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Just Another Truth, Wright	By : Blackwidina Category: +M through R > Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Views: 2004 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Ace Attorney series, and I make no money from the writing of this story.

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Apollo just stared in silent shock at the woman before him—as Lamiror, he'd felt that he'd known her. As Thalassa . . .
Now unfortunately, Apollo had a hell of a temper; he'd struggled to control it for years, and, between his law professors and Kristoph Gavin's guidance, learned to eventually channel the intensity of his feelings into his courtroom stance. Every objection held the weight of his stronger emotions: anger, frustration, whatever. This wasn't a courtroom, however, and he wanted nothing more than to start yelling, maybe even screaming and throwing things. Maybe treat her to some of the childhood tantrums she'd missed out on.
But for the life of him, he couldn't bring himself to unleash on this woman. He wanted to. Oh, he wanted to. But he knew, deep down, that what he was feeling wasn't the sort of thing that should be used against others. It was an extreme twist of irony that he could almost hear Mr. Gavin's voice reminding him that giving way to his anger would serve him little purpose, and could irreparably ruin something precious.
She'd finished speaking, and was looking at him with eyes that he'd thought so beautiful once, despite their tragic blindness. Now they were cured, and the process that had restored her vision had helped return her memory.
He couldn't stand the sight of them.
"Apollo?" That sweet voice, laden with sorrow, did nothing to quell the burning, churning anger that had settled in his chest. "Apollo, I—I know this is sudden, but . . .you must believe me. I swear, what I tell you is the truth."
He already knew she wasn't lying. He'd known from the moment she'd shown him her matching bracelet. He'd known from the moment he'd looked, really looked between her uncovered face and Trucy's. He'd been running the dates, the facts, through his mind as she'd spoken of accidents and first husbands and he didn't want to listen anymore.
The molten core in his chest was threatening to boil over, out of his throat, and damn it, he knew better than to say something he would regret—and he just couldn't lose it in front of Trucy—his sister, his half-sister, how long had Phoenix known?-and he moved without thought. Leaving them both there, he left the hotel suite they'd been brought to, and took the stairs, all twelve floors' worth. By the time he'd hit the bottom, he was winded, but still so, so angry.
Luckily, he didn't have far to go. After all, the Gatewater Hotel and Wright Talent Agency were long-time neighbors.
He stormed through the front door, nearly knocking the 'Closed' sign off it's little hook, and stomped over to the mini kitchen. At the sink, he blasted his arm with cold water until his precious bracelet loosened, then took the loop of metal and just held it for a moment, thinking about what it had meant to him over the years.
He didn't even want to look at it.
The familiar sound of a glass bottle being set on the floor made him glance up. Phoenix sat huddled on the couch, staring down at his hands, his hobo gear looking like the emotional wall they represented. Apollo noted that the bottle in the man's possession was most definitely not grape juice, and before he could reign it in, he snapped, "I thought you said the grape juice was to keep you from drinking."
Phoenix didn't even look up, "It's just one. I'm allowed on special occasions. And judging by how you look right now, I've fucked up pretty badly."
"I'm fine!" Apollo yelled, slamming a hand down. Struggling to lower his voice, he followed with, "And I'm not mad at you." Chucking his bracelet down on the counter, not caring if the metal got scratched, he leaned over so that he could rest his head in his hands, struggling to get his breathing to slow down. As upset as he was, he didn't want to take it out on Phoenix, either.
About five deep breaths later, there was a hesitant hand on his elbow. "Apollo," the quiet voice began, "I'm so sorry. I should have told you, promise or no." There was hurt there, and regret, and Apollo was suddenly seeing red again because She'd made Phoenix feel that way.
He reached out and grabbed a handful of hoodie around Phoenix's middle. He glared at the man. "I'm not mad at you, Nick. You didn't do anything wrong!" His voice was steadily getting louder.
"Apollo—"
"Dammit, Nick, I'm mad at her," he ground out, that ugly feeling in his chest reaching the bursting point. "She gave me away, Phoenix! She didn't want me! I spent my whole life, wondering who my parents were, and what they looked like, and—and just why they got rid of me!"
Phoenix looked a bit horrified, "Apollo, I'm sure that's not what-"
"I was a year old, Nick, and she just sent me to an orphanage after my dad died and went back to the troupe, like I was another piece of unwanted baggage-" his voice broke then, and he realized that he was crying, that he'd been crying. While he'd been flashing back to all those years at the orphanage, of being alone, of wondering, his vision had blurred with tears.
The moment he fell silent, Phoenix's took the last step and wrapped his arms around Apollo, holding him tight. Apollo finally allowed himself to let it out, hiccup-y sobs shaking his smaller frame. Phoenix moved them to the couch, sitting them down and gently stroking the hair at the nape of his neck. He even rocked Apollo a little, like a child.
When Apollo finally calmed down enough to be aware of his surroundings, he was unsurprised to hear Phoenix whispering soothing words in his ear. He took an unsteady breath, and another. He felt awful: his head was pounding, his eyes burned, and his nose was somehow both stuffed up and running.
