11 – Sewing
Trucy began to visit the therapist every two weeks. Sometimes, Miles and Phoenix sat with her; other times, they let her be. The therapist – Luanne, she had told Trucy to call her – was much nicer than Sue. However, the latter was still an unfortunate burden on the lives of all three members of this wacky new family.
Phoenix said Sue was helping him to overcome his "habits" (Trucy obviously knew this had something to do with the green glass bottles and how they were being replaced by green bottles of grape juice instead). When Trucy asked about how exactly she was doing that if all she wanted to do was threaten to take her, Phoenix replied that he was also getting counselling, every Thursday.
Phoenix needed slightly more frequent counselling to Trucy because his habits were "hard to give up", and he needed to in order for Trucy to not get taken away by Miss Shall.
Sometimes, it felt to Trucy as though everyone thought she was a little slow, like they had to speak to her in this strange way that always made her feel a little offended.
Still, things seemed to be getting better. Phoenix didn't seem as bothered about Maya's amnesia – not in a mean way, he was still being updated about it by Larry, but his brow no longer furrowed whenever the name was brought up. Trucy used to notice that happening a lot.
The rips in the fabric of their lives seemed to gradually mend themselves.
After about 5 months of counselling, every member of the family was back on track.
Which was when Edgeworth had first decided he would leave.
Trucy was at school the day Phoenix walked in on him packing a large red suitcase.
At first, the suitcase was cut off from view. Phoenix, still tired, staggered up behind the well-dressed man, still in a pair of boxers and a white t-shirt. "Hey, you." He yawned, placing his arms around his waist and resting his head on his shoulder.
Miles, a little on edge, tried his best to smile, hoping the other hadn't quite noticed the packing yet. "Morning, sleeping beauty."
This caused Phoenix to smile a little to himself. His eyes were shut; he still hadn't quite woken up yet. "Last night was fun…"
"We watched TV until 2AM and you passed out," Miles reminded. That's all they ever seemed to do. Over the past half-a-year of basically dating, they hadn't accumulated many romantic memories to say for it.
"Yeah, but it was nice…" Phoenix replied, rocking himself side to side. "And now I'm awake to do this." He began to kiss down Miles' neck, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind him. With his hands, he started to unbutton the fuchsia waistcoat.
It felt good – so good it almost tempted Miles to think up an excuse for his packing and roll with it.
He didn't have much time to ponder this, however.
As Phoenix slipped off the waistcoat from around Miles, his eyes opened up to the scene in front of him for the first time. He let go of everything and took a step back, searching Miles' face for an incentive to drop it immediately.
"Miles?" Phoenix uttered, rubbing his eyes as though he didn't quite believe the sight he was seeing was anything but a dream. "What's going on?"
A sigh escaped the other man's lips, followed by words that flowed like quick excuses. "Wright, we knew this deal was temporary. Once your lives were back on track, I would return to mine. I've spent almost a year apart from it."
A sharp pain rushed towards Phoenix's heart, deflating and sinking it. "'Wright'? We slept in the same, fucking bed for how long, and you're back to 'Wright'?"
"Please, Wright, do not-"
"No, Miles, you are not walking out as if nothing happened-"
"We kissed once besides today, please fill me in on how much we've done."
Phoenix opened his mouth as if to retort and then shut it quickly again, denying he even attempted to.
Noticing the awkward silence, Miles continued in a softer tone. "I'm sorry I can't stay, but there's no longer a reason for me to."
"Funny. For a second there I thought we were your family rather than your job." Phoenix's voice was cold. He stared down at his own feet, unable to look into the eyes of the other man.
His friend. His partner. The only thing that made fixing their lives possible.
Miles shrugged his words off – or at least, tried to – making his way downstairs to the front door. "Think what you like, I don't need this."
Phoenix followed, anger boiling up inside him, tears bubbling around his eyes. "Don't you dare walk out that door, Miles Edgeworth."
Miles threw him one last apologetic gaze, and stepped out of the Wright household for good.
"Fine! Fuck you too!" Phoenix shouted, throwing the first thing he could find – an empty green glass bottle – at the door. When he used to shout, he did so in a dignified, confident manner. Now, all he could do was whine.
Collapsing into a ball on the first step, he wondered what exactly he'd possibly done to send him out the door.
Which is how Trucy found him as she returned from school. "Daddy, Mommy, I'm-"
Home. Except, the only memory this image in front of her brought up was of before Miles came and saved the day, before Miles waved his magic wand and turned the wine into grape juice and the glass into fun and the pumpkin into a carriage that would take them away from the hell they'd found themselves in, ride them through purgatory and greet them at heaven's door with smiles and laughter and a family.
This wasn't home. This was a nightmare.
She made her way across the glass sea in her shoes and to the shipwreck on the bottom step. She did so cautiously, reminiscent of the time he'd almost hit her. He could be just as drunk now.
"Daddy?" Trucy said, a safe foot away at least.
Thankfully, as teary-eyed as the face which was lifted in to view was, it wasn't bloodshot or drunken.
"Truce…" He gave her a pathetic excuse for a smile and gestured her closer. "Oh baby-girl, I'm so sorry…"
"Daddy what's wrong?" She asked, sitting down and throwing her arms around him. "Where's Mommy?"
"Mommy—I mean, Miles," Phoenix corrected himself, not wanting to play house any longer. "He's left. He needed to return to his own home. It's just you and me again."
Trucy couldn't believe it. Everything was so… perfect. To have it all taken away from her like that… it wasn't fair.
She'd already watched one family split apart. She'd already lost one mother. To lose another was too much.
"It'll be okay, though," Phoenix reassured her, watching the pain form in her eyes. "We don't need him. I'm not drinking anymore, and we're both getting counselled, and Sue Shall gets to complain to me about how Miles is gone. So everyone's a winner."
Trucy knew Phoenix was only trying to lighten the mood, but the thought of Sue Shall made her cringe. There was only so much you could hide from a social worker.
And only so many glass bottles you could break before it became impossible to clean up entirely.
