knows how to present his case clearly and concisely... unlike a certain defense attorney I know." He gave me a crooked grin and I laughed.
"Oh, I don't know," I returned pertly, winking roguishly, leaning in and nuzzling his cheek with my nose. "I seem to recall a certain prosecutor who I managed to defeat a few times with regularity in the past, despite my lack of clarity..."
He made a sour face and I grinned.
"Don't remind me," he said with chagrin and I couldn't help but chuckle. It was days like this that I couldn't resist teasing him and he sometimes left himself so wide open that it was hard for me not to needle him.
"I'm only teasing you, Miles." I gave him a lopsided grin and I could see the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Life is meant to be enjoyed so let's not waste it being a sourpuss."
"I am not a sourpuss," he huffed with great dignity.
"Trucy seems to think so."
"That's because she's your daughter, Phoenix."
I laughed. "She seems to want to deny it, sometimes."
He couldn't help but chuckle at that one. "Especially since her eldest grandchild seems to be taking after you."
"I had noticed which would explain why she was muttering something about the "Grandparent's curse" the other day." I grinned. "He must be a handful."
"He certainly can be some days," Miles agreed, "but he is a good child, all around, despite that."
"Yes, he is."
We fell silent again and spent the next hour and a half choosing, cutting and pasting our pictures for this album which was to be a birthday gift for Trucy next month. She'd often said that she wanted us to make one for her seeing as how we had made beautiful scrapbooks for other members of the family and she'd wanted to know her roots and the background of her Papas.
Looking down at the nearly finished book, I couldn't help but feel a surge of pride at the beautiful piece Miles and I had created. It reminded me so much of our life together and I couldn't help but feel a surge of nostalgia. I was also grateful for our many decades of happily married life and, given the soft look on Miles' face and the faraway look in his eyes, I knew that he did, too.
"I love you, Miles," I said softly, planting a kiss on his cheek and then moved it over to his mouth.
"I love you, too, Phoenix," he replied, his grey eyes shining softly as he leaned into my embrace.
The rest of the evening continued as we cut and pasted our pictures and placed them in the album, memories of every kind going though our mind, enjoying the evening of reminiscing and gratitude for our many years together.
When it was at last complete, we sat back and I held Miles in my arms, kissing his head and thinking of how lucky we were to have found such a wonderful love together and that our life, like the beautiful book that lay on the table in front of us, was beautiful, too.
.:FIN:.