Phoenix pulled back, looking a little worried, "Hey, Apollo, will you be okay for the next couple of minutes?"
That wasn't what he'd expected, "Huh?"
A kiss was laid on his forehead, "I'm worried about Trucy. I'm going to go get her."
Apollo's brain kicked back into gear, and then promptly made him feel like the world's biggest ass. "Oh, god, Nick, I just ran out of there; she was sitting there with me, but I didn't even—"
"It's okay, Polly, I understand. And she's probably fine—trust me, there's no way to keep that girl contained if she doesn't want to be. I just need to go make sure she's okay. I'll be right back; I promise."
"Yeah, sure." Apollo nodded and untangled himself from the other. "I'll just-"
"You'll just nothing." Suddenly, serious Phoenix was back, and he grabbed Apollo's legs and gave him a tug so that he fell back on the couch. A blanket was snagged and laid across him. "You stay right there. I'll rescue Trucy, if . . . she needs me to."
The pause caught Apollo's attention, and he grabbed Phoenix's hand. "She needs you. Remember that. Even if she doesn't need you right this second, she still needs you."
A peculiar expression crossed the older man's face then, and suddenly he was on his knees beside the couch, leaning over to kiss Apollo's mouth. "Thank you." A moment later, he was gone.
Apollo just lay still and tried very, very hard not to think. Instead, he looked at the clock on the wall, silently counting the seconds that ticked by.
Apollo must have dozed off a little from exhaustion, because he woke up when the door gave its little jingle. He sat up in alarm as Trucy walked in, her shoulders slumped, eyes fixed on the floor. "Oh, Trucy, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have—uff!" Trucy had looked up at the sound of his voice, and Apollo had suddenly found his arms and lap full of teenaged girl.
Her voice was muffled in his shoulder, but he could just make out the words as she started crying. "I'm so sorry, Polly! I really am!"
"Whoa, whoa, wait, what are you sorry for, Truce?" Trying to be casual about it, he gave her a gentle shove so that she was off of his legs and sitting more or less beside him, hat safely on the side table. A moment later, Phoenix had finished locking the door and came to sit on Trucy's other side, snagging the Kleenex box as well.
Trucy grabbed one, and furiously wiped at her face, "I—I just . . . Oh, Polly, I got so mad, I should have followed you after you went out the door, but I just had to tell her what I thought and—and!" She blew her nose loudly, and burst into fresh tears. This time, thankfully, she turned and grabbed onto her Daddy, who was a lot more used to emotional females than Apollo was.
The younger man felt slightly dazed, "Wait, you yelled at her?"
"She did." Phoenix sounded slightly amused, "I got there as fast as I could, expecting her to be as upset as you were, and instead I find her in a shouting match with Thalassa."
There was a loud sniff, and Trucy pushed away, looking indignant. "She deserved it! She gave away my—my brother! And then, when she got her memories back, she didn't even come right back! Why did she wait? Didn't she—didn't she want to see me?" Her voice kept getting quieter, but for the first time, Apollo could hear years' worth of pain—pain she usually hid so well with her winning smile and eternal optimism—etched in every syllable. "It's just like Daddy. He went away, too, and when he came back . . . he—he didn't come to see me, either." She looked at Apollo. "I'm so sorry for what she did."
Apollo reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing it a little. "It's not your fault, Trucy."
"I know, but . . . what if she didn't go back for you because she had me?" Her voice was both ashamed and fearful.
"I thought of that, too, but . . . but still. That was her ch-choice," he let go of her and rubbed at his eyes, angry at himself for crying in front of her. "But she's still . . . she's your mom. You remember her, so-"
Suddenly, there was a sharp burst of pain as a gloved hand gripped both of his hair spikes and yanked. "So nothing. As far as I'm concerned, I've been an orphan since I was eight."
"Trucy . . ." This was from Phoenix, who looked genuinely shocked at her statement.
She punched him lightly on the chest. "You hush. I know Daddy said he'd come back, but I stopped believing a long time ago. You're my daddy now, and I love you. And Apollo was like my brother long before today. I don't need her."
It was worth all the heartache they'd been through that day to see the look on Phoenix's face—a man who'd just received vindication. "I . . . I know it's wrong of me, but I'm so glad to have you two." His arms wrapped around Trucy, and he hugged her tight.
The sight warmed Apollo's heart, and he found himself smiling in spite of himself. Then he found himself blushing as Phoenix looked at him with such a warm, caring look in his eyes that he felt like he was being held as well. Suddenly feeling like he needed something to do, he grabbed one of Phoenix's grape juice bottles from beside the couch—making sure, of course, that it was grape juice this time—and took a long pull.
Trucy caught sight of his flush and abruptly sat up on Phoenix's lap, nearly knocking her head into the man's nose, "Which reminds me—what part of getting me a new mommy involves sleeping with my brother?"
Apollo did a spectacular spit take, which had the other two laughing at his expense.
Phoenix, to his credit, had a slight flush of his own, even as he teased, "Oh, come on, Trucy. He's not a bad choice. He cooks, he knows how to work an iron-"
"Phoenix Wright . . ." Apollo growled.
