#a serious examination of Miles and his relationship with the word ‘papa’

[roosterbox]

Fic Rec Friday 3/17/2023

Title: moniker (ripples through the water)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen, M/M

Fandom: 逆転裁判 | Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney

Relationships: Mitsurugi Reiji | Miles Edgeworth/Naruhodou Ryuuichi | Phoenix Wright, Mitsurugi Reiji | Miles Edgeworth & Naruhodou Ryuuichi | Phoenix Wright, Mitsurugi Reiji | Miles Edgeworth & Naruhodou Minuki | Trucy Wright

Additional Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Domestic Fluff, for like the first 1000 words then i throw miles edgeworth in the washing machine, Panic Attacks

Summary: One word. It was easy, really. Two syllables, so simple an infant could pick it up in no time. Miles had never used it for his father—he elected to just call him “father” and it was easy enough. Trucy called Phoenix a variety of ridiculous names, but usually fell back on “daddy” or “dad.” He wasn’t sure what Trucy had called Zak when he was around for her, but he assumed much of the same.

There was only one person who had earned the moniker “papa” in Miles’ life, and it was a person whom he thought less and less of with each passing year. Except, it seemed, he had made one final intrusion on the life Miles had worked so hard to recover.

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Today’s rec comes from the wonderful world of Ace Attorney.

Plenty of AA fics I’ve read have explored Miles Edgeworth’s trauma - and boy does he have a truckload of it - but I hadn’t read one that approached it from an angle quite like this before. This is one of those things that I never thought twice about, but as soon as I did, was like “Okay yeah - why has nobody touched on this before??” The first third or half or so of the fic is just Miles reminiscing, up until his trauma button gets presses by Trucy (accidentally on purpose, meaning that she meant to call him what she did, but did not intend it to affect him so). And then there’s a big ol’ chunk of panic attack before Phoenix swoops in (lol bird puns) and provides the comfort part of this hurt/comfort fic.

(Side Note: whenever there is comfort in a hurt/comfort fic, the affirmation that always kills me (in a good way!) is “I’m here.” If your Comforter says that to your Comfortee, know that you have my heart.)

I love established co-parents Phoenix and Miles so much. It feels like such a natural progression of their relationship. And any presence of Trucy in a fic is appreciated. Absolutely lovely.

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For next week’s rec, I think it’s time to bust out the big guns. That’s right - next time, we’re breaking into the wonderful wide world of… Cherik! And I will summarize next week’s fic in a single sentence: Aliens made them do it.

Bis bald!