A.N: Hello, everyone! Today is the first day of Wright Family Week 2022 and this is my entry for Day One. The prompt is "Growing Up". Don't hesitate to check out the official page for this event on both Tumblr and Twitter to give the admins some love! Well, I hope you enjoy this first entry!


Day One: A Story of Dates

"Nervous, aren't you?"

Phoenix smirked as he and Trucy walked together towards the café. The young magician was a trembling mess, hands shaking as she readjusted her hair multiple times.

"No need to be so afraid, Trucy. It's gonna go fine," Phoenix told her, finding his daughter to be particularly cute right now. "We've all gone on a first date, you know?"

She glared at him, clearly unhappy that he was downplaying the cause of her nervousness. Phoenix merely chuckled. In the distance, he noticed another young girl, who was shaking even more than poor Trucy was.

"I don't think you ought to worry too much, believe me," he said amusingly. "Just relax, okay? She's not going to eat you, and you're not going to eat her."

This didn't appear to reassure Trucy all that much. She blushed when she noticed her date sitting at a table outside with another familiar figure.

"Yeah, I guess not…" she muttered, taking a deep breath. "Just don't say anything embarrassing, Daddy! I know you!"

Phoenix scratched the back of his spikes. This is something I could have done… but I'm not that cruel. He thought. "Alright, alright. You really need to relax, though. You won't enjoy your date if you're so tight."

"I'm trying, Daddy!" Trucy said, her cheeks reddening from both anger and embarrassment. "And I would appreciate it if you stopped mentioning it!"

The defense attorney rolled his eyes. Trucy walked shyly beside him as they approached the table the other girl was sitting at.

"Hey there, girls," Phoenix greeted, smiling at Maya, then at her little cousin. "It's good to see you two again."

"Hey, Nick!" Maya greeted back with a wide smile. "Hello there, Trucy! How are the two of you doing?"

Phoenix shrugged. "I'm fine, don't worry about me," he assured her. He ruffled Trucy's hair, adding, "As for Ms. Wright over here, I think the shaking in her boots is going to cause an earthquake."

Maya laughed. "Good one, Nick! Don't worry, though: Pearly's just the same!" she told them, also ruffling her little cousin's hair. "Ah, young people these days! Afraid of going on a date! I know it wasn't like this when I started dating Franziska! I'm sure you can't even remember your first date, Nick; you're too old!"

Phoenix sweatdropped. "N-No need to rub salt into the wound…" he muttered, hating the fact that she was almost right. To be honest, he wouldn't mind forgetting his first date. "I-In any case, I'll come to pick you up in three hours, okay, Trucy?"

"O-Okay, Daddy," the magician said, her stutter going hand in hand with the blush on her cheeks.

"As for you, Pearly, I can be here whenever Franny's done shopping, okay?"

The small spirit medium nodded. "O-Okay, Mystic Maya… H-Have fun with your special someone."

"Heh… I should be the one telling you this, Pearly!" Maya teased, making her cousin's blush darken. "But enough teasing for now! Enjoy your date, girls!"

"Have fun, Trucy, Pearls!" Phoenix added, smiling at his daughter and almost-daughter. "Don't get drunk!"

The Kurain Master elbowed him as Trucy sighed. With that, the two longtime friends left the two girls alone at the table. They both smiled, knowing that they just needed to relax a bit.

"Do you think it'll work out, Nick?" Maya asked as they walked together.

The lawyer thought for a second before shrugging. "Who knows? If they decided to go on a date, it probably means they have some sort of feelings for one another, right? And even if it didn't work, these two are friends forever."

"Yeah, just like if we went on a date and it didn't work, we would still be best friends, right?"

Phoenix rolled his eyes. "Franziska may be a pain in the butt in court, but I still respect her enough not to steal her girlfriend, you know? I'm not that desperate." Maya laughed.

I first met Pearls when she was eight… and I adopted Trucy when she was eight, too… They've grown up so much since then! Maybe Maya's right, after all: I am getting old…


"S-So, um… H-How are you doing, P-Pearls…?"

"I-I'm doing okay, t-thanks…"

Both girls gulped as the silence between them got awkward quickly. They made sure to avoid each other's gaze, too embarrassed to see the other looking at them. Pearl was biting her nails while Trucy tried to fiddle with her hat… that she had left at the agency.

