Turnabout Teachers - Narumitsu

 Apollo accompanied Trucy during lunchtime every day. Even though Trucy was a few years younger than him—and that she would probably rather be with her friends than with him—she was good company. They would sit together and talk about her favorite band (a taste that Apollo did not share) or about new magic tricks for which, unfortunately, she would use poor Apollo as a guinea pig.

The reason he insisted on getting so close to Trucy Wright at lunch was because—and he would never say this out loud—he saw Mr. Wright, the ninth-grade English teacher, as a father figure. And him getting closer to Trucy would be a way to feel included in her family. It was pretty stupid and pathetic, but hey! It was working out! Mr. Wright was closer to him, he had even visited their apartment several times (to rehearse Trucy's magic tricks more than to spend time with him, but that's not relevant), and he trusted Apollo enough to leave him in charge of his sweet fourteen-year-old daughter.

He couldn't admit it out loud. Because Mr. Wright was a terrible, careless teacher who never took his work seriously and that's why he always ended up leaving them homework every day when he was in ninth grade. But deep down, what he wanted the most was to be appreciated by him.

So, that day he did the same. He waited for Trucy outside her physics class and walked her to the lunch line. As they sat in the cafeteria, they began one of those conversations they usually had, in which they talked about things as trivial as their classes or a television show they were both watching.

Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by a loud slam on the table. And Ema Skye, one of Apollo's classmates, was standing in front of them.

"Trucy! Is your dad married?!" She suddenly asked in an interrogating tone.

The question was so sudden that Trucy barely had time to process it and come up with a response. She didn't even have time to respond. Before she knew it, Apollo had already answered for her.

"Mr. Wright? No. Not that I know of... At least I don't think so."

Is that something he should know? Damn. Yes, it was something he should know. How would he create a father-son relationship with Mr. Wright if he didn't even know something so basic?

As Apollo faced an internal crisis, Trucy turned to answer the question more clearly.

"No, he's not. Why? Have you seen him with anyone?"

"No, but I have my suspicions, you see..." She put on her glasses, those with white frames and rose-tinted lenses, standing in a thoughtful pose "... Yesterday, Mr. Edgeworth was absent . You know that he teaches government class to us twelfth graders, right? Anyway, he was absent, and our substitute, at least in fifth period, was your dad."

Apollo cocked his head, confused.

"And how exactly is that relate to what we're talking about...?"

"You don't let me finish, Polly, you see." She sat on the bench in front of them and let both her arms fall on the table. "Mr. Wright looked quite happy as he sat down at his desk. And sometimes he would ask questions like: «Does he talks about me?» «What does he says about me?» And he looked so happy when people answered positively, smiling and laughing to himself. Now, last period, I had the same class with Mr. Edgeworth, and he was talking about him in the same cheerful tone. Saying things like: «Did Mr. Wright treat you well? Tell me the truth, because if not, I'll have to have a serious conversation with him alone.» There is a radar of suspicion turned on deep in my gut, and I came to the following conclusion: Either they're in a flirting phase, or they're already dating. One or two! And came to confirm my scientific hypothesis!"

Apollo frowned, annoyed; What was Ema implying? That Mr. Wright was dating Mr. Edgeworth? Dating... Another man? That couldn't be. Phoenix Wright was a rather masculine and serious man. He would never be with another man.

"Objection!" Apollo slammed the table suddenly and pointed at Ema accusingly "You're assuming too much! Mr. Wright would never date Mr. Edgeworth!"

"Oh yeah? Well, the only one who can tell me the truth is his daughter! Trucy!"

Trucy, on the other hand, had finished eating his lunch and was now enjoying some chips she bought from the vending machine, oblivious to the discussion and speculation of her upperclassmen.

"I won't tell you anything I know... Unless you promise to help me with my show on Friday!"

Ema and Apollo gave each other a knowing look that said everything Trucy needed to know.

"Then I won't say anything."

Ema clicked her tongue.

"It doesn't matter, there must be a way I can discover the truth by myself and it won't escape from me!"

