Just one week later, a small purple envelope showed up in the mail. Phoenix had a sense of dread in his gut before he even opened it.
His fear wasn't unfounded. Inside he found an invitation to a party at Klavier Gavin's house.
Trucy spotted the invitation the instant she got home. She clutched the square cardstock to her chest as she approached her father. "Please please please daddy. Please." Her big eyes shone up at him, her lips quivering, and he knew it was useless to fight.
Klavier's home was exactly what Phoenix thought it would be, sprawling and sleek, adorned with the trophies of a rockstar. A man dressed in black greeted them at the door.
"Welcome," he said, gesturing Phoenix and Trucy inside. "Please follow me."
Trucy could barely contain her excitement as she skipped through hallways covered with Gavinners memorabilia. She stopped to do a little dance in the middle of the hall, and Phoenix laughed behind her.
"Do you think the other Gavinners will be here?" Trucy asked Phoenix.
"You mean the ones that aren't in prison," Phoenix replied.
"Oh dad, that's only one of them," Trucy said.
"You know," he said, rubbing his chin, "maybe I need to start monitoring the things you listen to more closely."
"Daddy!" Trucy exclaimed, crossing her arms. "Besides, the Gavinners disbanded after that incident."
"I know, I know. I was just joking." Phoenix patted her on the back, and she shrugged his hand off.
"Some sense of humor," she mumbled under her breath. She sped up after the host and followed him into the next room. Phoenix stared after her, frowning.
The party room was immense and packed with a mix of celebrities and law professionals, including most of the ex-Gavinners and their crew.
Athena and Apollo were crowded into a corner with Ema, who was munching angrily on her snacks and casting a reluctantly curious eye at all the hobnobbing partygoers.
"Hey gang!" Phoenix said, raising his hand.
"Hey Phenotype!" Ema said, raising a Snackoo in toast to him.
"How's it going, Mr. Wright?" Athena asked. She looked over his shoulder. "Where's Trucy?"
"I'm sure she's off somewhere getting into mischief. I made a stupid joke and I think it upset her. She'll show herself eventually."
"Yeah," Apollo said. "You and your stupid jokes." He stared unblinking until Phoenix glanced away.
"So, ah, who else is here," Phoenix asked.
"Just about everyone," Athena answered with a grin.
"So many glimmerous assholes," Ema mumbled, glaring into the crowd.
"Mr. Edgeworth's sitting outside if you wanna see him," Athena said.
Phoenix brightened. "Oh really?"
"He and Simon went out there a while ago to talk about samurai movies or something," Apollo said.
"I guess I shouldn't bother them then," Phoenix said, rubbing his head.
Athena raised her eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
Phoenix looked back and forth between them. "Uh, no, you're right; I should go say hi at least. I'll see you around." He stalked off with a small wave.
"I almost feel bad for him," Athena muttered.
"Don't," Apollo spat out.
Phoenix stepped through the sliding glass doors onto a large patio with a modest covered pool surrounded by tables, a sizable field landscaped to perfection and a gazebo in the distance. He could see a couple of figures sitting inside the gazebo, so he took off in that direction. When he got closer he noticed another, smaller figure between the others.
"When the creature finally opens its fiendish eyes, great heavy chains entangle the deviant child's legs, dragging them down into the abyss of hell," Simon said, hunched over, his voice guttural. Trucy was shivering. Edgeworth placed his hand on her shoulder. Her body stilled and she took a deep breath.
"T-then what happens," Trucy whispered.
Phoenix stood in the middle of the steps and crossed his arms. "Excuse me, what exactly are you telling my child?" he asked, a menacing rumble in his throat.
Simon held his hands up. "We were merely discussing traditional Japanese folklore," he said.
Phoenix walked to the center of the gazebo and looked down at the men on either side of his daughter. They both shifted under his fierce gaze.
"It's for her education," Edgeworth said, his voice small. Phoenix ramped up the intensity of his glare. "She's doing a project for school," he clarified.
Trucy stood up and pushed her way out of the gazebo. "It's none of your business," she grumbled as she passed him.
They all watched her head towards the house. Edgeworth gave him a questioning look but he just shrugged.
