A.N: This is the first story of a few onshots, all of them based on, as the title implies, tense moments between our characters. None of the stories are related unless clearly indicated. Might include some romance, I haven't totally made up my mind yet. Disclaimer for coarse language. Other than that, enjoy!

Story One: In a Bad Mood

June 24, 2032, 2:48 PM
Wright Anything Agency
Main Office

Phoenix and Maya were coming back from the courthouse in the early afternoon, after a session where they had clearly struggled. The defense attorney's case had not been at its best, and the Prosecution had taken full advantage of that. So as they came back and entered the Agency, it was rather… quiet.

Nick has been in a bad mood ever since today's session ended… He's not content with how it went, that's for sure… It's true that it was tough, and we were on the verge of losing multiple times!

"Nick?", Maya asked, "Cheer up! We didn't lose! At least… not yet!"

"But we almost did!", Phoenix contested coldly, "Everything went bad in there! Damn, it couldn't have been worse!"

Woah…! It's been a while since I've seen him in such an angry state… Better cheer him up!

"It will be better tomorrow, Nick! We've seen worse!", the spirit medium told him cheerily, "There are some leads we need to pursue!"

Maya, please! I need to think; and think alone!

"Plus, it's not like you weren't about to lose in each one of your trials, right?", she added with a grin.

"Maya… Please… just leave me alone.", he said annoyingly, "I need to think, okay?"

"Woah… You aren't yourself now Nick.", the Master of Kurain noted, "You need to cheer up a little, it's not your type to lose hope like that! C'mon, you have not lost yet, stay optimistic!"

"…", he remained silent and looked away.

"A-Are you alright, Nick?"

Grr, for God's sake, can't she leave me alone for a minute?!

He is clearly acting weird right now, but why?! Yeah, the situation is looking pretty grim right now, but usually he would be the first one to go investigate to make things better! So why is he all grumpy right now…?

"Earth to Nick? I said, 'are you alright?'", she repeated in order to get his attention.

"Oh, Maya, for God's sake, just shut it up already!", the spiky-haired lawyer finally spoke up angrily, "I said I needed to think! Didn't you hear?!"

With that, he stood up from the couch and left the office, banging the door close as he exited. This left Maya alone, her mouth still opened in shock.

Wh-What… What just happened…? D-Did he just tell me to shut up…?

The young woman started sobbing as she sat down where the defense attorney had been sitting a few moments before.

What's wrong with you Nick?! It's not like you at all to be mean like that! W-Why Nick?! What happened that made you like that?!

She was now crying continuously as she searched for a reason why her best friend would act the way he did just before.

W-Was I useless to you Nick…? Didn't you need me in there…? Was I the reason you nearly lost…?

As she asked herself many questions, someone opened the door again and made their way inside. Maya didn't hear them, though, and continued in her crying.

June 24, 2032, 2:56 PM
Wright Anything Agency
Main Office

There doesn't seem to be anybody in there… Perhaps Daddy's not back yet? Well, I'll just enter and see for myself…

Trucy entered her father's agency and set her silky hat on the stand. As she approached Phoenix's desk, she thought she heard someone.

Hmm? Is someone here? I'm sure I heard a noise just now…

She arrived behind the couch where she was about to sit when she noticed someone crying, their face in their hands.

Th-That's Aunt Maya! Wh-Why is she crying?!

"Aunt Maya!", the magician exclaimed, "Wh-What's wrong?!"

The spiritualist turned a bit to see her niece next to her. She gave her a small smile, which Trucy was sure to decipher as a forced one.

"Ah, Trucy… N-Nothing to concern yourself about…", she said pitiably and sobbed some more.

"Surely not!", the youngest woman protested, "There's no way I'm letting my dearest aunt cry without knowing why! No way! Now, tell me what's wrong.", she added gently.

"Trucy… Oh, Trucy!", Maya said as she grabbed the small magician and hugged her tightly. The warm and kind aura that emanated from her made the spirit medium's crying slow down, and it eventually became controllable.

Her young niece took a tissue out of her attire and handed it to her, still smiling, "There."

"Th-Thanks…", the oldest of the two said as she dried her brown eyes.

"So, tell me, what's wrong, Aunt Maya. I can't stand seeing you cry like that."

"W-Well… Nick and I were coming out of the courthouse earlier…", she began, "It was a tough battle and we almost lost… When we came back here… Nick was in a bad mood and when I tried to cheer him up… well, he… he told me to shut up…", Maya admitted and lowered her face, "I-I was useless to him… I got what I deserved I guess…"

As she listened, Trucy's face showed signs of anger. She was usually calm and collected, however, she couldn't stand to see her close ones in such a poor state, especially when it had been caused by someone else close to her. She had lost her biological family this way, she would not let it happen again.

Daddy! Just wait until I get a hold of you! Argh! Poor Aunt Maya…

"It's okay, Aunt Maya, I'm sure he didn't mean it.", the young magician consoled her, "Grr, Daddy can be such a jerk! I'll force him to apologize, don't worry."