"Good luck with that! Mr. Wright is as straight as the day is long and I can prove it!"

Klavier Gavin, who was walking by with a bag of chips in his hand, interrupted their conversation.

"Hey, herr forehead, why so aggressive? What are you guys talking about?"

"Oh, not you..." Ema rolled her eyes. "Ok, Klavier, let's see if you're good at something: Are the 9th grade English teacher and the 12th grade government teacher together yes or no?"

"Of course." Klavier said with a smile. "Those two have fucked, definitely."

Apollo grimaced in disgust at his word choice.

"Please, can't you have respect for Mr. Wright's daughter here? Look at how you're talking about her dad in front of her!"

"I don't care."

"Sh, Trucy. You don't have to pretend."

Klavier raised an eyebrow, surprised by Apollo's attitude, and walked towards Ema.

"What's wrong with shortie?"

"Apollo doesn't want to accept that his ideal male figure likes men."

"Mr. Wright is not my ideal male figure!" He immediately denied. "I don't even care! I just don't think he likes Mr. Edgeworth. In fact, I dare say they are most likely rivals."

Having finished eating, Klavier balled up his bag of chips, and took his hand to his hair to play with it. Then, he slammed the table and pointed a finger at Apollo.

"Oh yeah? And what makes you think that? Show us the irrefutable evidence that Mr. Wright and Mr. Edgeworth are rivals and not lovers."

Apollo crossed his arms and put a determined smile on his face.

"Well, in ninth grade they used to fight a lot about everything. Do you remember how careless Mr. Wright was until the week of pre-final exams in 2021?"

"When he became annoying and intense as hell and didn't tolerate even the slightest transgression?" Klavier asked.

Apollo nodded.

"Exactly. And what did he say that time?"

"I don't know. I always used my cell phone in class."

"Well, maybe it wasn't that Mr. Wright was annoying and intense as hell, maybe it was that you made his job a living hell." Ema commented between her teeth."

“Actually, I'm glad you mentioned that, Klavier." That same determined smile formed on his face again. "Because I remember that that day, Mr. Wright took you out of the classroom for being on your cell phone. Isn't that true?!"

Klavier jumped in surprise. He clenched his teeth and both fists on either side of his body and then looked away at the ground. He said nothing. He didn't deny it.

"But... You know who was there that day?" Apollo directed his gaze toward Ema "You! Can you tell me what Mr. Wright said that time?"

Emma shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, I don't remember. I don't memorize everything he says like you do."

"Yeah, well, he said the following: «We have to put in as much effort as possible to be the class with the best grades in the final exams. Help me beat Mr. Edgeworth's know-it-all ass, will you?»" Apollo quoted a little vaguely because, well, it had been three or four years since Mr. Wright taught him "Why, if they were and are actually dating, were they so determined to be at each other's throats?"

"Objection!"

Klavier regained his composure and smirked, slamming his fist on the table. "Oh, forehead, forehead, forehead. My lovely herr Stirn, how could you overlook such an important fact?"

Apollo cocked his head, clearly confused.

"What are you talking about?"

Out of nowhere, young Gavin began playing his signature air guitar, humming a song with his mouth in the tone of a real electric guitar. Then, he pointed at Apollo with a sly smile on his face.

"Did you forget that, along with Mr. Wright, Edgeworth used to be a ninth-grade English teacher?" He put his hands in his pockets and sat back down on the bench. "The logical thing would be that they would have been rivals at that time... But many things change over the years! And the heart is among them!"

Apollo gave a start that caused him to take a few steps back and made a face of complete astonishment and bewilderment.

"...o-objection...!"

"I object to your objection!

"Shut the fuck up, Klavier!"

Klavier began to laugh full of joy when he saw how Apollo looked defeated with such a simple argument.

It couldn't end there... No... It couldn't be true! There had to be a way to disprove Klavier's argument...!

Evidence... That's it! Young Gavin lacked proof!

"Hold it!" apollo suddenly shouted.