"Teenagers," he mumbled as he sat down on the bench opposite them.
Edgeworth squinted at him.
"How's the party been," Phoenix asked, slumping against the lattice.
"Awash with blowhards," Simon replied.
"I figured," Phoenix said.
"Excellent food, though," Simon added.
"And you?" Phoenix said to Edgeworth. "Ready to get drunk and go skinny dipping with some rock stars?"
"Ah yes, my life's dream," Edgeworth replied.
Simon looked at them and stood up. He took a long, deep bow. "Pardon, but Cykes-dono is calling. Please excuse me."
They watched him rejoin the crowd inside.
"She really was enjoying it," Edgeworth said. "I don't think she was actually very scared."
Phoenix pushed himself up and sat down next to Edgeworth with a sigh. "Yeah, I know. I just get so defensive over her. After all the terrible things I've seen people do…it makes me want to do everything I can to protect her."
"I can understand that," Edgeworth said. "And I'm sure she knows that as well. But you know you can't protect her forever."
Phoenix sat back, looking off into the distance. "That doesn't mean I can't try."
They settled into a peaceful silence, Phoenix leaning his elbows on the back of the railing and stretching his legs out, looking over at huge glass panels that held a hoard of people dancing and laughing. It didn't do much for him these days, but he remembered the electric energy of a good party from his time in college. He looked at Edgeworth, who was staring up at the gazebo roof, and wondered if he'd ever gone to parties in his school days. If he had, they'd probably been more of the 'charity fundraiser' variety than a house party with bright colorful lights and a thumping bass. He tried to imagine young Edgeworth, in his signature frilled-to-death coat that still hung in his office, dancing with wild abandon in front of a neon strobe light. His sudden sharp laugh drew a curious look from Edgeworth.
Phoenix shook his head. "Just thinking about the past."
"Hilarious," Edgeworth said.
"Mmm," Phoenix hummed. He clasped his hands together and looked down at his feet. "Do you think we would've been friends in college?" he asked. "If circumstances had been different?"
"You mean if I hadn't gone to Germany?" Edgeworth said. Phoenix nodded and tapped his foot. "Perhaps," he answered.
"Can you imagine if we'd gone to the same law program?" Phoenix asked. "If we'd both been defense attorneys?"
Edgeworth laughed. "No, I can't really imagine that." He looked down at his hands. "I can't even imagine the kind of man I'd be today."
Phoenix looked at him and leaned back, smiling. "I think you'd pretty much be the same."
Edgeworth raised his eyebrows.
"This probably isn't my place to say, but I feel like you're becoming more and more like your dad every year." Phoenix grinned at him. "In a good way."
Edgeworth stared at him and then looked away with a hum. "That's the best I could ever hope for," he said softly.
Phoenix put his hand around Edgeworth's back. Edgeworth flinched for a second but settled into his touch.
They stayed like that for a while. When the wind started to pick up, Phoenix squeezed Edgeworth's shoulder.
They were just about ready to go back inside when Phoenix turned to him.
"Hey, I think we're being watched," Phoenix said, drawing his gaze away from the window.
"Hmm," Edgeworth said.
Phoenix waggled his eyebrows. "So…what do you think?"
Edgeworth blinked at him and blushed. "Ah," he said, glancing over to the house. "There are a lot of people in there." Phoenix kept staring at him and Edgeworth blushed harder. "Most of them don't know who we are." Phoenix's eyes flicked down to his lips. "M-maybe just once," he said finally.
Phoenix grinned and without further hesitation he leaned over and captured Edgeworth's lips. Edgeworth made a tiny little noise in his throat and deepened the kiss. The latent sounds from the party and the wind faded into white noise as everything around them just filtered away.
It wasn't until a cold gust of wind passed over them that Edgeworth broke the kiss and sat back, taking a deep shaky breath.
After a few moments the world started to come back to him and he looked towards the house.
"You know, we're rather far. Do you think they can even see us?" Edgeworth said.
Phoenix was staring at him with big sparkling eyes, biting his lip. "Huh? What? Oh, oh yeah, sure, totally."