"N-No, it's okay, Trucy… I don't want you to be fighting with your father over me…"

"No! I won't leave it at that!", Phoenix's daughter added, "No way!"

Seeing that she wouldn't change her mind, Maya smiled and chuckled a bit.

"You know Trucy, you remind me a lot of myself when I was your age… Always so cheery and stubborn…", the Master of Kurain said reminiscently, "Thanks Trucy."

"No problem, Aunt Maya! I'm glad to see you feel better."

Nick truly is lucky to have a daughter as wonderful as Trucy… She's always so kind and caring, even though life has often been cruel with her… I truly admire her.

After a minute or two where Maya dried the last remaining sobs under her eyes, she spoke up again.

"Would you care to go to the restaurant with me?", the spirit medium proposed, her cheery behavior back.

"Sure! I'd love to!", the talented teenager said, "Burger?"

"I'm okay with that! My treat! C'mon, let's go!"

"Right behind you, Aunt Maya!", she said as she picked up her silky hat from where she had put it before and they left the Agency.

June 24, 2032, 3:03 PM
People Park
Near the Crime Scene

After leaving his office, Phoenix went to the crime scene in order to investigate. The murder had happened in People Park, near the Agency. The park had been the scene of another murder, only a few years after a doctor was killed by one of his former nurses there. His first investigation the day before had turned out almost nothing, and he hoped he'd finally be able to figure something out, or the situation would get even worse…

Grr, calm down Phoenix! You can't investigate correctly in this state! … C'mon, get a grip of yourself! Okay, this guy may have cheated, but you've seen worse! Oh, fuck that!

He was still clearly angry and couldn't investigate properly. All he did was walk along the park, kicking a can every once in a while to decompress, but it didn't work. In fact, the defense attorney was mad at the prosecutor he had faced earlier in Court, believing he had forged evidence to win the trial. Of course, you didn't need to know Phoenix well to know that he despised the use of forged evidence, since a false allegation of forgery had cost him seven years of his career.

Argh, fuck this guy! The Prosecutor's Office is still full of assholes it seems like! The Dark Age of the Law is over they said! My ass! Oh, damnit, I'm going home.

The veteran lawyer hadn't been in the park for more than ten minutes he was already leaving. He understood he wouldn't be able to do anything good in this state and decided to get back to his apartment, a few blocks away from his office.

June 24, 2032, 3:27 PM
Wright Family Apartment
Living Room

Once back home, Phoenix immediately took out his phone and dialed the number of the Chief Prosecutor. He planned to tell him about everything he suspected and had in good faith he would listen to him. The cellular ringed for a while until it picked up on the other end.

"Chief Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth speaking.", it said.

"Hey Edgeworth, it's me.", Phoenix replied, without any energy.

"Wright. What is it? Please make it short, I'm quite occupied…"

Woah! What an amazing change!

"Just wanted to tell you that one of your prosecutors is corrupted as fuck.", the defense attorney said casually, "Seems like you've still got some clean-up to do…"

"W-Well… If you say so…", Miles was surprised by the curse, "May I get a name?"

What was the name of this son of a bitch again? Ah, yeah…

"Colton I think. An asshole either way."

"Colton?", the Chief Prosecutor was visibly surprised, "That's rather surprising… Well, I'll look into it. Thank you Wright."

"Yeah, whatever.", he said then hung up.

Let's see who'll get the last laugh, fucker!

After another mental insult, Phoenix decided to take a nap in order to calm down. He disliked being angry, ever since he was a child, but had gotten used to it after seven years of public criticism and shaming. He sometimes felt hatred, and now was a good example.

I need to rest for a while… I won't get anything good done like that.

June 24, 2032, 6:08 PM
Wright Family Apartment
Living Room

A loud sound. That's what woke Phoenix up after multiple hours. It was surprising, but what surprised him even more was that his left cheek hurt. His vision was blurry, so he rubbed his eyes and it wasn't blurry anymore…

Wh-What the hell was that?! S-Someone slapped me?! For fuck's sake, I took a nap to calm down, not to get even more ang-

He couldn't finish his thought when he saw who was standing over him.

"What the-", he began then got mad again, "Ms. Wright! What do you think you're doing?!"

"I could ask you the same thing!", the young magician replied, elevating her tone to match his.

"You're grounded for two weeks! Go to your room, now!", the lawyer ordered.

"Surely not!", she held her ground, "Daddy, you're such a jerk!"

W-Wait… what? What did she call me…?

Trucy's father gasped in shock at what he'd just been called by his own daughter, the very life he treasured like no other and felt hurt. The slap didn't even affect him anymore. At that moment, he lowered his head and muttered a few words.

"W-Why…? Wh-What have I done…?"

She looked at him with suspicious eyes and seeing that he wouldn't say anything else, she spoke up.

"I just can't have you insulting my dearest aunt, Daddy. No way."