"Ooh, and hear that scary tone!" Trucy giggled, "With a little practice, I bet he'd have a great 'mom' voice!"
"Trucy!"
"Yeah, just like that!"
Apollo groaned and hid his face with his hands, "Everything's a joke with you guys." His cheeks felt like they were on fire.
There was the sound of people shifting, and he was suddenly surrounded, Trucy on his right and Phoenix on his left. Both were close enough that they were touching him, which was usually enough to make Apollo uncomfortable anyway, but when they both wrapped him up in a hug, he thought he might just die of nerves. "Trucy! Mr. Wright!"
Phoenix snickered, "Oh, so we're all the way back to Mr. Wright, are we?"
"Oh, Daddy, he's just letting you know that you're his Mr. Wright!"
"Oh god, please, stop the puns. I'll do anything!" But he couldn't keep from laughing a little. He'd deny it to his dying breath, but he loved their stupid jokes. "All right, my personal bubble is being violated! Let me go!"
"Only if you stop hiding, Polly!" Trucy replied.
Sighing in defeat, he dropped his hands, and the others did their part, scooting just far enough away that he could be comfortable. "All right, so . . . what do we do now?"
Trucy's grin faded, and she slumped back on her side of the couch. "About what?" Her sullen tone belied her attempt at ignorance. Her arms crossed in front of her chest, making her look very much like a moody fifteen year old.
Apollo sighed. "Trucy, she did come all the way out here."
"A few years too late."
Phoenix sighed heavily, "Truce, she's had amnesia."
"Daddy, once you had amnesia. And you still went to court. And won."
For a moment, Apollo couldn't resist grinning like the big law nerd he was. He'd read the court record on that case, and it had inspired him with the sheer amount of awesome involved.
"Losing a couple of days is nothing to losing several years. And she wanted to tell you both, but she just . . . needed to work some things out, first."
"Like Daddy did?" The acid was unmistakable. "He came back and the first thing he wanted to do was ruin your poker career. Which was helping keep a roof over my goddamn head."
"TRUCY! Watch your language!" Apollo snapped.
"Yes, Mommy." She even had the audacity to roll her eyes at him.
Phoenix sighed gustily, interrupting what promised to be a promising spat. "Well, I guess the next thing I need to do is go back up there and talk to Thalassa. I'm sure she's pretty upset."
Apollo winced, "Yeah . . ."
"And the two of you need to prepare yourselves, because you're going to go talk to her."
They both tensed, sharing troubled glances, previous annoyances forgotten.
"Why?" Trucy argued, "I don't want to see her!" Apollo nodded in agreement.
"You may not now, but you might later. And you should. If this had gone the other way, I'd hope you and Apollo would have come to me before jetting off to Borginia."
Apollo felt his spikes wilt in defeat, "You're right-"
"Of course I am-"
"Oh, dammit, Phoenix, you're correct, you idiot! But I don't even know what I would say to her after running out like I did. I mean, she explained, she apologized, and I . . . I don't accept. I can't. Not right now. Maybe someday, but not right now." Apollo shook his head, trying to will away the lump that was making its reappearance in his throat.
Trucy looked sheepish, "And I can't go back, after the things I said to her."
"Yes, you can, and you will." They both looked up at the sound of Phoenix's voice. He had the same look on his face that he'd had when he'd told Trucy to leave Zak's will unopened. "If you think you're embarrassed to show up after a little tantrum, how do you think Thalassa feels, showing up after all of this?" He looked at the both of them in turn. "It's hard to say you're sorry, especially if you're not feeling apologetic at the moment, but it needs to be done."
He stood abruptly. "I'm going over there now, and I'm going to tell her you're both here at the office. I want you two to go back and see her by the end of the day, even if it's just to apologize. Understood?"
They nodded reluctantly.
Phoenix's eyes finally softened. "Some things in life are really hard to accept, but the important thing is to keep your head high, even when the sky is falling." And with that, he walked out the door, looking for all the world like he was about to stroll into a trial that he had no chance of losing.
Apollo watched him go, remembering exactly why he'd thought Phoenix Wright was the coolest guy on the face of the planet. "You know, if I hadn't already fallen head over heels with your him, I think I'd ask him to adopt me."
Trucy giggled. "He is pretty cool sometimes."
"I hope he goes back to normal soon, or I'll be acting like a lovestruck fanboy all the time."
"And to think, you thought he was such a jerk when you first came to work for him."
"He's still a jerk." Coming back to himself a little, he shyly glanced over at Trucy. "So . . . you don't mind? I mean, me and your dad?"
The grin nearly split her face in half, "No way! When I woke up this morning and saw you two cuddled up on the couch, it was the cutest thing I'd ever seen!"
Apollo could feel himself starting to blush. "We—we always end up like that by morning, but you've never said anything before. What made you think . . . that we . . . uh, this time?"
With a decidedly evil grin, Trucy leaned in conspiratorially, "I"m not deaf, you know, Mr. Chords of Steel."
Apollo had to hide his face in his hands again.
TBC
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Just Another Truth, Wright