Fandom: Ace Attorney, refers to The Princess Bride
Characters: Pearl Fey, Trucy Wright, Phoenix Wright, Miles Edgeworth, Maya Fey
Pairings: Narumitsu, otherwise gen.
Summary: Trucy and Pearl are watching a movie, and something jumps out at them. There’s a small argument over who it best describes, until the objects of the argument itself answer the question for them.
Trucy and Pearl are still young, not yet teenagers, and they’re watching The Princess Bride at Mr. Edgeworth’s, while the ‘adults’ (including Maya) talk about something at the table a bit further away.
Both of the girls are at the edge of their seats, waiting for it to become a ‘kissing book’ but happy to watch as the heroes fight and work together and fend off rats of improbable size.
“As you wish,” says the Dread Pirate Roberts, falling down, and Pearl squeals loudly enough to cause the adults to look over at them, while Trucy is making a noise similar to a steam kettle boiling.
They go back to their discussion with a laugh, and Trucy and Pearl share a look.
“Isn’t it so romantic? Wouldn’t you say that’s just like Mr. Nick and Mystic Maya, Miss Trucy?”
Trucy blinks, and keeps on watching.
“Hm... I don’t know? Doesn’t Daddy usually go ‘Oh, if I have to...’, though? It doesn't have quite the same ring to it, does it?”
Pearl hoists up a sleeve - more a reflexive gesture than aimed at any particular person.
“I’m sure they mean the same thing. Everyone’s language of love is different!”
They giggle, and continue watching the movie, because if there’s one opinion they, it’s that Trucy’s daddy and Mystic - Aunt - Maya love each other a lot, and that Phoenix wouldn’t give in so easily so often (especially since he’s constantly even more broke now than he ever was before) if he didn’t care for her a lot.
It’s as the credits are rolling that they go silent, listening to the music, and they catch a bit of conversation from the other end of the room.
Mr. Edgeworth is asking Phoenix if he’d like something to drink. He’s saying that it’s been a while, and they’ve probably got dry throats from talking and working.
Phoenix mentions, just off-hand, that he’d be fine with what he had last time. It’s a kind of tea that Mr. Edgeworth can pronounce, but Phoenix just shrugs, and goes, ‘yeah, that’.
Trucy and Pearl don’t see the small smile Mr. Edgeworth gives Phoenix as he takes his cup, but the words that come next are as clear as anything-
“As you wish,” Mr. Edgeworth says softly as he leaves for the kitchen.
Trucy and Pearl go silent as mice, their eyes go wide. Pearl is biting her lip. Trucy is covering her mouth.
“Do you... do you think he meant it in the same way...?” Pearl asks quietly, now biting her thumb worriedly.
“We were all watching the same movie,” Trucy says, thoughtfully. “I’m pretty sure I heard Daddy laugh a few times when we were.”
“Oh,” Pearl says, and she can’t help but look behind her to where Mystic Maya is, to check on her, after such a thing happening - only to find that she’s clearly okay. She’s fine, in fact, more than fine, giggling and poking Mr. Nick in the chest while he blushes.
“So,”, Maya’s saying, “if you’re the princess and Mr. Edgeworth is Westley, then who am I? C’mon, don’t hold back on me now!”
“You’re the ones who started this,” Mr. Nick says, sounding amused, “I don’t really care, as long as it’s no one who ended up getting arrested or killed.”
“That, I’m more than happy with,” Maya says, making a face, and goes on to suggest any number of the most interesting characters.
Pearl isn't quite sure what she’s feeling, when she notices Trucy’s hands wrapping around hers.
“As long as Daddy’s happy, I’m happy,” she says. “So... do you wanna join my club? I’m going to have to rename it from ‘Team Find A New Mommy’ to ‘Team Let’s Find Aunt Maya A New Special Someone’, though.”
Pearl bites her lip again before nodding, slowly.
She later thinks that the ability to accept that may have been a long time coming, and maybe she was slow to understand, and she certainly won’t ever think that Mr. Nick and Mystic Maya aren’t special.
But if Mystic Maya is happy when Mr. Nick is happy and Mr. Nick is happy when Mr. Edgeworth is happy and they’re both happy together, then she wants Mystic Maya to be as happy as possible.
It still doesn’t spare Phoenix from Pearl’s punches whenever she thinks that he’s hurt Maya’s feelings or offended her in some way, but it’s a change that he ponders over and can’t quite figure out or get to the bottom of for a long, long time