He raised his head slowly and met his daughter's gaze.

?

Those eyes… Is he… clueless as to what I'm talking about?

"You've got to apologize to Aunt Maya!", the young woman added, "She was really hurt by what you told her, you know! She felt useless!"

I-I did what…? I… insulted Maya…?

"I… I insulted Maya…?", he stuttered.

"Yeah! You told her to shut up, apparently."

Phoenix! For God's sake, what the hell were you even thinking?! How could I even insult her, and not excuse myself right after?! Grr… I was so angry!

"I-I'm sorry… It was pathetic of me… I was thinking of the trial and how it went… I lost my cool and took it all out on your aunt…", Phoenix said, ashamed of what he had done.

"You don't need to apologize to me, Daddy. The one who needs apologies is Aunt Maya."

"Y-You're right. God, I'm stupid!"

"No you're not Daddy.", his daughter told him, "You were just angry because of what happened in Court. She told me."

"T-Trucy… Thank you for slapping some sense into me. I feel miserable now…", he admitted, "I've got to apologize to Maya, I promise I will, alright?"

"That's fine with me!", the young magician said.

"Now come and give a hug to your Daddy!", the defense attorney said, opening his arms for his daughter to share his familial embrace.

They hugged for a little while, small tears forming under Phoenix's eyes. At least, he wasn't angry anymore, and Trucy took that chance to joke a bit.

"Am I still grounded, Daddy?", she asked playfully.

"Trucy…", he sighed, "Of course not! C'mon, I'm not that bad of a father, am I?"

"You are the best father one could dream of. I love you Daddy."

This warms my heart, you can't even measure how, Truce…

"Thank you, my child. I love you too. Say, what do you think we go and buy flowers for Maya?", the lawyer proposed.

"That's a great idea! Let's go!", that got her hyped and she ran toward the door.

"H-Hey! Wait for me Truce!", the spiky-haired attorney exclaimed as Trucy left the apartment, without really waiting for him.

He followed after her in a hurry, in an attempt to catch up. Fortunately, she had waited for him just outside on the street, and they got going together.

June 25, 2032, 8:51 AM
Wright Anything Agency
Main Office

The very next day, approximately an hour before the beginning of the session in Court, Phoenix arrived in front of the Agency, and after paying for the taxi course, he entered. There, he saw Maya, drinking a cup of coffee. He recognized it as Blend #102, his own personal favorite.

"Hiya, Maya.", he greeted her.

"Hmm? Oh, it's you Nick… Hi.", the spirit medium answered, forcing an uncomfortable smile.

Trucy was right… She's really hurt… Argh, how could I even hurt her like that?! I promised the Chief I'd protect her, not hurt her!

"Maya… I… I wanted to apologize to you.", Phoenix then said, "I've been mean to you yesterday… You didn't deserve any of this. You're always by my side to help me, without even asking for anything in return… I'm sorry Maya, please believe that it wasn't my intention to hurt you. Never has been, never will be."

He approached her and handed the splendid bouquet of flowers he had bought with Trucy the day before, a kind smile on his face.

"N-Nick! Y-You didn't need to…!", she began crying once more, this time tears of happiness rather than of sadness.

"Of course I needed to! I didn't act correctly so I must apologize. Maya, I promised I'd protect your life, even if it meant losing mine. Don't expect me to hurt you without excusing myself right after."

Nick… That's too kind of you… That's the Nick I know best… so kind and considerate… I… I…

She fell into his arms and hugged him tightly. Phoenix got a hold of her and held her lovingly. The scene was peaceful, as the veteran lawyer stroked her long black hair.

"Do you accept my apologies, Maya?", he asked her.

"O-Of course, Nick!", the Master of Kurain said tearfully, "You are a hundred percent excused!"

"I'm glad to hear you say that.", Phoenix told her as he exited the hug, "Should we get going then? We've got a trial to win and a client to save, right?"

"Yes, you're right Nick. He is counting on you."

"Not just on me, Maya. On the two of us.", he corrected her, "Today, we are winning this together."

"You're right! I'm with you!"

"Great!", the lawyer smiled, "Let's go then, or we're gonna be late!"

And with that, they left the Agency and got going towards the courthouse for the second day of the trial. There was no more anger, instead the famous defense attorney and his favorite co-counsel were cheery and optimistic, as they had always been in the past.

I am truly blessed to have a girl as wonderful as Maya as my best friend. Her unselfishness, her sympathy and her caring nature… Combine that with her immature persona, and you get my Maya, the one and only, the one I love and who I'll protect until I leave the world of the livings…

Nick is the best person I've ever encountered in my whole life, by a mile. His unselfishness, his sympathy and his caring nature… Combine that with his many talents when it comes to helping people, and you get Nick, the best defense attorney ever. I love him, truly. I thank the Man Above for giving me a friend as awesome as Nick. And who knows, perhaps it will one day be more than friendship…?