I-I need to find something to say! Trucy thought, growing frustrated with herself. I-I'm the one who mustered the courage to ask her on a date! If I don't say anything, she'll think I'm here to waste her time!

It had been a difficult trial – no pun intended – to dial her number and suggest they meet up somewhere to spend some time. Her voice had been shaking the whole time, and Athena's knowing smirk from her desk had not helped at all.

And yet, here they were, with nothing to talk about! She was mad at herself for not coming up with things to chat about with her date.

How could she make her understand that she liked her if she couldn't even strike casual conversation?!

"U-Um… H-Have you been doing anything special these days, P-Pearls…?" the magician tried, desperately looking for a way to break the ice. They had known each other for years, but at this moment, it was as if she was meeting the channeling genius for the first time again.

"M-Mostly training…" she answered, fiddling with the hanging strand of her light-brown hair. "I-I need to make sure I can be strong enough to help Mystic Maya, y-you know…?"

Trucy nodded, trying to appear more confident than she was. When her eyes met Pearl's, she felt the butterflies in her stomach return. There was something about adorable little Pearl that made her heart melt.

They had been best friends forever, but she had only begun to feel this way recently. She just wished there was a way to confess her feelings while saving herself from the embarrassment.

"A-And you, T-Trucy…?" Pearl asked back. "H-Have you been working on your magic tricks…?"

"Yeah!" she replied cheerfully. Now, this was something she would be comfortable talking about! "With Apollo gone, I need to work extra hard since I can't always have a partner to train with! Daddy gets mad when I ask Athena to help me all the time, so I try to work by myself."

Her date's regained confidence appeared to help Pearl relax, too.

"T-That's good! I-I'll try to come to see your next show if that's possible," Pearl told her, taking deep breaths to overcome her shyness. It made her remember how timid she was upon meeting Mr. Nick for the first time. "I-If you don't mind, of course…!"

"No, of course not! You're always welcome to my shows, Pearls!" She flashed the spirit medium her cutest smile. "I'll get you a VIP seat!"

Pearl blushed. "T-Thank you…" she muttered, blushing even harder.

"Two young ladies on a date here! Will you have a drink, perhaps?"

The two girls noticed a bartender approach the table they were sitting at with overwhelming energy.

"O-Oh, um… Hey there," Trucy said, caught off guard by the sudden burst of enthusiasm. You didn't need to shout for the whole world to hear that we were on a date, but 'kay… "I-I'll have a lemonade, please."

"H-Hm, a chocolate milk, p-please…"

"Alrighty! Coming right up!"

Without another word, the bartender dashed away. Both Trucy and Pearl sweatdropped. One thing was for sure: they would love to be that confident right now…


"Working hard, Ms. Cykes?"

"Oh, hey, Boss!"

Phoenix smiled as he entered the agency and noticed Athena working at her desk. He threw his jacket on her couch and poured himself a cup of coffee. He then sat at his desk and relaxed in his chair.

"I just walked Trucy to her date with Pearls," he stated, taking a sip of his mug. "I don't think I've ever seen her so nervous, to be honest."

The redhead snickered. "You should have seen her face when she called her, Boss!" Athena told him amusingly. "But I guess that's what makes her cute, right?"

Phoenix chuckled. He couldn't deny this. Trucy was his baby daughter, and he loved her more than he loved anyone, but he would always tease her. He knew she wasn't a kid anymore, but as Athena had said, she was just too cute.

"Yeah, you're right. It's crazy how fast my little girl's grown up, though," the veteran lawyer added, rolling his eyes. "I feel like I adopted her yesterday, to be honest… Doesn't make me any younger."

"It probably doesn't," Athena agreed and found herself on the receiving end of her boss's disapproving stare. "I-I'm not calling you old, B-Boss! I-I'm just saying that you're also growing up, even if you're an adult!"

"Growing up, huh?" He sighed, reflecting on the past few years of his life. "I guess there's some truth in that. I did change a lot, after all. And I'm glad Trucy was there. I haven't got a clue where I'd be without her."

Athena smiled. Phoenix sat there, with his head resting in his hands. Whenever he would have some free time, he would just sit there and think. Before, his thoughts were negative, if not borderline harmful. Nowadays, however, he could think positively again.

"Well, I don't think she knows where she would be without you either, Mr. Wright," the young defense attorney told him. "After all, without you, she wouldn't have anyone by her side. Give yourself more credit, okay?"