"We should, ah, probably get back inside," Edgeworth said, his face and neck as hot as a furnace. He pushed himself off the seat, dusted off his pants and stepped gingerly onto the grass. Phoenix followed soon after.
They made their way inside and bumped into Klavier in the middle of a large crowd, waving his arms and laughing as he spoke. When he spotted them he broke off from the group and came over.
"Herr Wright!" he said, taking Phoenix's hand and shaking it hard. "Thank you for coming to my humble party."
"Uh, yeah, sure. Thanks for inviting us. I'm not sure where Trucy is right now but I'm sure she's getting a real kick out of being here."
Klavier grinned and turned to Edgeworth. "Chief Prosecutor, I hope you're having a good time."
Edgeworth cleared his throat. "Yes, actually. You have a lovely home."
"I noticed you were enjoying my gazebo," Klavier said with a flashy grin.
Edgeworth coughed loudly into his sleeve. "Y-yes, I was admiring your yard," he sputtered.
Klavier smiled. "I was lucky to find this estate. It's an older home, but I've done a lot of work on it. I actually fought a vicious battle over the property but I managed to win out in the end, thanks in no small part to this." He pointed to his mouth.
They stared at him.
"M-my charming smile," he clarified, his façade faltering for a second.
"Right." Phoenix glanced around. "So where's the food?"
"Phoenix!" Edgeworth exclaimed, kicking his shoe.
"What? I didn't eat before I left."
Edgeworth rolled his eyes.
"Ah yes, we have some appetizers by the kitchen. I also have this delectable sauce from Sweden that you must try. It's over- oh! It looks like we've forgotten to put it out." Klavier put his hand on Phoenix's shoulder. "Herr Wright, could you be a darling and fetch it from the pantry. It's called…" He rattled off a long name in Swedish. Phoenix blinked at him. "Ah, perhaps our Chief can help you with that."
"I'd be happy to," Edgeworth said.
"Thank you so much! I should check on how the rest of the appetizers are coming along. The pantry is just down the hallway." He pointed around the corner.
Phoenix nodded and soon they found themselves in the middle of a small, dark room. He reached his arms out and bumped into a few bottles that clinked against each other before he found a light switch. Illuminated, the room actually looked quite a bit larger. It was fully stocked with a huge variety of food items, both familiar and foreign. Edgeworth came up behind him and squinted at all the different jars and boxes.
As they hunched over the rows and rows of stockpiled food, a sudden breeze slammed the door shut behind them. Phoenix nearly crashed into a jar of pickled somethings.
"Jesus Crimeny," he whispered. "Is this house trying to kill us now? Let's find the goods and get out of here."
They pawed through an assortment of jars and Edgeworth soon spotted the elusive sauce.
"Let's get back," Phoenix said, bottle in hand, and turned the knob to leave.
Except the knob wouldn't move. He tried again. It wiggled back and forth a little bit but it was shut fast.
Phoenix grumbled, closed his eyes and started knocking on the door. When there was no response, he knocked again harder.
"What's the matter?" Edgeworth asked.
"Nothing, just," Phoenix hesitated and tried the knob again. "No, yeah, the door's definitely stuck."
Edgeworth's eyes bugged out. "Stuck?"
"It's won't budge. See?" He stepped aside. The doorknob refused to turn even for the great Chief Prosecutor. Edgeworth cursed softly under his breath.
"I'm sure if we keep hollering someone will realize we're in here. Right?" Phoenix's voice cracked a little. As far as they knew the only person who was even aware they were in there was Gavin. As far as they knew.
He raised his fist and pounded on the door a couple more times. "HEY! We're stuck in here! Anyone out there?"
As far as they knew.
He raised his fist again and was about to slam it against the door when a thought struck him. He looked back at Edgeworth, eyes wide.
"What?" Edgeworth said.
"You don't think…" Phoenix started. He didn't even have to finish his thought before the realization dawned on Edgeworth's face.
"No…they wouldn't do that…" Even as he said it, the statement became a question.
Phoenix stared at the door. "Oh god, they would. They absolutely would."
He started banging his fist on the door until his fingers were red. "OPEN UP, YOU PUNKS," he yelled. They could hear loud music from the party through the closed door and nothing else.