Ema and Klavier looked up. Trucy, who was drawing in her notebook, looked up. The rest of the students in the cafeteria, taken aback by the sudden shrill scream, looked up.

All eyes were on Apollo. On Apollo Justice and his determined look.

"Klavier Gavin... Tell me..." Apollo began and then pointed an accusing finger at the aforementioned gentleman. "Do you have any evidence to prove that Mr. Wright and Mr. Edgeworth are indeed dating?!"

Seeing the look of surprise distort Klavier's serene face was the most satisfying thing Apollo could have experienced in a long time, and he had gotten a perfect score on his AP Biology exam that same day.

But satisfaction, like all things in this world, was ephemeral. The sly smile returned to Gavin's face as he searched for something in his pants pocket. Apollo was nervous, but he didn't flinch. There was no way Klavier could prove that Wright and Edgeworth were truly dating.

Or... Maybe he could...

Klavier took a crumpled note out of his pocket and left it in front of Apollo, who didn't say anything; he didn't even take the note. He just looked at the boy in front of him quite confused.

"There's your proof."

Apollo, trembling unconsciously, took the crumpled paper and opened it. Mr. Wright's unmistakable handwriting wrote the following:

«I look forward to our date. In the meantime, I brought you your favorite tea. I couldn't be more grateful to you for always being by my side.»

Apollo couldn't believe what he had read. His face turned red as a tomato and he pursed his lips in such a way that his skin could easily be mistaken for the bone of his teeth. Trucy shook it slightly.

"What does it say? Did daddy write it?"

Before Polly could respond, Klavier was already speaking.

"On Monday, almost around lunchtime, Mr. Wright entered the Government classroom and brought Mr. Edgeworth a paper bag that I assumed was his lunch. He whispered something in his ear, something that made the bitter Edgeworth laugh, and he left the room. Edgeworth pulled out a note from the bag that made him smile like a fool. One that he crumpled up and left on his desk. What you just read is that note."

Apollo couldn't believe it. He felt defeated and dejected, like a soldier on his deathbed. He dropped the note on the table and placed both hands on either side of his head.

As Apollo went through the five stages of grief, Trucy took the note and read it.

"You're such a weirdo, Klavier. Why did you have that note in your pocket?"

Klavier shrugged. "I was anticipating this conversation since I saw the note on Monday. In fact, I was going to start it before you."

"But this doesn't confirm that they are dating." Trucy said.

Apollo looked up abruptly; What had Trucy said? Was that a sign of hope?

"Trucy, what do you think it means for two people to go on a date?" Klavier asked.

Trucy put her index finger to her chin thoughtfully. "It can mean many things. I go on dates with Apollo all the time, but he's like an older brother to me, not my partner."

Apollo felt like he had won the lottery twice with Trucy's statement. Not only could he rub it in Klavier's face that he was wrong, he had also been taken into Wright's family! Ah, all that was left was for Mr. Wright to say it to make it official! Maybe, just maybe, he could even call him Dad.

"Well, at least it confirms that they are not rivals, contrary to what Apollo said. And they get along, very, very well, from what we can see." Ema said. "I still need information to confirm my hypothesis. So I will aim to gather as much information as possible for the rest of the week."

Apollo crossed his arms, his confident attitude once again entering his body.

"Good luck with that, pseudo-inspector Skye; You'll eat your words by the end of the week!"

The bell that indicates lunch's end time rang and all the students returned to their respective classrooms. Trucy had algebra at that time. And, at the last minute, the next period, she would have English class with her dad, in which she would be reading the second act of Romeo and Juliet for the next hour.

When she finished algebra class, Trucy ran to the English classroom with her sketchbook in her hand. Standing at the open door, waiting for his students to come in, there he was. One meter seventy six, dressed in his characteristic and hyper-sophisticated blue suit with a fuchsia tie. Of course it didn't surpass the extravagant cravat that Mr. Edgeworth wore around his neck, but it was still superfluous for a high school teacher.

When he saw his daughter from afar, he smiled from ear to ear.