"Yeah! You're not as pathetic as you think you are!"

Phoenix sweatdropped. Being recomforted by Widget was something to experience, even if it didn't work as well as Athena probably thought it did.

*driiiiing* *driiiiing* *driiiiing*

"Oh, I'll get it," Phoenix said, walking over to the agency's phone. "Wright Anything Agency. This is Phoenix Wright speaking."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Wright," greeted a familiar voice. "How are you doing?"

Phoenix was surprised to hear that voice, but he was far from complaining. "Apollo! I didn't expect you to call! I'm doing just fine, thank you. What about you? Is everything alright in Khura'in?"

"Yes, it's going pretty well, thanks," the horn-haired attorney replied. "It's still a lot of work, but it's going smoothly, so I'm satisfied. Say, Mr. Wright… could you give me Athena for a sec if she's here?"

"Sure thing," Phoenix told his former protégé with a nod. He grinned at Athena. "It's for you, Athena. Apollo wants to talk to you."

"Oh, really?" The spiky-haired man set it on her desk, watching as his employee grabbed it with enthusiasm. "Apollo! How's it going?"

Phoenix laughed as he went back to his desk and observed as Athena's smile gradually widened more and more. He suspected (it was nothing more than that, though) that his young employee had a crush on her former colleague.

"I'm so happy to hear that! … Yeah, of course! … W-What… a d-date?!"

Oh, I see what this is about… The experienced lawyer deviously chuckled as he noticed Athena's cheeks redden in an instant. He may not have been able to hear it, but he could imagine Apollo's flustered voice. Trucy's face flashed before his eyes. I guess this runs in the blood, then…


"So, um… Do you wanna do something like this again soon, Pearls?"

"Yes, I would very much like to!"

Trucy and Pearl smiled as they finished their third drink of the afternoon. It had taken a while, but they had finally been able to relax. Passed that point, they had both thoroughly enjoyed their date, as proven by the smiles on their faces.

"Then let's do it the next time you're in the city!" Trucy suggested with excitement. "I already can't wait!"

The young spirit channeller smiled. She may not have been able to match her crush's enthusiastic voice, but she could definitely match her overall enthusiasm.

"Me too, Trucy!"

The two young ladies paid for their drinks before leaving the café. The weather was beautiful as the sun gently shined on them.

"S-Say… W-Would it be okay if I took your hand, P-Pearl…?" Trucy shyly asked, the temptation growing more and more irresistible.

Pearl blushed red as a tomato but nonetheless nodded. "O-Okay…"

Trucy enlaced her fingers with hers, feeling the gesture of closeness make her heartbeat accelerate. Ever since the beginning of their date together, the young magician had felt like she was falling more and more for her best friend.

"Y-Your hands are soft, P-Pearl…"

"Y-Yours too, T-Trucy…"

They took a couple of steps together, trying to fight the embarrassment. And yet, while the simplest solution would have been to just release the other's hand, they didn't.

Oh, you're more courageous than that, Trucy Wright!

Very suddenly, Trucy did a 180 and grabbed Pearl's other hand before smooching her on the lips intensely. As she did so, she felt much better, especially when Pearl took her by surprise and kissed her back.

"Oh, my…! I didn't know I had raised a professional kisser!"

"A-Ack!"

Hiding her face with her hands, Trucy felt so embarrassed as she noticed her father and aunt standing there, looking at them knowingly.

"Caught with your hands in the cookie jar, ladies!" Maya teased. Seeing their cheeks so red they burned, she added, "Hey, we've all had a first kiss! I don't think mine was quite as intense, though! Nick doesn't remember it since it was with a mummy!"

"Will you please shut up, Maya…?" Phoenix muttered under his breath. "I'm guessing the date went well, girls?"

They both shyly nodded. Their respective guardians smiled. Not that they had ever doubted that.

Heh. There'll be a day when she leaves her Daddy to live her own life. That's a part of growing up, and while I'll be sad to see her go, if she can live her adult life with someone like Pearls… I don't think I need to worry all that much.

The End.


A.N: I hope you liked reading this first entry! I had fun writing it, and I couldn't resist adding elements from other ships I like, too. Well, please leave a review, and I'll see you all tomorrow for Day Two! Check out the work by other authors and artists!