He wore himself out quickly, turned around and slumped against the door.
"Are you finished?" Edgeworth asked. "Because I thought it might be time to try something else." He held up his cellphone.
"I guess that's another way to do it," Phoenix said, slightly out of breath.
"Besides, if your theory is correct then they're probably waiting on our call."
He tapped on his phone a few times and waited for someone to pick up. "Hello, Prosecutor Gavin? Yes, it's me. I believe we're in a bit of trouble…"
Klavier told them that the lock was old and got jammed sometimes, and also assured them that he would call someone to come help as soon as possible.
"Well," Edgeworth said, "at least they know we're here. On the off chance that this isn't a ploy."
"Uh huh," Phoenix said flatly. "How long do you think they're gonna keep us in here?"
Edgeworth closed his eyes and shrugged.
"Daddy!" a muffled voice called from the other side of the door. "Are you alright?"
Phoenix rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Of course the kid's in on it," he whispered. "We're fine, sweetie!" he shouted through the door. "Don't worry, we're just gonna sit tight."
"Hey Mr. Wright!" Athena's voice popped up. "Gavin said it might be a while. Something about a fallen tree in the road and the repairman can't get around it? I'm sure you'll be fine, though!"
"Oh, I'm sure we'll be able to occupy ourselves," he said. Edgeworth glared at him. "What?" he asked with a grin. "Might as well play into it."
Edgeworth grumbled and tried to find a place where he could rest against the shelves. He ended up standing in the corner, awkward and silent.
Phoenix found a comfortable spot near the door and leaned against the wall.
"I don't even get what the point is," Phoenix said. "I mean, they've gotta know we're in a relationship by now." Edgeworth glanced at him. "Fake relationship," Phoenix added. "So why the plotting still? Unless…"
"They know it's a trick," Edgeworth answered. "They're trying to get us to out ourselves."
"By escalating the heat. Those goddamn kids and their superpowers." Phoenix slammed his fist against the wall. "Well I for one am ready to go up in flames."
Edgeworth gave him a curious look but didn't say anything.
They were quiet as their eyes began to adjust to the dim light.
"So where do we go from here," Edgeworth asked.
"We respond with everything we've got. We can't give up now! Not this late in the game!" Phoenix clenched his hands.
"But to what end?" Edgeworth scrubbed his hand across his face. "I'm going to end up married in a drive thru chapel as part of a schoolyard prank, aren't I."
"Only if you want to." Phoenix grinned at him.
Edgeworth sighed. "Oh what a tangled web we weave," he muttered.
"…when first we practice to deceive," Phoenix answered.
Edgeworth raised an eyebrow at him and began studying the foreign food labels in his eyeline.
They sat around twiddling their thumbs, so to speak, waiting until their captors decided to let them free.
"I know," Phoenix said with a devious glint in his eye. "We could make our own fun. After all, this is clearly what they want." He groaned as if in pain, and Edgeworth started towards him, concern written on his face.
He thumped his hand against the door a couple of times and moaned loudly. "Oh god Mile-mmppphh."
Edgeworth clapped his hand over Phoenix's mouth. "WE HAVE TO WORK WITH THESE PEOPLE," he hissed. Phoenix chuckled into his hand and Edgeworth drew away.
"They've probably gone back to the party!" Phoenix insisted.
Edgeworth just glared at him harder.
"Alright, alright. No fake sex noises, got it."
"I can't believe that even had to be established," Edgeworth said unhappily. "What if Trucy's listening?"
Phoenix snorted. "You really think she'd be passing the time in a dark hallway when there's Gavinners she could be stalking? You have a lot to learn about my daughter."
Edgeworth just shook his head and went back to his corner.
Silence settled again with the muffled sound of a backbeat in the distance.
"Phoenix," Edgeworth said, his voice low and soft. "Why was Trucy so upset with you earlier?"
Phoenix sighed. "I don't know." Edgeworth raised an eyebrow. "I really don't. I assume she was pissed off about my dad-nagging. Although now that I think about it…the answer could be connected to this." He pointed back and forth at the two of them.