"My princess!" Phoenix greeted happily as he welcomed Trucy in a tight hug. "Did you come to teach me something?"

"Oh yeah!"

Trucy broke away from the hug and showed her sketchbook to him. The specific page was full of various anatomy studies as well as small sketches of rabbits, Klavier or Apollo that Phoenix found amusing.

"Did you use the method I taught you?"

"The one with the baseball and the nail? Of course! If you look at the other page, it's full of faces I drew using it."

Phoenix scanned the next page with pride. It filled him with joy to see how he and his daughter shared the same love for art. Even as a hobby.

"You've improved a lot, bunny, keep it up!"

After a few pats on her head and a small caress on her cheek, Trucy entered the room and hung her backpack on the back of her own chair. Following her was Phoenix, who walked around the room to his desk. That's when the girl noticed that the classroom was completely empty.

"What happened to everyone?"

Phoenix sighed. "Apparently there is a very important test in psychology class, and the majority asked for my permission to stay and finish it during the first ten minutes of the period. The rest are still in the cafeteria, it won't take long."

Trucy shrugged and sat down. While she was pulling out her copy of Romeo and Juliet, her father got up from his desk again and looked around the door, uneasy.

"Is something wrong, daddy?" Young Wright asked, taken aback by Phoenix's sudden attitude.

"It's nothing, princess." He stammered amidst a nervous laugh, "do you think you can take care of the classroom while daddy goes to visit a friend?"

Trucy jumped excitedly. "Does that mean I'm in charge?!"

Phoenix smiled. "Sure, bunny! Just don't make too much of a mess while I'm gone. I'll be back quickly, okay?"

Trucy nodded cheerfully and then ran towards the teacher's desk. That was the authority she craved. The authority she deserved.

Meanwhile, Phoenix ran towards Edgeworth's classroom at the end of the hallway as students continued to come and go from their classrooms. There was one minute left until the bell rang. He had one last chance to see him for the rest of the day.

In the last hour, all history teachers from each grade had scheduled a meeting to organize the agenda and who knows what else. Phoenix didn't know nor did he care. He just knew that he wouldn't be seeing Miles for a while. And he wouldn't miss the chance to say a proper goodbye to him for anything.

Upon entering the room, it was completely empty, except for that man, two centimeters taller than him, with square frame glasses, gray hair and a pedantic character that only Phoenix could penetrate until he found the true attitude of the affable, benevolent young man that was hidden behind that thick layer of arrogance and coldness.

When Edgeworth looked up, his eyes met Phoenix's. Gray and brown, shining with each other's own light. Both hearts beating with each other's pulse. Both loving each other with the love that the other gave them.

A surprised expression decorated the taller man's face.

"Wright..." He said without further ado.

Phoenix's smile widened as he heard his last name leave such wonderful lips.

"Miles..."

He walked to the other end of the room and held his beloved's face in his hands. Edgeworth reciprocated by wrapping his arms around his waist.

"What are you doing here?" Miles asked. "Don't you have a class right now?"

"I wanted to see you." Wright said. "I wanted to say goodbye to you properly. When I heard that you were leaving early I couldn't stop thinking about coming to see you so I could say goodbye to you as God intended."

Miles smiled sweetly.

"Oh, darling." He chuckled. "How you love to risk your job unnecessarily."

"Hey, look, I take any opportunity that gives me an excuse to not be locked in a room with a bunch of rowdy fourteen-year-olds as little as little as possible." He planted a kiss on Edgeworth's cheek. "And look what a wonderful excuse I have found..."

"Ah, am I just an excuse?"

"Not always. I like having excuses in general, but I like them better when they involve you."

Miles giggled and kissed Phoenix on the lips. A sweet kiss full of affection. Their secret everyday goodbye routine.

If the teachers were dating? That's something no one could know. No one more than the four gray walls of the government room or the light blue walls of the English classroom who had witnessed, better than anyone else in that school, the genuine and special affection that those men had for each other.

Date: February 28, 2024