"You think she's upset that we're together?" He coughed. "Supposedly together."
"No no, it's not that," Phoenix said. "I think…" he sighed and brushed his hand against the wall. "I don't know what I think."
"It could be she's just at that age. I've heard tell that teenagers can be rather troublesome," Edgeworth said with a wry smile.
Phoenix chuckled. "You're telling me. It feels like I've spent most of my life around teens."
"And in a professional capacity no less. How very peculiar that you relate so well to their mentality."
"Shut up," Phoenix said. "Besides, I know for a fact that I'm not the only one here who has young girls flocking to him. Young and old, come to think of it."
"Oh god." Edgeworth shuddered. "Please do not bring her up." He crossed his arms. "You're right, though. Distressingly so. And I can never for the life of me understand why."
Phoenix scoffed. "Oh, yeah, sure."
Edgeworth quirked his head. "What?
"You can't imagine?"
"…no? Aside from my proficiency with logic, I don't really possess many appealing qualities."
"Well you have the whole broody thing going on. Teenagers love that stuff. And then there's," he waved his hand around Edgeworth's vicinity, "all of that."
Edgeworth stared at Phoenix's hand and back at his face. "I don't follow you."
"You know…" Phoenix said, rubbing the back of his jaw.
Edgeworth kept staring at him.
"Well, you're handsome. You've got those fancy pretty boy looks girls fawn over."
"I…" Edgeworth stammered, his cheeks pink. "I…"
"I mean, it's not like it's a big secret or anything." Phoenix's face was flushed red in the shadows.
"I…I don't…"
Phoenix shook his head. "You know what, nevermind. The point is that we both know what it's like to deal with young people."
Edgeworth coughed and shuffled his feet as he got his mind back on the thread of the conversation.
"Ah well," Edgeworth said. "I never had any love for Manfred von Karma, but looking back I do sometimes wonder at his running a household with two aggressive, headstrong teenagers. I suppose you should just be glad that she's an only child."
Phoenix's eyes bulged and he stared down at the floor, focused in on nothing. Edgeworth watched him for a while.
"Phoenix?" he said, tilting his head.
"Hmm?" Phoenix responded.
"Phoenix, Trucy is an only child, isn't she?"
He waited for Phoenix's response, but it never came. Phoenix's eyes drifted down again and he kept his eyes on the floor, lips parted.
"Phoenix!" Edgeworth said loudly, startling Phoenix out of his stupor. He narrowed his eyes. He knew the difference between when Phoenix was playing dumb and when he was actually being dumb. "Does Trucy have any siblings," Edgeworth asked in a stern tone.
"Uh…" Phoenix rubbed the back of his neck. "See, it's complicated."
Edgeworth's mouth opened in surprise. "In what way?" he asked.
Phoenix turned away and looked at the door as if he were trying to see through it. He kept staring at the door until Edgeworth cleared his throat.
"Okay, you have to promise not to tell anyone about this. I mean anyone. Please."
Edgeworth crossed his arms. "Alright."
"You promise?" Phoenix asked.
"You have my word," Edgeworth said, nodding.
Phoenix chewed his lip and dug his fingernails into his hand.
"Apollo is Trucy's brother."
Edgeworth slowly uncrossed his arms, his face falling into shock. "Apollo?" he said softly.
"Yes."
"Apollo Justice?" Edgeworth asked again.
"The one and only," Phoenix said.
Edgeworth gaped at him. "Do they know?"
Phoenix shook his head and Edgeworth had to catch his palm on a shelf to keep from staggering backwards.
"Why on earth haven't you told them?" Edgeworth asked, his voice rising.
Phoenix pressed his finger to his lips and pointed towards the door.
"Their mother wanted me to tell them when they're ready," Phoenix said, barely above a whisper.
"Mother?!" Edgeworth covered his mouth. "I'm going to guess that they don't know about their mother either?"
He looked Phoenix dead in the eyes and Phoenix shook his head. Edgeworth's breathing began to quicken.
"Wright," he said, his voice clipped and dangerous. "Why in all the world are you keeping this a secret from your daughter."
Phoenix put his hands up. "Hey now, I was only respecting the mother's wishes. The circumstances of her disappearance were complicated, and right now they don't even know she's alive. She wants them to be able to accept what happened and decide whether they want her to be in their life."
"Maybe I'm mistaken," Edgeworth said, tension heavy in his jaw, "but they can't exactly make any decisions while they're being kept in the dark, can they?"
"Well, no," Phoenix admitted, "but I want to make sure it's the right time to tell them. They've both gone through a lot over the past couple of years. Is that so wrong?"
"Yes," Edgeworth said.
"Oh?" Phoenix asked, getting a little haughty. "And when should I have told them?"
"Now," Edgeworth snapped. "Right now. You tell them the entire truth."
"Why are you so angry about this?" Phoenix said.
Edgeworth crossed the small room and pointed his finger up in Phoenix's face. "Because they're young and she's alive and they have a chance to build a relationship with her. Why would you keep that from them?"
"Hey, hey, keep it down," Phoenix said softly, pointing at the door again.
"Phoenix Wright," he bellowed. "I will NOT be silent in the face of injustice."
Phoenix breathed in through his teeth. "Alright, let's just calm down and talk about this."
Edgeworth's closed his eyes and clutched his hand over his heart, his breath coming out faster and faster. He tried to grab a nearby shelf and missed. Phoenix launched himself forward to keep Edgeworth from falling and Edgeworth slid slowly to the ground, Phoenix grabbing at his clothes to keep him steady. Edgeworth sat on the floor, his legs splayed out, on the verge of hyperventilating.
"Hey hey, try to calm down," Phoenix said, his voice low, kneeling in front of Edgeworth. "Look at me," he said, touching Edgeworth's face.
Edgeworth blinked his eyes open and looked up at Phoenix, his hand still on his chest.
"Try to breathe slowly. Come on, in," he demonstrated himself by breathing in deep and steady, "and out." He exhaled heavily.
Edgeworth tried to follow his instructions, shaking as he breathed, his eyes unfocused and distant.
"You can do it," Phoenix said gently. "Come on, try again." He demonstrated again, maintaining eye contact until Edgeworth was looking straight at him, the color returning to his face.
As soon as he had some control over his faculties, Edgeworth drew his knees up towards his chest. He broke Phoenix's gaze and buried his face between his knees.
"I'm too old for this," he mumbled.
Phoenix clucked his tongue. "You know that's not true. If you were talking to someone in your situation you wouldn't say that."
Edgeworth didn't respond. He started rocking a little, his hands stretched tight around his legs.
"Is it getting darker?" he asked, his voice high and small.
Phoenix looked up at the glowing light on the ceiling. "No, it's not," he said firmly. "And we're gonna get you out of here."
He reached over and squeezed Edgeworth's hand before going over to the door and pounding on it.
"We're still waiting, daddy!" Trucy's voice came through the door. "I'm not sure how much longer it's gonna be."
"We need to get out of here now," Phoenix said.
"Sorry dad, there's not much we can do."
"I'm sure they're on their way, Mr. Wright!" Athena said.
"Yeah, I'm sure," Phoenix muttered to himself. In a fit of frustration he grabbed the doorknob and twisted it back and forth a few times. He gave a particularly hard twist. It started to budge and then the knob spun around. "Uh oh," Phoenix whispered. He cleared his throat and pressed close to the door. "I think I made it worse."
Someone on the other side tried to turn the knob, but it just spun around uselessly. The knob shook a few times, but the effort was fruitless. They were legitimately trapped.
"Daddy!" Trucy said, much more shrill than before. "What did you do?!"
Phoenix grumbled. "It's not my fault Gavin didn't upgrade the doorknobs in his fancy rockstar house!"
"Hey!" Klavier shouted in the distance.
A tiny, pitiful sound came from the floor. Phoenix turned around and Edgeworth was staring at the door over his glasses, his eyes wide and heartbreaking, his legs scrunched up as far as he could get them, making him look as small as possible. Phoenix started rolling up his sleeves.
"If there's anyone standing near the door, you might want to back away right now!" he yelled. "Trucy, get to the end of the hall!"
"But dad-"
"NOW, TRUCY," he said.
He took a deep breath, steeled himself, and kicked just below the broken knob. The door produced a loud splintering noise. Phoenix took a second to steady himself and then did it again, hitting the exact same spot. This time the door burst open, wood fragments flying across the threshold. Phoenix looked out into the hallway and a small crowd of faces was staring back at him. He huffed out a breath and nodded. Without a word, he turned around and offered his hand to Edgeworth. It took a few seconds before Edgeworth acknowledged him, and Phoenix stood patiently until Edgeworth took his hand and pulled himself to his feet.
Edgeworth was a little shaky so Phoenix put his arm around Edgeworth's waist to keep him balanced. He led them out of the room and into the hallway, and the crowd parted as they walked past.
"Sorry about the door, Gavin," Phoenix said, staring straight ahead.
Klavier just watched them pass, his mouth open.
They kept walking and for once no one followed them. Phoenix wanted to get them away from the party, so they kept going until he found a quiet spare room. He sat the still-dazed Edgeworth down on the couch and almost made to shut the door behind them before thinking better of it. There was a large window with a view of the grass and the trees and the cloudy skies above, and Edgeworth stared out the window in silence.
Phoenix sat down, reached over and straightened Edgeworth's crooked glasses.
Edgeworth made a small noise of thanks and Phoenix nodded.
They spent several minutes just looking out the window.
"Can I get you some water?" Phoenix asked finally. "Or something to eat?"
Edgeworth shook his head. "Thank you," he said. "Maybe later."
"Sure," Phoenix replied, glancing away.
"And, um," Edgeworth said, looking down at his hands. "Thank you. For being there."
Phoenix smiled and touched Edgeworth's hand with the tips of his fingers. "You know there's no shame in it."
Edgeworth didn't say anything.
"Absolutely none," Phoenix said softly.
"Mm," Edgeworth hummed. Phoenix smiled and leaned back against the couch.
They were quiet again for some time until Edgeworth looked back at him.
"You know, I haven't forgotten what we talked about earlier."
"Hmm?" Phoenix said, turning to him.
"About Trucy and Apollo."
Phoenix looked away, studying the moulding of the windowsill. "I know," he whispered. "And you're right. You're completely right."
"So you'll tell them?" Edgeworth said.
"I'll tell them soon. I promise," Phoenix answered. Edgeworth made to interject so Phoenix got there first. "There are a few things I need to work through before I do. But I absolutely swear that I'll tell them. Cross my heart."
Edgeworth closed his mouth and nodded.
Phoenix's hand slid along the couch cushion until finally he laid it on top of Edgeworth's hand, tucking his fingers in across Edgeworth's palm. They were both looking down at their entwined hands, transfixed, when a knock on the doorframe jolted them apart.
"Hi," Trucy said shyly, peering around the edge of the door. "May I come in?"
"Come in," Edgeworth said. He patted the couch. She sat down between them and looked up at Edgeworth with woeful eyes.
"I'm so sorry you were scared," she said. "I-I didn't know you would…"
He put his hand on her shoulder. "Shh, it's alright," he whispered. She looked like she was on the verge of bursting into tears. "Don't worry yourself over it. I'm fine."
"Are you sure," she said thickly.
"Yes, I'm perfectly alright. The demons of my past always seem to choose the most inconvenient times to haunt me. It wasn't your doing, Trucy. Please don't blame yourself."
She nodded, blinking as she wiped her eyes. "Okay," she said. She threw her arms around his chest and hugged him tight. He shifted awkwardly at first and then rubbed her back, letting his head rest on top of hers. She murmured and relaxed against him.
On the other side of the couch, Phoenix sighed and smiled. After a few minutes, he touched Trucy's back. She lifted her head from Edgeworth's chest and blinked at her dad.
"I think we've had enough excitement for one day," he said, reaching out to take her arm.
"Oh, but you guys haven't even had any cake!"
Phoenix's ears perked up. He rubbed his chin. "Cake, you say? Maybe I was too hasty…"
Edgeworth rolled his eyes and stood up, ushering them out the door.
"Yes, let's all get some cake and leave this wretched place."